I got $13k Cartier earrings for $13 due to their mistake – I bought them directly from brand but it led to court battle

A MAN in Mexico bought a $13,000 (237,000 pesos) pair of Cartier earrings for $13 (237 pesos). 

Rogelia Villarreal, a Mexican doctor, saw an ad for a pair of $13 Cartier earrings while scrolling on Instagram.

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The luxury brand mistakenly forgot to add three zeros to the price on its website, allowing Villarreal to purchase two pairs of earrings at an extreme discount. 

This purchase kicked off a months-long struggle between Villarreal and Cartier.

Villarreal posted on X that he nearly broke out into a cold sweat after seeing the low price of the earrings. 

Once Villarreal made his purchase, Cartier attempted to cancel his order.

The brand attempted to make up for the mistake by offering Villarreal a bottle of champagne and leather accessory. 

Villarreal refused this compensation and demanded he get the earrings he paid for. 

When Cartier didn’t send the earrings, Villarreal contacted Cartier threatening to file a complaint with Mexico’s federal consumer protection agency.

Villarreal cited a federal consumer protection law in Mexico which states companies must  abide by its terms and conditions.

Cartier still refused to send the earrings, leading Villarreal to bring the issue to Mexico’s federal consumer protection agency.

Villarreal told the New York Times that the consumer agency summoned Cartier for arbitration and made several attempts to mediate an agreement. 

Before the planned mediation hearing, Villarreal received an email from Cartier saying his order would be fulfilled.

Four days after receiving the email, Villarreal received the two pairs of earrings in the mail from Cartier.

“War is over,” Villarreal posted to X.

On April 26, Villarreal shared a picture of the two earrings wrapped up in a Cartier box.

“Once upon a December,” Villarreal wrote.

“I’m excited,” Villarreal told the New York Times, “especially for my mom. Those earrings are for her.”

This dispute caused major debates on social media, with one Mexican senator weighing in with her thoughts.

 “Kids: What the buyer of the Cartier earrings did is not correct,” Senator Lilly Téllez posted on X. 

“It’s wrong to be opportunistic and take advantage of a mistake at the expense of someone else, and abuse the law, even if it’s in your favor, and outwit a business. It is more important to be honorable than to have a pair of Cartier earrings.”

Since receiving the earrings, Villarreal has withdrawn his complaint with the Mexican federal consumer protection agency.