Bargain hunters crash jewellery website after glitch allows them to get free Swarovski earrings worth £40
The glitch has caused the website selling the earrings - which are worth £40 - to crash
BARGAIN hunters have crashed a jewellery website after spotting a glitch allows them to get a free Swarovski earrings worth £40.
The error on the RedCarpetJewellers.co.uk was spotted by an eagle-eyed shopper on last night.
Dozens of shoppers were able to get the deal by entering a code - S17 - into the online checkout.
This caused the £40 price tag for the Allure earrings to disappear. But they did have to pay £3.99 in postage and packaging costs.
One shopper said "Thank you what an amazing deal", while another said: "Worked for me, nice one";.
But this afternoon the website for the small business based in Scotland has crashed, stopping other customers for cashing in on the loophole.
Price glitches occur when retailers make mistakes and often allow savvy shoppers to snag bargains.
In April, we revealed how Vodafone decided to honour a glitch that allowed shoppers to snap up a free Samsung virtual reality headset work £10.
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But not all mistakes are honoured. Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, estimates that around 20 per cent of glitches are honoured.
He said: "Price glitches happen when companies make a mistake online. E-commerce has made pricing systems complicated and with human error on top it can be particularly vulnerable."
"They often decline the sales and give you a refund. Some companies however recognise the great marketing value of the new customers they've gained and honour the mistake.
"You should only apply for a price glitch if you recognise the slim chances of getting it. And don't be upset if it doesn't arrive - that's the nature of them."
Some errors aren't mistakes but actually very clever marketing ploys set-up by businesses to drum up interest.
Tom added: "This time it may not actually be a glitch but just a large company promotion.
"This company has had similar discounts in the past. Sometimes brands offer huge discounts as "loss leaders" to gain new customers."
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