A Mexican medical surgery student received expensive earrings, which were mistakenly advertised for much cheaper, after a four-month battle with the luxury brand Cartier.
Rogelio Villarreal, a final-year medical student in Mexico’s northern Tamaulipas state, says the mistake in the price meant he could buy the rose gold earrings for his mother. After a months-long struggle, he finally received the two pairs of earrings, which he bought for $28 each (about R525). The earrings actually cost $28,000, or about half a million rand.
However, this bargain offer was a mistake.
Villarreal, 27, who saw the earrings on Instagram, accused Cartier of refusing to deliver the earrings he bought online in December.
“I broke out in a cold sweat,” he wrote on X about the bargain.
However, Cartier refused to accept the deal, Barrons.com reported.
The New York Times reported that Villarreal knew nothing about the French jeweler when the ad appeared on Instagram. He clicked on it and scrolled through pages of other jewels and luxury items, including handbags, watches and necklaces that were on sale for thousands of rands.
However, Cartier would not know about the mispriced deal and offered to return Villarreal’s money. The company also offered him a bottle of champagne and a passport holder as compensation. He turned it down and the deal eventually led to a protracted dispute between Villarreal and the luxury brand.
Villarreal reported the case to Mexico’s consumer protection agency, which ruled in his favor.
Cartier rests on the decision.
Villarreal announced his victory on social media: “The war is over. Cartier complies (with the ruling).”
The tug-of-war between him and Cartier led to great interest in the case, with hundreds of social media users following the saga. Some encouraged him and others taunted him.
Finally he got the last laugh and got the earrings at the discounted price.
“I’m excited, especially for my mom. Those earrings are for her,” he said.
