Co-Operative

[Zorbadog]

Hi All

 

First post and looking for advice on our local Co-Op.

 

We moved to our town about four years ago and in that time I would estimate we have been wrongly charged for Special Offer items somewhere between 60 - 100 times. It is something that other people have commented on also.

 

Given that most people probably never look at their bill, particularly pensioners, or cant be bothered to go back to the shop for a couple of pounds, this shop must be making tens of thousands of pounds overcharging people.

 

We have contacted the Co-Op head office on a couple of occasions, what more could we do? and is it something trading standards would be interested in?

 

thx

[rebel11]

Hi zor

 

Welcome to CAG

 

The guys will advise as soon as they are available.

 

Trading standards should be contacted, no doubt they'll send in some test shoppers.

 

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

[IainHL]

When you say "Special Offer" items are you referrring to items near their sell by/best before date that have been marked down in price? This sometimes happens to me in my local Co-Op, seemingly more by the ignorance/don't care attitude of the staff who fail to notice the reduction sticker and just scan the original bar code. Where I have picked up items such as these I watch the till display closely and challenge them if I am not getting the reduction I am expecting. I would suggest you do the same.

 

I don't know whether Trading Standards would be interested, perhaps you could try contacting them and seeing what they have to say. It seems to me quite likely that they would act if they were convinced the problem was endemic.

[Zorbadog]

Hi IainHL

 

No I am talking about two for a certain amount type thing. My wife was in the shop earlier, and bought a packet of Quavers crisps, meant to be half price at £1.84. When she went to pay at the till, they came up at £3.69, and when she queried it the assistant reduced them to the correct price. Since she has got home we have noticed she bought two packs of chicken breasts, meant to be two for £5, and she has been charged £3 each for them. It really is getting totally out of hand.

[perplexity]

... and is it something trading standards would be interested in?

 

 

Trading Standards do not so much as own the choice, to take no notice.

 

Section 19 of The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations insists that "It shall be the duty of every enforcement authority to enforce these Regulations" and there could hardly be a doubt that the misleading commercial practice in question "causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise", which is therefore a strict liability criminal offence.

 

It is not an acceptable excuse, to be careless. The Regulations require that the trader took, "all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of such an offence by himself or any person under his control."

[dodgykebab]

yes its a trading standards issues. i work in a major supermarket and its impossible to have everything priced right 100% all the time. but in a small co op i wouldnt of thought they should have many pricing issues as you say they do. I would inform trading standards and air your concern. it might take a few more people raising their concern with pricing in the store because i once spoke to a memeber of trading standards and he said that because of wage cuts etc they will look at higher priority cases.

also make sure you check your reciepts.

[perplexity]

This happened to me the other day, in a local Tescos. The price label immediately below the goods offered a price of £1.65 or "Two for the price of one". Then I noticed a large advertisement above the shelves, clearly displayed: £1 EACH.

 

Wondering what would happen, I took an item to the till and said "Can I just have this for £1?"

 

"One pound sixty five, please" came the reply.

 

After a bit or an argument I got it for the £1, as advertised, with the manager trying to make out that this was some sort of special favour, with the extra paid from his own pocket.

 

Really?

 

... can't help but wonder to what extent this sort of "error" is deliberate. If in all honesty they are just too stupid to ensure that any advertised offer is already recorded on the database of prices before the public display of a special offer, there are kids at school, yet to take their O-levels who could show them how.

 

It's a matter of simple logistics, not rocket science.

 

 

This is nonsense:

 

yes its a trading standards issues. i work in a major supermarket and its impossible to have everything priced right 100% all the time.

 

It is perfectly possible, all of the time, the same as it is perfectly possible to charge for the goods; one price on the shelves, the same at the till. Simple. They know how to do it when they want to.

Edited June 7, 2011 by perplexity

[IainHL]

Fair enough Zorba, that comes down to the till software not being in step with what's on the floor (well shelves, but you know what I mean!). I guess that would tend to make it a store management issue rather than a general staff incompetence one.

[dodgykebab]

from working in two large leading supermarlets the pricing and offers will be updated on the tills/computers and then any changes must be done by staff. they will have some sort of list showing what will change and when.

so basically take the example of the chickens on the 2 for £x.xx offer. it will run from a certain date and then the store will be told it finishes on a certain date so they need to take the labels off saying the offer has finished at the right time.

so these issues will be 99% human error in store where the store hasnt follow there process for offers and price changes

[perplexity]

so basically take the example of the chickens on the 2 for £x.xx offer. it will run from a certain date and then the store will be told it finishes on a certain date so they need to take the labels off saying the offer has finished at the right time.

so these issues will be 99% human error in store where the store hasnt follow there process for offers and price changes

 

... which is therefore short of "due diligence".

 

Were it a loss to the store, not the consumer, I fancy that they would and could be sure that the price at the till increases after the change to the price displayed, not before.

 

If it happened the other way around, that a price displayed is more than the price at the till I might be convinced that the error is inadvertent but in all honesty, I have yet to notice that it was.

[watchinginvestigation2011]

With our local co op which to be fair I have to say since amalgamating with the other firm their prices have dropped greatly:-D

 

The problems I come across are at start of an offer and end of offer with the product not tallying with till due to either they have put the goods our too early re that offer or not took them off time enough at end of offer. If you are lucky to notice they of course refund you promptly but I must say my daughter who does the shops there is not as observant as me and resents the trips back and forth to correct it.

 

One well known irk is the meal deal, where you get brilliant deal of sarnie, drink and cake or crips for only £3.00. The offer on the various sarnies seems to occassionally change, yet you pick up a meal deal one and get charged as found out only yesterday seven quid roughly in total extra on the ones we bought.

 

Daughter got her refund but have to say I bet there is a huge ammount of cases where people do not realise and over pay, but have to say I suppose that is up to us to be more careful as I nag my daughter and for the likes of trading standards to do routine checks if enough issues occurr within similar time frame.

 

Cant beat their 3 quid meal deal though:lol: YUM

[dodgykebab]

i think every major supermarket will have loads of pricing issues. it comes down to the fact these businesses are becoming a tougher environment to work in as a result of trying to stay cheap and affordable at a low cost