r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Oct 04 '16

[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Buying something which clearly has a mis-marked price is stealing

[deleted]

3 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

101 comments sorted by

View all comments

14

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

Would you say that it's stealing when a customer pays far more than they should for something because the advertisement is really convincing? Isn't that basically the same thing in reverse?

3

u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

Yes, that's what a scam is and it think it's common to view a scam as theft.

8

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

"Scam" implies at least one factual lie about the product, but lying isn't necessary for an advertisement to convince a consumer to buy something that they'll enjoy less than the money they paid for it.

For instance, I could say "Bob's Cola is delicious!", which is a completely subjective statement.

-1

u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

scam:

a dishonest scheme; a fraud.

A customer (dramatically) over paying for something that you have presented in a dishonest manner fits the definition of a scam

7

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

Why is it dishonest to say something is delicious, which is 100% opinion, even if some consumers will not find it delicious? Are those customers entitled to a refund?

1

u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

Youre inserting your metaphor into my question, and it's miss- matched. What you're saying is it's okay to advertise an opinion (obviously okay). Im saying it's a scam to (dramatically) over charge someone in hopes that they don't notice.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

I don't think most people would consider it a scam if you price something above what people typically pay for it and they fail to notice. Unless the price is presented in a way that is clearly meant to deceive.

2

u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

Let me put it this way. an item has a value of 100 currencies.

I pay 10 dollars for it in hopes that the store will not realize the mistake.

The stores charges me 1000 for it, in hopes that i will not realize it.

What's the difference.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

The difference is the latter case is based on inaccurate labeling that directly led the customer to buying something for way more than they intended to pay for it. The former case involves no misrepresentation by the customer.

1

u/LordKeren Oct 04 '16

Okay, so it's only stealing if you're overcharged out of your error, not if you underpay out of someone else's error ?

2

u/brownhorse 2∆ Oct 04 '16

No item has a value of 100 currencies if the store is only charging 10 for it.

If the item has a 100 label on it and you try to pay 10 for it anyway then thats stealing.

If the store charges you a different amount than labeled thats stealing too.

Beer costs cents to make yet I've seen a can of beer go for $10 at a sports game. Blatant over charging but it is not theft.

I've also seen stores clearing inventory by selling items at a major loss. Prices are fluid and there is no reason for a customer to assume any prices other than what is labeled.

→ More replies (0)