Swiss Post renegs on wide-screen TV bargain

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Swiss Post, the national post office, offered a steal of a Christmas deal on a wide-screen 3D TV, promoted online at just 259 francs, more than 2,700 francs less than the regular price — thanks to a clerical error.

The Samsung TV with a 163-centimetre (65-inch) screen was advertised as regularly priced at 2,999 francs.

So naturally, the cut-price bargain attracted quite a few customers — 1,000 of them — before Swiss Post noticed the error, 20 Minuten reported on Monday.

One purchaser told the newspaper he had ordered five of them, one for each room in his home.

However, the price was supposed to have been 2,059 francs and the orders made by customers have been cancelled, Swiss Post said.

“Since it is clear there was an error (Swiss) Post does not have to comply with the low price,” Sara Stalder, managing director of the Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection, was quoted as saying.

The post office said the prices have been corrected and consumers have been offered the right to cancel their orders.

“We are sorry that an error has happened but we cannot sell this equipment at that low price,” Bernhard Bürki told 20 Minuten.

Swiss Post will inform customers of the problem and offer them a 10 percent reduction on their next purchase, Bürki said.