Shops 'siphoning off cash by overcharging customers'

Dubai: Customers have accused supermarkets of charging them more for their purchases in order to allegedly cheat them out of a few extra dirhams.

"I have raised the discrepancy on numerous occasions to the staff who then apologised and refunded the money, but to my dismay continue to do the same," said Rishi Tayal, who was allegedly cheated twice in one week by the same retailer.

On numerous occasions, Tayal pointed out that supermarkets stick one price tag on the goods sold that are then charged a higher price at the cash register.

"The supermarkets are fooling customers and are taking advantage of [those who do not verify the bill receipts and its contents]."

Anil Kumar, spokesperson of one of the accused supermarkets, replied that the item's barcode will always display the correct price once it is scanned by the cashier even though it may be wrongly labelled.

"We have more than 40,000 items on display and the prices are changed nearly every day. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that the employees do not have the time to change the price labels and our customers are misinformed."

Not on labels

Kumar stressed that the management are responsible for the rates registered in their computer system and not on the labelled items. "We receive a letter from the suppliers informing us to change the prices, and we do not increase the prices to make a quick profit," he said.

Customers also say that the absent-minded employees at supermarkets sometimes charge them twice for one item. "I always cross verify the receipt because I want to make sure that I am being charged only for the items purchased. On several occasions, I had to ask for a refund because I was charged extra," said Rola Abdul Moneim.

Reportedly affected shoppers complained to the Compliance Division at the Department of Economic Development (DED) which urged residents to lodge their complaints by either visiting the head office in Deira or calling the Consumer Protection hotline on 04-2020220. The hotline is staffed between 7.30am and 2.30pm.

"After work hours, consumers can leave a message and contact number on the answering machine and complaints will be addressed on the next working day," said Mohammad Hilal Muroushedi, Director of Compliance Division, DED.

Objective: Protecting consumers

The aim of the Compliance Division is to protect consumers and merchants from commercial fraud, trademark and agency infringement and counterfeiting by enforcing commercial protection laws.

"Once a complaint is registered, officials will launch an investigation to ascertain the extent of the fraud and if necessary, also refer the matter to the Dubai Police and the Criminal Investigation Department," said Mohammad Hilal Muroushedi, Director of Compliance Division at the Department of Economic Development.


Have your say
Have you had a similar experience? How long do you keep your shopping bills? Do you save grocery bills to compare prices? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or send your comments through the form below.

I am writing this to find out whether the price of milk has gone up as I was charged Dhs 10/- for a 2 ltr milk instead of Dhs 9/-. When I asked them they said the price has been increased by the suppliers. I told them I haven't read anything about it in the newspaper. Please clarify
Rajasekhar
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 11:49

It is indeed very expensive to buy food products...I shopped for fruits as I wanted to make homemade fruit salad to my surprise 1 mango cost me 5.45 Dhs. I couldn't believe the price I was quoted - imagine if I were to pick 1/2 a dozen!!!
Anita Harrison
Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Posted: February 12, 2008, 11:36

Why the need to change the price for old items? The supermarket will only pay more for new purchases so why should the costumer pay more for what the supermarket bought before the increase of the item price. I keep my bills for 2-4 weeks. It is good to have a budget and enter everything so that it is know how much is spend each month. I always check my bill in the shop before I leave, and it has happened more than one time that the bill was wrong.
Maryam
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 11:14

It happened to me. When i checked my bill a well known Supermarket charged me for a pair of slippers which I never bought.
Aliya
Dubai,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 10:40

The comment from the supermarket staff Anil Kumar is ridiculous. Customers look for the price labels and make a comparison. Their eyes are not barcode readers.
Gigi
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 08:15

This also happened to me. The store charged me Dh60 more for one item. I asked them to verify the price and they gave me a refund.
Alia
Dubai,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 07:08

The biggest theft by supermarkets is on fresh vegetables and fruits. Four tomatoes will cost you Dh14, but you will only realise this when you go home.
Firozali
Dubai,UAE
Posted: February 12, 2008, 03:39