Price mistakes - how to proceed?

[Patrick B]

So an online retailer has an obvious issue with his site, and cigars that you know damn well don't sell for $45 a box are showing up at that price. Do you take advantage and snatch them up? Or do you try to alert them to the problems?

Kudos to the retailer for honoring the mistake, but I really wish you wouldn't, it only encourages this type of behavior. Also, I hate to see a retailer have to honor the prices only to avoid a totally unwarranted backlash if they don't.

I really do hope people think about this and reconsider the orders they placed.

 

[GoingPostal]

Well i took advantage of the mistake with the mindset of they retailer canceling the order. I'm sure most of the people who ordered thought the same thing. Learning that he is honoring the orders, i am definately going to reward that by making several purchases with them and will be one of the retailers i go to first.

 

[Starz26]

So an online retailer has an obvious issue with his site, and cigars that you know damn well don't sell for $45 a box are showing up at that price. Do you take advantage and snatch them up? Or do you try to alert them to the problems?

Kudos to the retailer for honoring the mistake, but I really wish you wouldn't, it only encourages this type of behavior. Also, I hate to see a retailer have to honor the prices only to avoid a totally unwarranted backlash if they don't.

I really do hope people think about this and reconsider the orders they placed.

One would hope that a true BOTL would look at it from the perspective of the shop owner and what it would cost him rather that what they could gain.

Also, if I was the shop owner, I would contact everyone and state the mistake, offer them a discount from the original price or my cost (so I do not loose anything) and everyone wins. Or I would honor the price and hope for the best, that would all depend on what kind of financial hit it would take...

 

[orangedog]

The cigar community seems to operate differently than other industries. If this wasn't a cigar retailer, I'd say that it is on the shoulders of the business to operate properly, and that the flub in pricing should be honored. Inside the cigar community, my normally far-capitalistic views are temporarily suspended, which is why I didn't place an order. Still, this is what happens when inefficient pricing occurs in a free market... what business operates under the premise that if they screw up, there is no consequence (not trying to incite a government, wall street, autocompany debate here...)?

 

[Treinenwj]

Nah, I just post a thread and watch the feeding frenzy.
Seriously, I was waiting until tomorrow to call and confirm price, but totally would have taken advantage if they just said "oh, well that's the price we listed, so..."

 

[jjon90]

Retailers post "loss leaders" all the time. There are many sites dedicated to finding them and making others aware to take advantage of the deals. How is one to know if it is a market ploy or a mistake?

 

[icehog3]

One would hope that a true BOTL would look at it from the perspective of the shop owner and what it would cost him rather that what they could gain.

This. :applause:

 

[Patrick B]

Retailers post "loss leaders" all the time. There are many sites dedicated to finding them and making others aware to take advantage of the deals. How is one to know if it is a market ploy or a mistake?

I seriously doubt anyone who takes the time to be active on a cigar forum honestly thought Hemingways were selling for $45 a box. Ditto for the other mistaken prices on popular cigars.

 

[ThankfulJoe]

When I saw this earlier today before they fixed the mistake I honestly only didn't make a few purchases because I had the mindset of "There's no way... either they're going to refund the orders or it's some kind of scam." I honestly feel kinda bad for the retailer and hope it doesn't put them out of business.

 

[Treinenwj]

I seriously doubt anyone who takes the time to be active on a cigar forum honestly thought Hemingways were selling for $45 a box. Ditto for the other mistaken prices on popular cigars.

This is exactly why I posed the question. I've ordered from them a couple times before and the prices were always on the cheap side, but a reasonable amount. Tonight was the first time I looked at the Fuentes and found so many of them to be so friggin cheap. I really didn't know what to think. Was it supposed to be $145? Or a 5er? Or were they having the sale of the century?

 

[Strickland]

Honestly? I'd take advantage of the mistake. I could never bring myself to spend $150 on a box of cigars - money's just too tight. But if I could pick one up at a quarter of the normal price, you bet I'd do it. I might feel bad about it... until I removed the wrapper and took a good whiff.

 

[sonarman]

If it seems too good to be true. I know there was a similar issue with a site that charged someone way less than the box price. In fact it was found that a decimal point had been shifted and the sticks were like .10$ a piece. Not really too different imho, this is a hobby that we all enjoy that is under constant attack from outside sources. Many of the retailers are in it together with us and they are not the Wal-mart that we would like to make them out to be, no matter how much easier it would make it on out conscious.

 

[The EVP]

I am one of those that made purchases. As I stated in my post on that thread, the worst that can happen is they cancel the orders and refund the money. FWIW, I wouldn't blame them if they did and would hold no grudge for doing so. But to see that they are honoring the prices, just earned my loyalty (and my business) and believe me, they'll get the word of mouth advertising that businesses covet. In fact, I've already posted the experience on my FB page.

 

[sonarman]

The best thing people to do would be to cancel your own order, the guy is posting a 5,000$ loss for some to gain what 45-100$ a piece? I'm willing to bet if you did there would still be a discount. Just my 2 cents.

 

[OB-Left]

You have got to know that as a business he weighed all his options before he posted that he was going to honor the sales. He knew exactly what the cost would be and made his decision. His decision was that its in his best interest to honor the prices. A large portion of that decision has to be the good/bad will or publicity that would be generated by the decision. As many have already posted they will be buying from a stand up company again. IMHO $5000 is pretty cheap for the free publicity and word or mouth that he will be receiving and the new customers that he has LOCKED in (me included). He is not going to make a decision that puts himself out of business.

 

[Boppa-Wasch]

Just my luck.......no money in the cigar fund till March....oh well............

 

[sonarman]

Good to know so many people will be "customers for life" now that this has happened.

 

[iCraig]

The cigar community seems to operate differently than other industries. If this wasn't a cigar retailer, I'd say that it is on the shoulders of the business to operate properly, and that the flub in pricing should be honored. Inside the cigar community, my normally far-capitalistic views are temporarily suspended, which is why I didn't place an order.

Right on for me.

I loooove me some Hemingways, I just couldn't bring myself to order this time (though I have taken advantage of price mistakes from other non cigar related retailers before)

 

[kockroach]

For those that said they were willing to accept it if they cancel your order if the low price was a mistake, then why not cancel your order knowing that it was a mistake. Seems like you are going contrary to what you were saying before knowing if this pricing was truly a mistake or not.

People are saying they are a stand-up company for honoring the orders...Why not be a stand-up BOTL, and cancel your order.

 

[Starz26]

People are saying they are a stand-up company for honoring the orders...Why not be a stand-up BOTL, and cancel your order.

Well said!