You’ve just added something to your cart at an online shop and are about to checkout.

The item is listed as costing £0 instead of £40.

Do you “purchase” anyway?

FWIW, it’s an online store which also has a smallish shop.

Are you not a lawyer? Morals? Really? 😀

Depends how much you like the people involved…..

Just don’t post the link here, or we’ll all have the same dilemma!

No

You double up, then purchase 😀

No, I dont beleive in something for nothing.

I’d also tell them asap as they pay alot of taxes and overheads like any UK business and its only fair.

Yes, but I’d bung them an email to let them know.

If the situation was reversed (it’s not me, is it?) I’d thank you for spotting the error and give it to you for half price.

I’d also tell them asap as they pay alot of taxes and overheads like any UK business and its only fair.

This is my thinking. I’m not very comfortable with it, despite my initial joy 🙂 Will give them a buzz

BUY! BUY! BUY!

They’ll probably just cancel the order anyway when they see it come through the paperwork at £0.00 or it’ll go mysteriously out of stock.

maybe postage is 39.99 for orders under £40 ?

Moral dilemma…

It’s an ethical dilemma, old boy.

And good call for backing away – sounds really old fashioned, but I think it’s important for lawyers to act ethically all the time.

Reminds me of the bikeshop that put through a bike at a tenth of its price by keying in the price for card payment wrong…. cashing up later they realised this and contacted the customer who told them to jog on. Nice of the customer I thought… ****.

I had a large supplier do the opposite – when taking a payment off my Amex card, they typed £13,000 instead of £3,000.

I had a large supplier do the opposite – when taking a payment off my Amex card, they typed £13,000 instead of £3,000.

There was a story in the press about Amex in the days before chip and pin when you would process credit card payments over the phone using touch-tone to put the card no and payment amount in.

A waiter in a restaurant got confused by the recorded prompts and put the card number in twice – billing the customer a 16-digit figure for their meal – and Amex authorised it.

Since you are immoral enough to find the Peter File gag funny I say buy, buy, buy. You are already going to hell so you may as well mug some Granny’s whilst you are at it 😛

And good call for backing away – sounds really old fashioned, but I think it’s important for lawyers to act ethically all the time.

Aye

Fairly recently, it was suggested by a lawyer (acting for one of our subsidiaries), who wasn’t able to get to the position she wanted, that something “underhand” appeared to have happened. I pointed out that she was effectively telling everyone involved (including my own board!) that I was untrustworthy/dishonest. She agreed! Reputation kicks in at this point and I was told not to worry, while she got her arse kicked.

A horrid reputation tends to follow dishonest counsel, it’s the first thing you hear about when they appear on a deal, and you deal with them appropriately (usually not in their client’s interests though!). I’d like to never be one of those.

I’m sure you’re well aware of those you deal with who are more slippery than non Chilli compound Rubber Queens 🙂

I’m sure you’re well aware of those you deal with who are more slippery than non Chilli compound Rubber Queens

Indeed. Years ago in private practice, we were acting for the shareholders selling their business to an AIM admitted company. As always, the completion meeting went on past midnight.

On getting close to finalising the deal, the buyer’s FD announced “of course, we’ll have to date everything yesterday”. “Why’s that?” we responded. “Well, we’ve embargoed an announcement due for release at 7am that says we bought the business yesterday.”

Before I could say anything, the partner I worked for said “Last time I saw that, the MD got sent to prison and the solicitor was struck off.”

A lesson that stayed with me – expedience and self interest should always come second to doing the right thing.

Good man.

lets be honest – youll buy it and it probably wont be honoured anyway – they are under no obligation to do so….

How many smaller shops just print off the invoice, write the address on a box, stick the item inside and seal it up though? Given the number of incorrect items sent to me over the years, I’d suggest quite a few don’t even read the item part of the order carefully, never mind check the price paid is correct (which you would assume it would be).

I once got sent XT brake levers and shifters, instead of just brake levers, from CRC. So £150-odd instead of £40 ish. I sent them back.. 🙂

The bike shop I bought my frame from forgot to charge me the £450 I owed them ‘on pick-up’. Of course I walked out without paying to see if I could get away with it, then I kept quiet for a few weeks to see if they noticed, after about a month I rang them up to tell and pay them. They thanked me of course but admitted to having no idea that I still owed them! Treat others as you wish to be treated, even if it is a company.

I once attempted to pay for some work done by my car mechanic but the payment was declined as the card had expired the day before. Neither of us noticed, until I actually read the receipt the following day, would’ve got away with that too as it was only labour i had to pay.

I know of 3 people who got away with major purchases. One bought fridge, cooker and dishwasher and never got charged, another bought a sofa and never got charged and finally a boss of mine bought a new car and only got charged 50%, was only a Vectra though so a fair price really 😀
All bought from major retailers not small business’.