Local Shop - Consistent mistakes on change and scanning

Broadman

Hi All,

I go to a local convenience shop in my locality for the daily essentials , milk , bread , fruit etc but I have noticed that in a lot of cases that the change that I am given or the price that a product scans at is incorrect. The frequency of these mistakes leads me to strongly believe there is no mistake. Pointing out the mistake is always met with a friendly smile and profuse apology but I thought it was just me until I saw another customer check their receipt and there was an overcharge on the total. 30 % over what the price should have been.

Ive long thought these people need a secret shopper visit but who do I complain to? - The chain or consumer affairs?

Broadman

sorry , forgot to mention . I have also had items appear on the receipt that I didnt bring to the till....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Have you spoken to the owner of the shop?

the_pen_turner

surely this is a criminal matter. surely its theft or fraud

ben.schlomo

the_pen_turner wrote: »

surely this is a criminal matter. surely its theft or fraud

Surely.

coylemj

Being shortchanged also happens a lot in pubs, you need to make a fuss about it and give the person serving you a dirty look, they won't try it again. Shop and pub owners often employ private detectives to spy on staff to see if they are on the make, the staff know this so they screw the customers instead to boost their earnings.

Reporting it as crime is really a waste of time - even if several people were left short, there would still be the defence that the person was hopeless at sums and they'd get off.

dilallio

http://www.consumerhelp.ie/pricing-rules

Register a complaint here - if they receive enough complaints, they will send someone there and warn/fine the shop.
I know of one shop in Galway who were notorious for this. They kept blaming 'the system' for these errors which went on for many months. Funnily enough, after they received 2 large fines, these errors suddenly disappeared.

Broadman

Thanks dilallio. Will do. Whether it is an individual or a shop SOP , it needs to be stopped.

Broadman

I was there this morning and they tried to apply rounding (in their favour) to a debit card transaction!!, Dirty look delivered :-) ...

2RockMountain

First step is to talk to the owner or manager, and give specifics of a series of problems, with dates and amounts.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

And I again, have you actually spoken to the owner or is it just dirty looks to the person serving you?

coylemj

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

And I again, have you actually spoken to the owner or is it just dirty looks to the person serving you?

Wrong change, wrong price on the scanner, rounding up when paying with plastic - sounds far too systemic to be genuine mistakes on the part of staff.

Crooked owner is my guess, I'd report the place to the consumer affairs people.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

coylemj wrote: »

Wrong change, wrong price on the scanner, rounding up when paying with plastic - sounds far too systemic to be genuine mistakes on the part of staff.

Crooked owner is my guess, I'd report the place to the consumer affairs people.

Or crooked staff. Who's to know? We can suppose and guess all we like.

But, I would still like to know if the OP has spoken to the owner?

coylemj

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Or crooked staff. Who's to know? We can suppose and guess all we like.

It's not guesswork - the staff don't benefit if the scanner throws up a different (and no doubt always higher) price than shown on the shelf display, nor from rounding up with plastic transactions, that's why I say its clearly the store owner that's crooked. Ok the staff may be on the make as well but the systemic rip-off clearly points to the boss.

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

But, I would still like to know if the OP has spoken to the owner?

I'd expect to get a very hostile reaction and certainly wouldn't go alone on that mission.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

coylemj wrote: »

It's not guesswork - the staff don't benefit if the scanner throws up a different (and no doubt always higher) price than shown on the shelf display, nor from rounding up with plastic transactions, that's why I say its clearly the store owner that's crooked. Ok the staff may be on the make as well but the systemic rip-off clearly points to the boss.



I'd expect to get a very hostile reaction and certainly wouldn't go alone on that mission.

I've ne to owners twice where I saw habitual short-changing. Very positive responses in both cases.
The owners were horrified and very grateful for the heads up.

Scanning errors can be due to careless inept staff just as much as being deliberate. Why on earth would you not say something to the one person ultimately responsible and in a position to do something about it?

coylemj

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Scanning errors can be due to careless inept staff just as much as being deliberate.

The OP says 'The frequency of these mistakes leads me to strongly believe there is no mistake'

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Why on earth would you not say something to the one person ultimately responsible and in a position to do something about it?

Because he's clearly a crook, I would go straight to the consumer affairs people and not risk bother confronting him in person.

I understand that you're prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm not, probably because a few years ago a local (and very large) supermarket near me was convicted under consumer legislation when an inspector found a mismatch between the shelf price and what came up on the scanner, it was the guy's fourth such conviction. So call me an old cynic if you like but that's my take on it.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

coylemj wrote: »

The OP says 'The frequency of these mistakes leads me to strongly believe there is no mistake'



Because he's clearly a crook, I would go straight to the consumer affairs people and not risk bother confronting him in person.

I understand that you're prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm not, probably because a few years ago a local (and very large) supermarket near me was convicted under consumer legislation when an inspector found a mismatch between the shelf price and what came up on the scanner, it was the guy's fourth such conviction. So call me an old cynic if you like but that's my take on it.

You're an old cynic.

Sparko

Stop giving him your custom!

JimsAlterEgo

if they wee genuine errors you should see some in your favour i.e. being charged less but my guess is there are none of these

Dial Hard

Sparko wrote:

Stop giving him your custom!

My thoughts exactly. Why in earth is the OP still shopping there? Report them to ghe CCPC and take your business elsewhere.

I seriously wonder about some people.

Lux23

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Or crooked staff. Who's to know? We can suppose and guess all we like.

But, I would still like to know if the OP has spoken to the owner?

Why? They are breaking the law whether it is wilful or not? Would you speak to a burglar before calling the Guards?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Lux23 wrote: »

Why? They are breaking the law whether it is wilful or not? Would you speak to a burglar before calling the Guards?

Nothing like the same thing at all. First port of call; speak to the owner.

GerardKeating

Dial Hard wrote: »

My thoughts exactly. Why in earth is the OP still shopping there? Report them to ghe CCPC and take your business elsewhere.

I seriously wonder about some people.

Sometimes in rural areas, there is not always another option.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

GerardKeating wrote: »

Sometimes in rural areas, there is not always another option.

I get impression, from it being a chain convenience store, that the OP is not rural.

Even so, as a rural resident I wouldn't use a shop I thought was robbing me.

L1011

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

I get impression, from it being a chain convenience store, that the OP is not rural.

Even so, as a rural resident I wouldn't use a shop I thought was robbing me.

I'm pretty certain that there is a Spar and an XL in the Aran Islands - fair few rural stores are branded franchises.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

L1011 wrote: »

I'm pretty certain that there is a Spar and an XL in the Aran Islands - fair few rural stores are branded franchises.

h I know but I get the impression the OP is not rural.

That was a straw thrown in by somebody for no benefit to the discussion.

Lux23

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Nothing like the same thing at all. First port of call; speak to the owner.

I respectfully disagree, I doubt speaking to the owner would fix anything.

Dardania

I worked for a guy in a Centra/Spar scale local shop years ago that would engage in such tricks, albeit he went beyond indoctrinating the staff into it.
I recall walking into his office to update something on the point of sale PC (we had a new variant of apples delivered that weren't scanning - I just needed to check a box to put them on the tills to sell them) and he was on the PC, changing VAT rates on magazines.
I'm not 100% sure how he was working it, but it looked like he was charging a higher VAT rate on the magazines than required by Revenue, and pocketing the difference.

When I left the job, I had an awful time getting my P45 from him (run-arounds such as accountant too busy, out of the country...I began to wonder ha dhe made any PRSI contributions...). I never had a mobile number for him despite working there about a year (always a bad sign when people habitually call you anonymously). Eventually got a mobile number for him, and only way to get the P45 out of him was to threaten calling in Revenue to audit it out of him. It arrived pretty sharply then.

So OP, chances are if the shopkeeper in your case is giving you cause for concern, and is possibly not approachable, maybe they have something else on the go that short changing in their favour. Maybe ask for a VAT receipt before you go through the transaction?

gercoral

why don't you question the assistant at the till? i work in a convenience store and if the price at the scanner is different from the one on the shelf, i will give it at the price labelled (or whichever is cheaper) if it happens once or twice, i'd like to think it's a genuine mistake, but if its continual, you should be after bringing it to their attention

Cerco

Ray Helpless Rapper wrote: »

Or crooked staff. Who's to know? We can suppose and guess all we like.

But, I would still like to know if the OP has spoken to the owner?

How would staff benefit from rounding up on plastic?