Update: Amazon has admitted the error here. No free Spots, sorry. The company provided TechCrunch the following note, which is going out to everyone who purchased a device during that window. Thanks for playing.
We noticed an error in an order you recently placed and wanted to make you aware of the issue. Due to a technical error, the price of the Echo Spot that you purchased on July 29, 2018 was incorrectly listed.
Because of this error, we are unable to fulfill your Echo Spot order. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.
Let’s be honest. We all knew this was too good to last, right? For a few brief moments, Amazon’s Echo Spot was listed at $0.00. The smart device quickly went out of stock, only to have its price balloon back up to $129. Those who managed to pick one up crossed their fingers in hopes that the company would still make good.
Users (a few of our staff members included) are reporting, however, that the company has begun canceling orders placed within the window. It doesn’t appear to be a blanket cancellation at the moment, but that may well just be the time it takes to process what must have been hundreds of orders, at least. Interestingly, the white version of the device (the one that was momentarily free) is still listed as being “currently unavailable” on the site.
We’re still waiting to hear back from Amazon about what, precisely, went down here. We’ve nudged them again this morning, in hopes of getting more information on the cancellation — and whether the company will, at the very, offer up something as consolation to disappointed bargain hunters.