Retailer mistakenly sells iPads for $17, later demands returns or extra payment

On Nov. 8, MediaWorld offered loyalty card members the iPad Air at €15 ($17), a drastic discount from its usual price of €879 ($1,012), Wired reported. The timing, close to Black Friday, led many customers to believe the deal was genuine, and they quickly purchased the device both online and in-store.

However, 11 days later, the company sent an email informing customers that the price was "clearly incorrect" and offered two options: pay the difference with a €150 discount or return the device for a full refund along with a store voucher.

A person types on an iPad keyboard. Photo from Unsplash

A MediaWorld spokesperson explained that the pricing error resulted from a "clearly recognizable technical error," making the offer "economically unsustainable and not representative of our commercial offering." The company maintained that the two options were provided to uphold customer support, transparency, and fairness.

However, the company’s terms and conditions lacked a clause addressing pricing errors, and MediaWorld relied on a general contract law principle, citing Italian law that allows companies to void contracts if the error would have been obvious to the consumer, according to 9to5Mac.

A consumer lawyer, however, noted that with so many promotional deals, some clearly designed to generate attention, customers could not be expected to distinguish between a legitimate offer and a mistake. Additionally, MediaWorld's communication was only an email, with no formal legal notice sent to customers.