Dell forced to sell 140,000 monitors for only £9 each

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 2 Jul 2009 at 09:38

Dell is being told to sell 140,000 monitors for only £9 each, after it advertised them at the wrong price.

The pricing mistake was posted on its Taiwanese website at 11pm, with the PC maker advertising the 19in LCD monitors for only NT$500, equating to around £9.

News of the error swiftly spread around the internet, and during the eight-hour period before the company yanked the advertisement 26,000 people placed orders for nearly 140,000 displays, according to Taiwan's Consumer Protection Commission.

The Commission claims it received 471 complaints after Dell subsequently corrected the price to NT$4,800 or £90. In a statement it has ordered the company to honour the original listed price and sell the 140,000 monitors for £9.

"If Dell fails to respond to this directive properly and concretely, then we will consider seeking legal alternatives," the Commission notes in a Chinese language statement.

Dell has apologised for the pricing error and claims it will be "offering reasonable discounts to the orders received under the wrong price," though it claims it's still negotiating with Taiwanese authorities on a final settlement.