The $79 New iPad Sale That Wasn't
March 14, 2012
Call it the deal too good to be true.
Yesterday, U.K.-based Tesco offered their online Direct customers a new iPad Wi-Fi + 4G 64GB model for just £49.99 ($79), a 90 percent discount over the tablet’s regular price. Of course, moments after the online ad went up, the company realized their error and promptly issued a retraction, according to The Inquirer.
Calling the original price an “IT error,” Tesco promptly canceled the purchases that were made, stating:
"We always look to offer our customers unbeatable value but unfortunately this was due to an IT error, which has now been corrected. Most of our customers realised that this was an obvious mistake but we apologise for any inconvenience caused," the retailer said in a statement.While some may argue Tesco should have honored those iPad orders they had already accepted, they did not. In fact, Tesco Direct’s terms and conditions say that a contract only becomes binding when the company actually ships the goods. According to the Tesco website:
"Your order is an offer to buy from us. Nothing that we do or say will amount to any acceptance of that offer until we actually despatch an item to you, at which point a contract will be made between us. At any point up until then we may decline to supply an item to you," according to Tesco Direct's web site.At this time, Tesco is no longer offering the new iPad. Instead, the company says the tablet is “coming soon.” As a reminder, the new iPad arrives on Friday in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands. The third generation tablet will be available by the end of March in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Prices for the new iPad start at $499, or £399 in the U.K.
