if a product is marked £2.99 in a shop, is the shop bound to sell it at that price? which UK statute applies?

Question

thanks for sharing knowledge!

Answer 1

If they can show that it was mispriced, e.g. other similar items are marked much higher, all they have to do is exercise their right to refuse service to anyone and take the item back and reprice it correctly. Too often people have been known to switch price tags on items and hope the clerk doesn't notice. The practice has gotten worse here in the states with all the self service checkout stands.

Also, if you know the price marked is wrong, ethically you should point it out and pay the correct price.

Answer 2

Yes they are, per the Trading Standards Act.

However, if the price is something that was printed on the box by the maker, the store is within their rights to put a price sticker on it with a higher price, and charge that.

The only exception to that - for various reasons that go back a long time - is books. A retailer in the UK can't sell a book for more than the printed cover price.

Richard

Answer 3

I found this under the consumer protection act:
"Where you show a price for goods, it is an offence to charge a buyer more. It is also illegal to mislead buyers in other ways about the price of goods, for example by using price comparisons or 'sale' signs when the higher price you quote in comparisons is unfair or meaningless."