Don’t let them get away with it!”

29/09/2008 by admin.

Do you check your till receipts? I’ve been checking my till receipts more closely lately and it’s unbelievable the number of times I’ve been overcharged. With the curent economic climate, which is pushing all our bills ever higher, the last thing we need is shops adding a bit ‘extra’ on thinking we won’t notice, or expecting us to pay for the ineptitude of their staff. This morning really has been the final straw - I’ve been in two shops and been overcharged in both - so I’ve decided that it’s time to start ‘naming and shaming’.

First stop this morning was Sainsburys, Plas Coch. I bought a few items on special offer as well as my normal groceries. On checking my receipt I found that I had been overcharged a whopping £6 on two of the special offer items. I went back to the shelf to double check the prices before complaining. I’d had the last two special offer items but the price ticket was still on view. I felt a bit like the invisible woman as the staff whispered to each other ‘who keeps doing this - there are going to be words in the staff room about this’ (so obviously it’s not the first time it has happened). I even got the distinct feeling that they didn’t want me to go to the shelf with them to point out the special offer label - surely they weren’t going to surreptitiously remove the label? Well I got my refund and a brief but not very heartfelt apology and I was on my way.

As I was driving I realised I had forgotten something and not wanting the hassle of going back to Sainsburys I decided to call in the Co-op in Rhostyllen to get what I wanted. I just wanted some sweets for a present and some for my children. They were marked up very clearly on special offer - three bags for a pound for one lot, and £1.15 a bag (buy one get one free) for the other. Therefore the total should have been £2.15 so when she asked me for just short of £5 I was was surprised to say the least. She accepted the figure was too high but then still said that she wanted £2.50. Even when I pointed out the clear price ticket saying £1.15 she said no the buy one-get-one-free bags were £1.50 each. I wasn’t happy and she finally relented and let me have the goods at the marked price.

So where do we stand in the law with all this? Well according to a BBC website: “A retailer doesn’t have to sell an item at the marked price.

Generally speaking, in contract law terms, a retailer doesn’t have to sell an item at the marked price. For there to be a binding contract there has to be an offer which has been accepted. In the context of sale of goods, the offer is made by the customer when they present the goods at the payment point (if the customer offers to buy the goods at the marked price).

The till operator is then free to accept, or reject, that offer. This means that if a till operator spots that goods have been mispriced, they can reject a customer’s offer to buy at the incorrect price, and offer the customer the chance to buy at the correct price.

The customer may decline or accept that offer as he or she chooses. Inevitably, retailers will make the odd mistake over pricing, but if you become aware that a certain retailer makes a regular habit of doing it, we suggest you report the retailer to the trading standards department of your local authority. In certain circumstances, misleading pricing will amount to a criminal offence, and trading standards departments have the authority to investigate, and, if appropriate, prosecute.”

Being as the Co-op doesn’t usually give out receipts it makes me wonder how many unsuspecting customers they have overcharged . It isn’t the first time that I have been asked for more than the marked price at this shop (when I’ve realised - how many times have I not noticed?). If I go there again I will always ask for a till receipt.

I’d like to hear from anyone else who has had an experience like this in the Wrexham area. It is misleading for shops to promote special offers then try and get us to pay more. With the cost of living rapidly rising the last thing we need is shops dishonestly getting more money out of us so please leave a message if you have been overcharged - and lets show these shops that we are no walkovers expected to inadvertently pay above the odds for our shopping.

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