Makro cancels orders over a glitch that priced laptops at a mere R55

A technical glitch saw people purchasing items like laptops and coffee machines for a mere R55 from Makro. File Picture: Karen Sandison / Independent Newspapers

A technical glitch saw people purchasing items like laptops and coffee machines for a mere R55 from Makro. File Picture: Karen Sandison / Independent Newspapers

Published May 27, 2024

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Following a glitch on the Makro website and the Makro shopping app that saw consumers getting items for R55, consumers are now taking to social media to complain about their orders being cancelled.

The glitch resulted in items such as coffee machines, cellphones and laptops all being priced at R55.

According to Massmart, who own Makro, a technical issue was identified on the evening of May 25 which was affecting pricing on their websites (www.makro.co.za and business.makro.co.za) and the Makro shopping app.

“The pricing error was entirely unintentional and obvious. We have subsequently apologised most sincerely to affected customers, who have also been notified that the impacted portion of their orders will unfortunately not be fulfilled,” Massmart said.

On X, Makro informed customers who bought pricey items for a mere R55 that their purchases would be cancelled and they’d be refunded.

In a tweet, the company said: “Thank you for reaching out to us. As per our latest pricing error at R55, all orders will be cancelled and fully refunded as per CPA Section 23 (9).”

The company said that their decision is supported by Section 23(9) of the Consumer Protection Act which covers obvious and unintentional pricing errors.

“We are sincerely sorry that this situation has occurred and are working hard to identify and learn from the underlying causes to avoid similar future incidents,” Makro said.

However, consumers who purchased items for R55 are not happy.

One user on X said that he was not interested in the refund.

Another user said that they wanted the items that they purchased, including gaming laptops and phones.

— May Moosa (@May4Zhd) May 26, 2024

One user asked: “Are they refunding and cancelling everyone’s orders?”

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