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Story: Amazon hit by pricing error

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This is nothing new with online purchasing. Mail order lists always had E&OE (most invoices will as well).

Human/typing errors creep in all the time. I remember things like this happening in catalogues and magazines back in the 80's, and probably before then as well.

If something is really, obviously advertised at the wrong price (and a TV/DVD combo for 49p would fall into that category), then I wouldn't suprised or too upset if the company told me that it was a printing error and that I would either have to pay the real price or cancel the order.

It seems like the world is going sueing crazy! Just because the vendor is unable to fulfil the order at the incorrect price isn't grounds for nashing of teeth or wailing and claiming compensation! The only reason that it is "big news" is that with Internet technology, the word spreads quickly and thousands get to hear of the pricing error and try and exploit it. With mail order, it is not as common to get so many people affected because, if it was a catalogue, they'd probably send out an addendum, and when the people phone up to place the order, the person on the order hotline would probably notice the false price and query it with one of the first customers.

With everything automated in the Internet transaction, it is not unreasonable that the error may not be noticed until further down the chain...

As to the people who sold their old TV before they had a confirmed delivery date on the new one, more fool them...

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