Cartier Official Website Price Notice Error
Man Strikes Lucky Deal, Receives Earrings at Unbelievable Price
A Mexican man succeeded in purchasing authentic Cartier earrings from the high-end brand at a price one-thousandth of the original price. And it was on the official website. When Cartier mistakenly posted the price on their official website, the man who bought the product at that price ultimately received the item at the purchase price.
On the 26th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) and others reported on the incident. Rogelio Villareal, a surgical resident working in Mexico, clicked on a Cartier advertisement on Instagram last December. Unaware of what kind of brand Cartier was, he found a pair of inexpensive earrings among the high-priced products. Seeing that the rose gold earrings decorated with diamonds were only 237 pesos (about 19,000 KRW), he purchased two sets. Cartier quickly corrected the price to 237,000 pesos (about 19 million KRW) after realizing the mistake.
Having purchased a pair originally priced at 38 million KRW for just 38,000 KRW, he was contacted by Cartier a week later asking him to cancel the order due to a website pricing error. However, he did not comply. He also refused the company’s offer to provide a bottle of Cartier champagne and a leather product for free in exchange for canceling the order. Instead, he checked the statement on the website that in case of disputes related to purchases, consumers can request mediation from consumer protection agencies, and proceeded according to the regulations. The authorities attempted mediation with Cartier over several months. Eventually, the case was resolved with Cartier delivering the purchased product to Villareal.
On the 26th, Villareal announced the arrival of the earrings on his social media and shared photos of two boxes bearing the Cartier logo. Saying, “I will give the earrings to my mother,” he also revealed a photo of himself wearing the earrings on his finger, commenting, “They could also work as rings.”
Reactions were mixed. While some supported Villareal for winning against a large corporation, others criticized him for abusing the consumer protection system.
Lily Teyez, a former opposition presidential candidate and senator, wrote on social media, “Taking advantage of the company’s clear mistake to grab the earrings is not something to be applauded,” adding, “It reflects a lack of ethical awareness on the buyer’s part, and honorable spirit is worth more than all the gold in the world.”
Similar Cases in Korea... Resolved by Unilateral Order Cancellation by the Company
There have been similar cases in Korea. In 2020, high-priced Grand Prada products were mistakenly priced on the Korean website, causing a rush of people trying to order items at the erroneous prices, which even caused the website to crash. Products costing millions of KRW were listed at 20,000 to 30,000 KRW, and accessories such as perfumes, shoes, and ties were registered at prices between 1,000 and 5,000 KRW.
At the time, Prada acknowledged the pricing error, stating, “There was a system issue on the website operated by the headquarters,” but unilaterally resolved the issue by saying, “Purchases made during the error will be canceled according to the terms and conditions.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
