MJP –
Safeway, Vons, and Albertson’s grocers have agreed to a $4 million civil settlement after being accused of engaging in false advertising and unfair competition.
This comes after customers in some locations took notice that the advertised prices on certain foods were higher than what was originally advertised, according to the complaint.
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The lawsuit states that not only were there scanner issues, whether it was all intentional or unintentional, but customers began complaining.
After an onslaught of complaints and investigations that followed, it was discovered that a number of these stores carried inaccurate weights on some of the food they sold.
Meats, bread, produce and other items that were weighed in-store had less product in the package than what was displayed on the package label, according to the complaint.
For example, if you were trying to purchase ground beef and the label said 1.4 pounds of beef, there’s a possibility it was only 1 pound, plaintiffs argued.
It’s important to note that these grocery chains did not admit guilt. Still, they moved forward with the settlement to pay customers who claimed they were affected.
After enough people complained to the California Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, they took the case and got the settlement for those overcharged.
“Trusting companies to sell products to consumers that are accurately weighed and priced, especially in today’s economy, is a priority to my office,” Sonoma County, California, District Attorney Carla Rodriquez said.
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“My Environmental and Consumer Law Division works with the Sonoma County Agriculture Commissioner/Weights and Measures department to make sure businesses in our community correctly charge consumers.”
Additionally, to rectify what they’re being accused of, the grocery chains are required to implement a price accuracy program to avoid overcharging moving forward.
The program — which includes a guarantee provision — offers compensation of up to $5 to customers if they are overcharged at checkout. It’s an incentive to encourage consumers to report false advertising to the store directly as soon as it’s discovered.
Albertsons, Safeway, and Vons operate 589 stores in California.
