Supermarket overcharging

I find myself increasingly hacked off when I visit Asda on the Old Kent road when I find that the price of items advertised on the shelves.. is not the same as the price at the checkout. It now happens almost every time I visit. I either have to leave the item behind or am told ( as I was this afternoon) to go to the customer support desk, which as I'm sure some of you will know is known for wasting another 15 -20 minutes of your life. I have previously contacted Asda Head Office.. and was told I would receive a response either from them or the store manager.. Surprise Surprise.. no such response was received. Southwark Council trading standards have told me that they only respond when they get a large number of complaints ..as they are underresourced. Interested to know what other peoples experiences are.. do we just accept overcharging in rip off britain??

Tesco Old Kent Road is the same, I think most supermarkets forget the offers they have and prices changes have to made daily not when customers complain

I've never had a problem in the Asda, I find the Tesco on OKR much worse. In fact that Tesco should be shut down - it often has out of date produce/items on the shelves, the staff either grunt at you or they are simply silent, the place stinks, it's awful. If you have computer access, Asda has a website where you can give feedback about your purchase (it's on the receipt, you type in all the details, cashier number, checkout number etc etc). I'd like to think they take their store/customers more serious than Tesco do..

There is a large old thread somewhere dedicated to this.
all the supermarkets do it- but Tesco is the worst in my experience- I got overcharged 26 times in a row- moistly on 'offers' not being put into the till . but sometimes just overcharging! I reported them to trading standards and don't shop there anymore- using the market and smaller local shops as much as poss.
If you get overcharged at tesco- they should offer you the price promise- this is they give you double the differance back of your overcharge. Their head-office, say they automatically do it- and there is written signs/info at each till. There is not! You have to ask for it- insist. Sainsburys BHS do it too- but again I use these as little as poss. It is organised thieving- in my opinion-for everyone who notices the overcharge- 10 don't! Even when I have flagged up an offer not being right to their headoffices- both in Tesco and Sainsburys in the past- you can go in ten days later- make the same purchase and get the same overcharge!!!! Of course this is nothing to do with the cagier staff- these prices/till are set up at their Head Offices.

Pops wrote:

Tesco Old Kent Road is the same, I think most supermarkets forget the offers they have and prices changes have to made daily not when customers complain

Pops .. I was actually told that Monday was a day when prices changed which is why I was wrongly charged. ( doesnt explain.. that today is Tuesday and the same happened today!)
Sorry to hear its common at Tesco as well

Kory wrote:

There is a large old thread somewhere dedicated to this.
It is organised thieving- in my opinion-for everyone who notices the overcharge- 10 don't! Even when I have flagged up an offer not being right to their headoffices- both in Tesco and Sainsburys in the past- you can go in ten days later- make the same purchase and get the same overcharge!!!! Of course this is nothing to do with the cagier staff- these prices/till are set up at their Head Offices.

Kory.. sorry wasn't aware of previous thread!...Completely agree.. I too think it is organised thieving.. in that I suspect there is an element of deliberate misleading going on... ie. size of advertising/limiting of special offers/ misinformation provided by staff.. One member of staff to my face told me that I was wrong as he had just checked the price advertised. I then went over and checked it again and confirmed that I had indeed been overcharged.

I don't think it is the staff's fault in the shops on the whole, but yes there is some very deceptive signage- and stickling a shelfull of an almost identical product ( but a full priced one) infront of an offer sign- so when you pay you are paying for a full price item.

"Every little helps....THEM!" :p

darrenm wrote:

I've never had a problem in the Asda, I find the Tesco on OKR much worse. In fact that Tesco should be shut down - it often has out of date produce/items on the shelves, the staff either grunt at you or they are simply silent, the place stinks, it's awful. If you have computer access, Asda has a website where you can give feedback about your purchase (it's on the receipt, you type in all the details, cashier number, checkout number etc etc). I'd like to think they take their store/customers more serious than Tesco do..

It could be worse....Tesco Covent Garden

Ahh Asda's down the Old Kent Road.

I've had quite a few problems with overcharging there!

Quite simply, the price at the till is changed faster then the shelf edge label on the shop floor, so you end up paying more then you should.

I have complained to the management there, and spoke to a manager called John who tried to pat me on the head, which didn't work as I have worked in supermarkets for 3 years, and know how they operate.

He explained to me, the prices/offers changed each Monday, and the store staff responsible couldn't change all the shelf edge price tickets quick enough!

The best advice I can give is, try and make a note of the prices of your shopping as you go around, pay for it, check your receipt, any over-charging go to customer services, complain, and get the over-charged amount back, plus the £2 giftcard they have to give you for over-charging you!

I know going to customer services is a pain, but as it happens so often at Asda's on the OKR - save your gift cards up and use them for a future shop!

One of the main causes of over-charging is gap filling - this is where the wrong product is placed on the shelf to plug a gap when the correct product is out of stock, and the shelf edge label is not changed.