Rogelio Villarreal had a remarkable experience back in December when he stumbled upon a pricing error on Cartier’s website. The luxury brand mistakenly listed its rose-gold and diamond Clash earrings for 237 pesos (around $14 USD) instead of their actual price of 237,000 pesos, or $13,980 USD. Despite having only $2 left in his bank account, Villarreal purchased two pairs of earrings for $28 USD. He fought for four months to persuade Cartier to honor his order, eventually succeeding, likely due to a Mexican law that mandates businesses to honor price mistakes.
Villarreal clarified that he bought the earrings for his mother and declined Cartier’s attempts to cancel the purchase, even rejecting their apology gift. He documented the process with screen recordings and online receipts, knowing his rights under Cartier’s terms and conditions. Cartier reportedly tried to dispute the purchase and offered gifts to resolve the issue, but Villarreal persisted in his demand for the earrings.
Ultimately, Cartier agreed to fulfill Villarreal’s order, and he announced the resolution on social media. Some criticized his actions as unethical, but others pointed out that consumer protection laws, like Mexico’s PROFECO, support customers in such cases. These laws require businesses to sell products at listed prices, allowing consumers to file complaints and possibly win their cases if regulations are not followed.
