Next customers frustrated by clearance pricing glitch

Shoppers have hit out after trying to buy the discounted items, only to see the price shoot up once they reach the checkout – and some claim they ended up paying more than they expected to.

Next has apologised on social media and has said it is looking into the problem.

Sadly, if you're affected the retailer doesn't have to sell you the item at the price it initially appeared at, as long as you were told the actual cost before making the purchase.

What are customers saying?

Customers have been complaining about the errors on social media:

The image below shows an example of the issue.

The grey t-shirt is listed as costing between £1.50 and £2, but at checkout it costs £7.

Does Next have to sell the items at the discounted price?

In a word, no.

The rules are that you must be shown the full price of an item, including any taxes or compulsory costs, before you buy.

As the website appeared to be showing customers the correct price at the checkout, Next does not have to honour the discounted price they were initially shown.

It's also worth noting that online retailers often guard against price glitches in their T&Cs.

So if you spot a price glitch, don't think you'll be guaranteed to pay the lower price at the point you enter your card details – it could be when you get a confirmation email, some retailers reserve the right to cancel right up until delivery and others even include a specific clause in their T&Cs to cover price glitches, saying they don't have to sell if the price was low due to an error.

So it all depends on the retailer's T&Cs and at what point the contract becomes legally binding. See our Consumer Rights guide for more information.

What does Next say?

On social media, Next is telling customers: "We're experiencing issues with our clearance site whereby the full priced items have been advertised at sale price.

"The price at checkout is the correct selling price. Sorry for the disappointment caused."

We've asked Next if the issue has been resolved and if it wishes to give any further comment, and will update this story when we hear back.