Price Glitches FAQ

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What is a price glitch?

It is an unusually low price for an item - it could be a crazy special offer or perhaps a mistake. For example, a product listed online for £10 instead of £100.

Do companies have to honour price glitches?

• In stores: If an item is priced incorrectly on the shelf, or scans at the wrong price at the till, retailers are under no obligation to honour it, under the Consumer Credit Act 2015. They can offer the item at the correct price or refuse your money and withdraw the product from sale. (Source: Telegraph)
• Online: It's a bit wafty: The legally binding contract is complete when a retailer accepts an order. However, acceptance does not necessarily happen at the point of order. Even the confirmation email may not be an acceptance. Some retailers reserve the right to cancel an order up to the point of delivery. It is therefore important to carefully check the retailer’s terms and conditions (which must be available on their website) and emails – if a retailer simply acknowledges an order, there may be no contract at that point. (Source: Telegraph)

How often do companies honour the glitch?

Approximately 2 in 10 times (20%), based on my online shopping experience. The majority of online stores do not honour glitches.

When you buy a price glitch you should know there is a very probable chance that it will be cancelled.

Are price glitches worth the effort?

• This is open to debate. You can join in a Chat discussion about it here.
• Many people who buy price glitches do so knowing there is a high risk the majority will be cancelled. However, over the long-term some of these price glitches are honoured. Members of Latest Deals often share photographs of what they've managed to get online.

If a price glitch is not honoured, will they refund me my money?

If an order is cancelled, you should get your money back. This can take some time. You should be prepared to lose your money to the company for a period of time, perhaps several weeks. While rare, Latest Deals members have said how they had to write several times to various companies to get their money back.

• Amazon refunds - If you've ordered through a third-party seller on Amazon, and the glitch gets cancelled, they may say "no money was taken" and yet your bank account shows a transaction. This is because it may be in "pending" status. Please read more on Amazon

What to do if it is is an error fare or price glitch on flights?

If the price glitch is for a flight (sometimes called an 'error fare') do NOT book accommodation.

Your flight may be cancelled. It is best not to book your accommodation until your flight is confirmed and you're checked in. Even then, it is best to book refundable accommodation. This is very important.

If you book an error fare, do not call the airline. If you do and they realise it is an error fare, they will cancel your flight.

Help, I've received emails from the seller asking me to cancel

If a price glitch is not honoured, you may receive an email from the seller asking you to cancel the order. This is usually because they still have to pay fees on Amazon and ebay even if they cancel. Sometimes these emails state that their jobs may be at risk. Please read the comments of the deal post and join our Facebook group for a discussion on each glitch and to see what fellow members decide.

You may lose money

• Purchasing price glitches are high risk and you may lose your money. We recommend that you do not purchase a price glitch unless you can afford to lose the money. Think of it like purchasing a lottery ticket.

Latest Deals does not take responsibility for any financial loss

• Posts shared on our website are from other people and we have no oversight of the information given. You should conduct your own research into the seller, as you would when purchasing from any online retailer, and make your own decision.
• Sometimes we share posts on our Facebook page and other channels. While we do have a selection criteria we can (and do) get it wrong. Again, please do your own research into the seller and understand the financial risk you are taking when purchasing a price glitch.

Is this FAQ helpful? Please share your thoughts in the comments, or if you have further questions just ask.

Note from Tom: I am writing this FAQ as something we can link to alongside every Price Glitch posted on Latest Deals. I've often assumed people know about the 'risks' of Price Glitches i.e. they may not be honoured, but recently have seen people get angry.