Legal question: Misrepresented Price Online: 99.5% Discount, then order canceled - what to do?

I had a friend who told a triumphant story about how a hotel accidentally advertised rooms for $2 and he snapped it up. They called him to say that they made a mistake, and he proceeded to be a complete asshole and he made a huge scene over the span of several days. He got the hotel for $2. However, now I think he's an asshole, and I'm sure everyone he tells the story to thinks the same thing.

So, go ahead.

So, this guy shows up at the house with the newspaper ad that says, "New Ferrari $50."

The woman comes to the door.

He says, "This is real? What's wrong with the car?"

She replies, "It's perfect and it's $50."

He asks, "How can you do this."

She says, "It belonged to my husband. He left a note. Here it is:"

I ran off with my secretary.

Sell the car and send me the money.

Hey. Guess what. It's never going to happen. What are going to do, layout a couple grand in $$$ to "go after" these guys to save a couple bucks?? Seriously, the screwed up and they're not giving it to you. Move on. Love how long these "legal question" threads go on. Somebody always knows somebody who sued and one....

Not going to happen, dude.

Contract law varies from state to state. You will need to consult a lawyer in your jurisdiction for legal advice for your particular situation.

In general, the terms and conditions would be what the website would claim protected it from pricing errors, self-serving semantics aside. However, absent the terms and conditions, the contract could be voidable due to a unilateral mistake. If one party to a contract makes a mistake as to the terms or subject matter (material, basis of bargain, etc.) of the contract and the other party has reason to know that a mistake has been made, then the contract is voidable (after a trial because it is a question of fact). Thus, it would be up to the fact finder (judge/jury) to determine whether they believe that you really thought this was some kind of crazy promotion or whether the price differential was so dramatic that you could not possibly have believed that it was anything other than a mistake.

Listen, are you really serious? This is ridiculous. Let me tell you how the real world works. Have you ever heard of a thing called capitalism? Well, in that world, lawyers, just like everyone else, expect to make money. In fact, they expect to make a lot of money, in part due to societal expectations, but also in part due to the fact that they spent a tremendous amount of time and money earning their education. So, you walk into a lawyer's office. What do you think he or she will want, first? The answer is MONEY. No lawyer is going to take this case on a contingent basis, so then you get into paying a retainer, from which the lawyer will deduct hourly rates until your retainer runs dry, then you will have to pay more, and, if you don't, the lawyer will drop your case. That is, assuming you find the one random lawyer who is so desperate as to take your case (even with a retainer). The lawyer desperate enough to take your case will suck. That means they will lose. And they will gladly tell you that you have a great case (if they suck) just to get your money. I have a family member who had a legitimate construction contract dispute. They built a luxury house and were not paid the final 40K. I tried to persuade them to settle as their lawsuit proceeded, but they refused. Something like 100K in attorneys fees later, the defendant filed bankruptcy (big surprise) and they received the big ZERO. So they lost 140K being stubborn. The legal system is rarely worth it anymore unless big big dollars or child custody or something is involved. Lawyers are expensive and the legal system is a crap shoot. That is the truth. Therefore, GIVE IT UP!