BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. retail giant Walmart said it was not obligated to sell projectors and computer monitors for erroneous prices that caused a frenzy of buying this week.
A company spokesman pointed out that the retailer's terms of use for credit cards spells out in advance that it reserves "the right to refuse or cancel an order for any reason including limitations on quantities available for purchase, inaccuracies or errors in product or pricing or problems identified by our credit and fraud avoidance department."
Walmart said it would send a $10 e-gift card to customers who placed orders based on the pricing mistake.
ABC News reported Thursday that Walmart's refusal to honor sales generated by the computer glitch that appeared online Wednesday infuriated some consumers.
The glitch priced an InFocus projector at $8.85, although it normally retails for more than $575.
Some of the anger was apparent in Facebook postings.
"I will gladly pay an extra dollar or 2 for something to avoid stepping foot or spending a dime in your stores ... including SAMSs Membership canceled," one irate consumer wrote.
"I've had it with Walmart," wrote another, who berated the store for the lack of a person to talk to on the phone to register a complaint. "I will take all of my business somewhere else if you do not honor my order confirmation," the consumer wrote.
Senor Projects Editor for Consumer Reports Tod Marks said Walmart was within its rights to cancel so long as it made an honest mistake and did not use the pricing mistake to lure in customers.
It also made a difference if Walmart made a mistake once or if they repeat the mistake.
"This is something authorities would determine based on a pattern of behavior rather than a single incident," he said.
