Help! Quoted incorrect rate!

[LaVilleauTady]

NC, so sorry to hear about your break-up and it's hard to remain positive at a time like this, but who knows what wonderful new opportunities might come your way in the future? The more open you are to those possibilities, the more likely they are to happen. It sounds like you have already started to turn the corner. Best wishes.

[Hells Bells]

And love from me too NC x

[enid]

Recently happened to me as I had not got my dates right on OD so high season showed starting a week later. I had to honour the price. I know it is especially hard for you just now but I would tell her that you made a mistake but that you are going to honour the price - I think that will bring you more in good will than demanding the true price.

[Rocket Rab]

Recently happened to me as I had not got my dates right on OD so high season showed starting a week later.

In my view, that's entirely different. If you publish your prices on a website, and publish them incorrectly, well, yes, you should honour them (and correct them asap).

If, on the other hand, you make a simple mistake when quoting a price, you should not feel embarrassed to contact the client and point this out. It would have to be done swiftly, though. If you've got as far as the contract stage, that's a different matter, of course.

NC has decided she can take a 30% hit. Where would you draw the line? 50%, 60%, 90%? Or would you blanch and bite the bullet every time?

[LaVilleauTady]

On the technical point, I agree with RR. Making an error does not oblige you to sell at that price, either legally or morally, and there is a sound basis for the legal position:

The Shop Has to Sell at the Displayed Price?This is another common consumer misconception. If you see an item priced at what you think is an absolute bargain – beware. If a shop misprices an item, and for example misses a zero from the displayed price, you might think that you can walk up to the till and insist that you’re allowed to take the goods away at the displayed price. This is actually wrong. It comes down to basic contract law, and a price label on goods is what’s called, 'an invitation to treat' – that is, an invitation for you as a consumer to make the seller an offer to buy those goods.
You make the offer of the price stated on the goods – at this point if the seller realises that there has been an error, they can refuse to sell you the goods and tell you that they will sell them to you at the correct price. You cannot insist that they sell the item to you for the stated price – in fact you can’t actually insist that they sell the goods to you at all.

Of course morals are an individual matter, and vary from person to person. I would expect many potential renters would not even expect you to sell at the error price once the mistake had been explained, so sometimes the presumption is on the part of the seller!

My own personal take on this is that I don't have to accept a booking until I accept a signed booking form and pay in the deposit. Right up until that point I am perfectly entitled to change my mind.

[Tizfata]

[quote="Rocket Rab]
If you publish your prices on a website, and publish them incorrectly, well, yes, you should honour them (and correct them asap).
[/quote]
Some days ago I was in Germany (Dresden). Sales time. I see a dress in a shopwindow, the price tag says: Kleid 80.- Euro.
I enter the shop, speak in English and try the dress on. I decide to buy and pay with a Visa Electron. The shopgirl digits 109 euro on the card teller. Luckly I didn't have that kind of money on that card! I tell her about the price difference, that I know that "Kleid" means "dress" and that the price shown is different! She says: "The tag is wrong, but I will let you have the dress for 80 euro". If this was true, she would have corrected it very quickly but, guess what? The day after, it still said "Kleid 80.- Euro"...
Said that, I sympathise with NC (been there, done that, too) and wish her the best.

[greenbarn]

there is a sound basis for the legal position:

The Shop Has to Sell at the Displayed Price?This is another common consumer misconception. If you see an item priced at what you think is an absolute bargain – beware. If a shop misprices an item, and for example misses a zero from the displayed price, you might think that you can walk up to the till and insist that you’re allowed to take the goods away at the displayed price. This is actually wrong. It comes down to basic contract law, and a price label on goods is what’s called, 'an invitation to treat' – that is, an invitation for you as a consumer to make the seller an offer to buy those goods.
You make the offer of the price stated on the goods – at this point if the seller realises that there has been an error, they can refuse to sell you the goods and tell you that they will sell them to you at the correct price. You cannot insist that they sell the item to you for the stated price – in fact you can’t actually insist that they sell the goods to you at all.

Thanks for finding that; somewhere in the back of my mind there was a question mark involving "invitation to treat", but I just couldn't remember the rights and wrongs.

[enid]

I take your point RR but this was just an enquiry so I could have said there was a mistake on the OD site and the correct figures were on our website. The point is that I had made an error and that is why I would honour the price.

[Normandy Cow]

Thanks everyone for your support and feedback.

Subject 1
I decided to "do the right thing" so I emailed her:

I've thought long and hard about this dilemma, and although I am a small business with just the one property and cannot really afford to take the hit of €150, given the circumstances I will honour my quote of €350 and of course everything will be to our normal high standards (but I will obviously be more careful when quoting in future!).

She replied:

We appreciate the gesture in honouring the price of 350 euros that you quoted, but would be happy to meet you halfway and pay 425 euros for the week.

So all's well that ends well!

Subject 2
Thanks for all your support. It all happened last summer, and although I was devastated to start off, I then realised that I was actually much stronger and happier without him, so now I am moving on with my life...

[Hells Bells]

An excellent conclusion NC.

[la vache!]

A good result - you don't lost the booking completely and you get more money. I have to say that in my case, had it not been a 2 week booking in June which leaves me with one weekend changeoever free in the summer, I would have wanted the full rate and would have forgone the booking for one week.

[enid]

Brilliant result and re #2 you're doing great!,,,,

[LaVilleauTady]

A great win-win situation NC!

[lorca]

Well done on all counts NC !

[Topcat]

Hear hear!
TC