Question

Patty, who lives in East Tennessee, developed a new type of printer that required very little ink. As a merchant, she entered into contracts to sell the printer to a number of merchants of office supplies in the East Tennessee area for a charge of $600 each. Patty was a trusting soul who did not require that her arrangements be in writing because she believed that a person's word was his or her bond. She did, however, send a confirming memo to each client to which she received no objections. Patty manufactured a number of printers; but unfortunately, due to a downturn in the economy, a number of her buyers refused to proceed on their contracts, with several claiming that the contracts were unenforceable because they were not in writing. Which of the following is true regarding whether the contracts with clients in the East Tennessee area were required to be in writing?

a. Because the contracts were for amounts priced at $500 or more, they were required to be in writing; but Patty's memo was sufficient to satisfy the requirement.
b. Because the contracts were for amounts priced at $1,000 or more, they were required to be in writing and signed by the buyer.
c. Because the contracts were for amounts priced at $500 or more, they were required to be in writing and signed by the buyer.
d. Because the contracts were for amounts priced at $1,000 or more, they were required to be in writing and signed by the buyer; but Patty's memo was sufficient to satisfy the requirement.
e. Because the printers were sold in Patty's home, no writing was required.

Answer 1

C) Because the contracts were for amounts priced at $500 or more, they were required to be in writing and signed by the buyer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) all contracts for the sales of goods with a value above $500 must be in writing. The fact that Patty sent a confirming memo to her clients which wasn't objected, is not sufficient enough to be considered a written contract since the buyer didn't sign it.

According to UCC rules a contract must be signed “by the party against which enforcement is sought.” The buyer could have requested Patty to perform, but she cannot request the buyer to perform.