The unusual episode occurred at MediaMarkt during the Black Friday season. In Italy, dozens of consumers found the iPad Air M3 on the company’s website for just 15 euros. A value well below the usual price, which triggered an unexpected rush and placed the technology chain facing a delicate decision.
According to Notícias ao Minuto, the case began on November 9, when MediaWorld, as MediaMarkt is known in the Italian market, published a clearly incorrect price on its website.
The iPad Air M3, which costs more than 800 euros in Italy, appeared on sale with a practically total discount. The offer remained online for several days and quickly attracted consumers attentive to pre-Christmas campaigns.
According to the same source, the error was only detected almost ten days later. From then on, the company had to individually contact all buyers who had purchased the equipment for symbolic value. The process involved sending an explanatory email, in which MediaWorld classified the discount as a technically macroscopic and recognizable error and apologized for what happened.
The company presented two alternatives to resolve the error
In the email sent to consumers, the company presented two possible solutions. The first consisted of the immediate return of the iPad Air M3, with free collection provided by MediaWorld itself.
The second option provided for the payment of 619 euros, an amount corresponding to the difference between the initial 15 euros and the amount that should have been applied to a real promotion.
The company’s communication also indicated that, if customers refused both alternatives, legal measures could be taken to recover the value of the equipment or the device itself. The intention was to quickly close an episode that went viral and put the company in the spotlight for days.
Technological promise that became a national debate
According to the failure, it originated from a computer problem and not from a campaign planned for Black Friday. The situation became a topic of discussion among Italian consumers, many of them surprised by the fact that the promotion remained accessible for several days.
The episode also highlighted how quickly a technical error can become public in a period when searches for discounts intensify.
MediaMarkt thus sought to correct a mistake that led hundreds of people to believe that they could purchase top equipment for a minimal amount.
The case allowed us to understand the impact that a simple system error can have in one of the busiest periods of the commercial calendar and how the company had to manage, step by step, the expectations created by a promotion that should never have existed.
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