Reducing the price of a manufactured goods if its specifications are reduced

29-4-2007 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum, I am a seller. One dayI received an order from a clients( let us name him"x") for $100. before prepaing his order he minimized some attributes of the order without knowing the amount of discount I would offer him due to that. Actually I said to myself that if he asked for discount after I finished his order I will offer him some discount, but it was undefined for both of us. When this customer came to get his order, he met another customer in my shop( let us name him"y"). The customer "y" liked the order I made for the first customer"x", he asked the first customer about its price, and he told him that it cost $100. so he"y" asked me to( perform similar order with the same price of customer"x").......I agreed. The second customer"y" has left my shop, then the first customer asked me for his dicount, so I modified the price to be $85. Now, I dont know is it OK to obtain $100 from the second customer, while the first one received $15 discount. Jazakumullahu khairan. Baker
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

 

First of all, it should be noted that if according to the customs, reducing the specifications of the goods which were required by the first customer necessitates reducing its price, then it is an obligation to agree with him according to the new price so that there would be no deceit in the sale contract as this will invalidate the contract and lead to disputes. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 86247.

Furthermore, it is not permissible for you to take 100 from the second customer because he concluded the contract with you based on the agreement of the first customer with you, and it is known that the first customer knows that the price of the goods after reducing its specifications is less than 100 and so he spoke to you privately about reducing the price.

Therefore, it is an obligation on you to sell for the second customer at the same price which you sold to the first customer, i.e. 85, as he agreed to buy with the same price he [first customer] bought.

Al-Hajjaawi may Allaah have mercy upon him from the Hanbali School of jurisprudence, said: “Whoever informs a buyer with a given price and then the buyer comes to know that the price is less, then the buyer has the right to reduce the price [pay the lesser price] and the seller has no choice [to refuse this].”

Allaah Knows best.

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