WWYD: Coles Self-Serve Register Charged Weighed Fruit Item Twice

[Deactivated] on 19/09/2023 - 20:31
Last edited 26/09/2023 - 16:34

In the spirit of calling out the various transgressions of our supermarkets, I've just noticed that Coles charged my husband twice for a Kent pumpkin piece he bought earlier today - an overpayment in the grand sum of:

$1.80

I suggested that he go back tomorrow (it's on the way home from work) & request a refund to which, he scoffed & uttered the words: "yeah, right".

I reckon the stuff-up should, at the very least, be bought to Coles' attention considering that there maybe a programming fault with the self-serve machines.

My husband raised the point that it may be difficult to prove & Coles may argue, that 2 separate pieces of Kent pumpkin were in fact scanned, that just happened to each be the same weight. But then there are those pesky cameras - can I ask Coles for a video replay?

WWYD ?

Edit: Receipt extract https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/291797/106687/img_2023…

UPDATE 26.09.2023: I checked instore today & Coles advised that the double scan is a known glitch that occurs with wrapped pumpkin & watermelon items. Taking on board members suggestions to check the tax invoice immediately after payment, I did so as I took the shopping trolley to the car park and can report that there were no errors today however I almost ran over a small wayward child whose mother was not too impressed. I told her that she needs to take better care of her child as I cannot be expected to steer the trolley, check the receipt and look out for children that are not being adequately supervised by their parents. The mother glared at me as it's school holidays.

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Comments

  • badg3rz on 20/09/2023 - 07:38
    +3

    Maybe he has a pumpkin fetish you're not aware of and hiding the second piece

    • b0rnwithabeard on 20/09/2023 - 08:46
      +2

      i hear he loves a game of Hide The Pumpkin

      • badg3rz on 20/09/2023 - 08:50

        Lol

  • b0rnwithabeard on 20/09/2023 - 08:45

    All this over $1.80? How much is your own time worth?

  • Davo1111 on 20/09/2023 - 09:05

    Unless you're going in for something else, drop it.

    Can get your refund next time you're in there. The receipt should show 2 duplicate $1.80 charges

  • mrkorrupt on 20/09/2023 - 09:16

    also if it was the last item scanned then technically it is the item that was displayed on the screen in his full view the longest and he didnt see it.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 10:23

      He admits he wasn't checking the screen whilst scanning and neither do I. The task is so mundane and there have not been any issues in the past 8+ years of using self-serve checkouts

  • floorpie on 20/09/2023 - 09:23

    If it was me I wouldn't bother going back but would definitely go to the customer support page and ask for a credit

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 10:19

      It's our local store so no biggie going back when I next do a grocery shop - just want an explanation as to how it happened.

  • jrvb42 on 20/09/2023 - 09:26
    +4

    It's $1.80, equating to 5 minutes at the minimum wage.

    Wait until you go back for the next shop (definitely don't make a separate trip - petrol, time, etc.), and bring it to the attention of the service desk for a refund.

    Clearly this isn't about you getting the money back, it's about not allowing the vendor to profit from faulty equipment/processes.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 10:17
      +1

      Clearly this isn't about you getting the money back, it's about not allowing the vendor to profit from faulty equipment/processes.

      Yes ! Just interested to know how it could have happened.

  • Waltervp on 20/09/2023 - 10:24
    +1

    I would just go to rectify the problem. Coles needs to know the flaws and would want you to report it.

  • Drakesy on 20/09/2023 - 10:27
    +2

    NGL, sounds like user error.

  • NanoDuke on 20/09/2023 - 11:03

    Aren't the wrapped items pre-weighed? Like the packaged meats?
    To have it "weighed" twice, he would have had to remove the item off the scale, and place it again. But also bypass the weight check in the bagging area.
    I think the barcode scanner has just pinged him twice.
    User error, but also a simple thing for Coles to refund.

    WWID? Just wait until I next go in, show them the receipt and ask for refund or credit. Simples.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 11:08
      -1

      Not sure how the packaged meat works as we don't buy it from the supermarket but wrapped pumpkin is scanned and the machine prompts you to place the item on the scale to be weighed and the price is then calculated.

  • mrkorrupt on 20/09/2023 - 12:30
    +1

    This is a scanned not a weighed item, he scanned it twice and didn't realise

    • lechuck123 on 20/09/2023 - 15:13

      That's what I was thinking, pre-weighed item and generated barcode with the weight embedded.

      Probably scanned, thought it needed to be weighed and put it on the scale where it scanned again

    • AustriaBargain on 21/09/2023 - 19:49

      Speaking of which, why can't you remove items yourself? You need to get someone over to scan their thing and punch in code. You should be able to remove things yourself. Sometimes it's quicker just to abandon the self checkout and start again at the one next to it.

      • zonra on 21/09/2023 - 20:09

        Probably loss prevention.
        People would scan then sneakily remove it.

  • smartazz104 on 20/09/2023 - 15:14

    Imagine if thousands of people were caught out with this kind of mistake, a nice little bit of loose change for the supermarkets.

    • belongsinforums on 21/09/2023 - 15:39

      But this is user error. I manned the machines for years. People don't understand how to use them then blame the machines.

      • Nick939 on 21/09/2023 - 16:13

        Sounds like coles could put in extra controls to prevent or atleast flag the user to review when 2 of the exact same thing on the bill.

        This happened to me but I wrote it off as not worth my time for a few bucks.

        • belongsinforums on 21/09/2023 - 17:10

          Basically there's a 20 second period, at which point it assumes the user isn't going to bag the item, so it removes the scan lock. Probably what happened here.

      • picklewizard on 21/09/2023 - 22:38

        If Coles take away the people and replace them with machines, then those machines need to be usable without training.

        The onus is not on the user. It is the machine's fault.

        • belongsinforums on 21/09/2023 - 23:14

          They're not perfect for sure. I love it how people who complain about self checkout don't complain about machines replacing people for other jobs

  • zwolf on 20/09/2023 - 15:19

    I can't imagine caring this much over $1.80

    • DGrayson82 on 21/09/2023 - 10:43
      +3

      You seem to have forgotten which site you're on. People here will spend several hours creating Turkish/Argentinian credit cards and installing/configuring VPN's just to save $10.

      • grog on 21/09/2023 - 17:44

        ""You seem to have forgotten""

        Ya not wrong there Narelle

      • Ridiculous Panda on 21/09/2023 - 18:59
        +2

        That would be $10 a month for the unforeseeable future. Also, I would actually enjoy doing that on my spare time when I have nothing more productive to do.
        On the other hand, spending money and time to go to Coles to get $1.80 back is dumb on so many levels and cannot be justified.

  • KaraZorEl on 20/09/2023 - 15:20

    Is it possible he accidently scaned it twice and didn't realise it got scanned twice. It has happened to me a few times and each time it was for a barcoded item, it got scanned as I moved the item to bag. Also, if you are not checking your bill on your way out, it's on you. Nothing to call out here.

  • valuer on 20/09/2023 - 16:58
    +1

    I think your complaint would be Squashed. :-)

  • valuer on 20/09/2023 - 17:02
    +1

    How many of us now are going to try and scan an item twice before placing it in the bagging area? Obviously with something we are buying more than one of anyway.

  • StalkingIbis on 20/09/2023 - 17:05

    They would refund it no questions asked unless you are scummy looking.

    Win some, lose some.

  • factor on 20/09/2023 - 17:52

    Start using home delivery - hit them where it hurts. It still seems mad that the supermarkets are willing to run at a loss for home delivery compared to in-store. Then they treat every in-store shopper like a criminal with the anti-human checkout devices.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 19:03

      I tried during lockdowns & it was a bust as too many things weren't available or poor swaps.

      The self-serve devices have been OK this far - just want an explanation as to how the item was charged twice if the machines are weight monitored.

  • Webber000 on 20/09/2023 - 17:54
    +2

    I was a lab tester for a while for NCR who make most of the worlds ATMs/checkouts/tills/self serves and can tell you that absolutely anything can and does happen. Usually its with new software or software updates, but literally they can be fine for a year and process a million transactions fine then have 1 that does something completely different and you can't even replicate it - which is why its impossible for the stores to "believe" it happened - but a good manager with enough experience can 75% of the time see something doesn't look right in one of their journals or audit trails and escalate it.
    Theres things I've seen with my own eyes that I wouldn't ever believe (even having done that job) unless it had happened to me.
    Some of the strangest include card only machines processing a transaction for $77, saying $77 on screen, saying $77 on card reader, saying $77 on receipt, but charging customer $80 and $80 leaving customers bank, and audit trails showing that till believes it gave $3 cash change to the customer even though the programming doesn't have any ability for it to do that - it literally got a mind of its own!

    I've also done work with card processing and the exact same can and does happen. 100% a transaction can be processed over limit without PIN verification, 100% a duplicate payment can go through even though you only tap your card once, 100% a payment can process for a different amount to what was shown on the screen when you tapped your card. Again in 75% of cases something doesn't look right in the reports (but in 25% it can't be explained, or the info is missing in the reports but they will record an overage or mismatch somewhere else which the paperwork can't prove but we know must have been the problem).

    TLDR - I've worked in testing for these tills and 100% believe you (but also get a calculator and add it all up because I've also seen examples where the maths doesn't add up on a receipt as there are hidden lines, or where you aren't actually charged what the receipt says!) Anything can happen!

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 19:10

      eek - I never scrutinise the receipts other than to balance the bank a/cs & on this occasion.

      I'll see what Coles have to say in this instance.

  • mrvaluepack on 20/09/2023 - 18:04
    +1

    This is why groceries cost so much. Shops have got to spend resources dealing with these type of insignificant issues.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 18:18
      +1

      lol - the former checkout staff need to be redeployed so I'm literally giving them a job

  • xrayed giraffe on 20/09/2023 - 19:03
    +4

    Just steal a pumpkin next week to come out evens

    • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2023 - 19:05

      lol - a colleague reckons I should pursue a freebie for the initial pumpkin piece considering the double charge

  • thefatpanda on 20/09/2023 - 20:56

    Has actually happened to me before - but I noticed it on the receipt as I was leaving the shop and got it promptly refunded. Can't remember what item it was though!

  • ihbh on 20/09/2023 - 22:30

    Next time tell your husband to have a quick squiz just before he leaves Coles.

    … then when he gets home, he can tell you Coles charged him twice and then you can tell hime to get a refund tomorrow.

  • DoctorCalculon on 20/09/2023 - 22:47
    -2

    OP, if you were to place a $ value to your time, I would say you have wasted more than $1.80 in creating this thread, and managing it (replies, etc.).

  • knasty on 20/09/2023 - 22:55

    Had apples register twice at Coles on Sunday but noticed it immediately. Maybe it's a glitch?

  • SuperLate on 20/09/2023 - 23:36

    I always go back not for money but as a principle even if it costs more to go back. All supermarkets do track all returns and analyse data to improve.

  • kaleidoscope on 21/09/2023 - 00:14

    can I ask Coles for a video replay?

    yeah right.

    an overpayment in the grand sum of:
    $1.80

    Good grief. We must call the bikies…

    How much do you think half hour of your husband’s time is worth? It sure can’t be lower than the $1.80 … There are some battles in life where it’s not worth fighting for. Not because you would loose it’s simply because life is too short for holding onto bs like these…

    I suggested that he go back tomorrow (it's on the way home from work) & request a refund to which, he scoffed & uttered the words: "yeah, right"

    Good man! I 🫡 him

    lol - a colleague reckons I should pursue a freebie for the initial pumpkin piece considering the double charge

    Sigh… Now the office is involved in it too. Think of all the productivity time you’d wasted of other by talking about such insignificant issue like this 🤷‍♂️

  • AssociatedScope @ Coles on 21/09/2023 - 01:16
    +2

    I work at Coles and this scenario would likely happen if the customer processes the fruit/vege without putting it in the bagging area, then pressing "Skip bagging" (a lot of people mindlessly just press ok to whatever message comes up to get rid of it), then they input the same fruit/vege again. Seen this happen a lot.

    Its not a problem to refund if you have the receipt. Never ever seen any fruit or vege with the exact same weight in the same transaction before so most team members would see this as a double scan and refund you

  • DingoBilly on 21/09/2023 - 07:08

    If it's under $5 I won't be going back.

    Then it just depends how far away it is, but usually the answer is that I also don't care.

  • Hangryuman on 21/09/2023 - 09:51

    this happens a lot and is user error - you need to listen for the beeps and watch what shows up on the screen - if I recall when it happens to me if there isn't a staff handy I just walk away to another free machine and start again. But I'm typically only buying a few items. If it was the end of a trolley full of many many items I'd certainly call the staff over to fix it. But make a special trip back to argue about $1.80 ? Depends on what your time is worth. I'll guess that the average car journey would almost cost that in fuel, let alone any value of your time.

    • Void on 21/09/2023 - 11:43
      +1

      Please tell the attendant as you're leaving when possible that you've hopped machines. We have to report those as thefts because to us it looks like a scan and run.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 21/09/2023 - 09:52
    +1

    PM @Darayus. They will gladly run down to WW for you.
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/800417

  • jerjergege on 21/09/2023 - 10:00
    +1

    Thisis why you check your receipt as you're leaving, not when you get home.

  • lonewolf on 21/09/2023 - 10:09

    I find it hilarious that some people seem to think its very unlikely its a Retailer's fault and that its always the customer's fault. Having some friends who work in the back end (Project Managers setting up new systems or Head office roles), who have talked about how a lot of the companies they have worked for , if an issue is discovered during the set up or post set up of a system / process. The company basically looks at all the contingencies as in potential backlash or how many refunds etc as opposed to how many people will just accept it and move on and also the cost of going back and fixing the whole system to remove the error.

    You will be surprised how often they decide to stick with the faulty system because the small amount of refunds is much easier to bear than redoing the whole system as well as also knowing that people who dont bring it back is automatically more cash for them.

  • Void on 21/09/2023 - 11:41
    +3

    I work at Coles. The machine does not make mistakes like that, ever. Your husband scanned it twice. People do it every 5 seconds; if people didn't double scan I'd be out of a job.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/09/2023 - 11:48
      +1

      My husband is not a double scanner!

      • zonra on 21/09/2023 - 12:41
        +2

        Nor a double checker it seems.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/09/2023 - 14:48

          No, he's so not a carpenter either

      • drfuzzy on 21/09/2023 - 17:42

        Not the first time your husband has played doubles.

    • spaceflight on 21/09/2023 - 18:14

      Who do we believe, you it the person who knows the machines really well?
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/14317597/redir

      • Void on 21/09/2023 - 22:53
        +1

        I mean if we're counting one in a billions sure it's plausible that the system had a bit-flip in memory which somehow chain reactioned into a double scan; but the chances of that are… well… one in a billion.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/09/2023 - 05:48

      I've had items scan twice many times too. It's technically not a faulty terminal by design, but it's design DOES contribute to mistakes. Even though checkout operators run thousands of items through a day (where we do a dozen items once every 1 or 2 weeks), I've still seen checkout operators "lose their rhythm" of passing items over the glass in a certain way but double-scan too. It's NEITHER'S "fault" but the things have a narrow range of operation, any minor difference can result in mistakes. That's just the nature of computers/electronics/machines. I should know… I used to repair them. (Real repairs, at the parts level, not plugging in new circuit boards, or complete power supplies in a box they never open.) You drag an item across the glass, it scans, then it scans again as your hand leaves the rest of the glass to put it in the bag. No, it's not doing it on purpose, neither is it our "fault." The delay between scans needs to be increased on most of the ones I've been forced to use. (I'm familiar with electronics yet I seek out as many appliances/cars/etc without electronics as possible.) Because for example, I know if I park a manual car, without computer/s, on a hill, will always start to get me home. Whereas one with a computer WILL strand me one day and co$$$t to tow, plug in a computer, then plug-and-play some dumb $7 faulty sensor that never should have been installed in a car gearbox telling the engine not to start in the first place.

      • xsacha on 23/09/2023 - 03:38

        Difference with this is it's a scan and weigh.

  • GrimCheaper on 21/09/2023 - 12:18
    -1

    Wow, shows how little you value your husband’s time making him go on frivolous errands for a whopping $1.80

    It’s obviously not a concern for your husband. Why don’t you do it if it bothers you so much? You’ve already spent enough energy complaining to random internet strangers.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/09/2023 - 04:55

      Don't be silly. You just get the refund when you next go shopping. People don't shop ONCE in their entire lives and so need to make special trips just for refunds.

      And maybe she is a paraplegic, or works night shifts and sleeps during the day so the stores are all closed when she's awake, or one of a dozen other reasons (which are none of our business) why HE did the shopping in the first place. It's not a concern for him because he's not as frugal as her. Well he needs to learn to be. (Happy wife, happy life.)

      It's unsurprising since so much about our world today encourages men to remain childish. Like many "men" I see today, he's possibly still part puppy/child regarding money, so needs training. i.e. Her requesting he go through the act of getting the refund will make him pay more attention next time - like she has also learned to. Who wants to give ColesWorths free money. I think it was Einstein who demonstrated depositing just $1 at regular intervals eventually makes one a millionaire.

      I do it whether they've got too much or too little. i.e. If they overcharge I point it out and get the refund. And if they give me too much change, I return it to them too.

      And what may seem a piddling amount to you, isn't to others. e.g. I have only $200 a week left after paying rent. For everything. Food, electricity, water, clothes, shoes, petrol, oil, car insurance, tyres, medication, mower parts… So you can bet I'm going to require that $1.80 back too. It's mine/ours so why shouldn't we!

    • Davo1111 on 22/09/2023 - 11:50

      Wow, shows how little you value your husband’s time making him go on frivolous errands for a whopping $1.80

      I dunno, he hasnt got the capacity to scan an item once. maybe needs to learn from his mistakes.

      • GrimCheaper on 23/09/2023 - 06:47

        Send him to the gulag!

        • Davo1111 on 28/09/2023 - 16:16

          agreed.

  • Hawi on 21/09/2023 - 16:54

    Just balance it out and use the five finger discount next time #cosilives

  • drfuzzy on 21/09/2023 - 17:41

    Two pages of discussion on $1.80.

    • belongsinforums on 21/09/2023 - 23:15
      +1

      People go crazy here over 50c

    • OzzyOzbourne on 22/09/2023 - 23:33

      If it were tree tiddy then that would be worth the discussion

  • Kelalako on 21/09/2023 - 19:49

    We process more than 20 million customer transactions each week, providing our customers with products from thousands of farmers and suppliers

    20 Million X 56 Weeks = 1.12 Billion Transactions. What a coincidence 😂😂

    Coles profit for FY22-23 $1.1B

    But all seriousness. Imagine, just a small percentage of double charges that dont get questioned. I wonder if there was nice little bonus for overlooking a glitch in the system, Yes lets chalk it down to human error, smile for that selfie though :)

    • tooblue on 28/09/2023 - 13:19

      20 Million X 56 Weeks?

      56 weeks? more than 20 million could be 24.99 million.
      Please revise your answer.

  • Ashwin21 on 21/09/2023 - 20:16

    You must restore balance to the universe yourself. It's not stealing if you paid for it 🙏

  • [Deactivated] on 22/09/2023 - 04:39
    +1

    I don't know why he scoffed because I've done this very thing, and others with even less evidence, many times. I've never been questioned/doubted.

    e.g. I once bought some discounted kangaroo meat. I opened it at home and it was already off. Went back a couple of days later, told them so, showed the receipt, they asked if I had brought it back and I said no, I threw it away because it stank so bad. Refund given. Several months later the same thing happened with the same result. (And I told them this was twice now, that the manufacturer must be too generous with their use by dates.)

  • Aleigh123 on 22/09/2023 - 10:56

    Not sure about Coles, but if this were at the store I worked at, I'd give either a refund or an exchange if you showed the receipt as proof. Especially if it's for anything that's weighed as it's rather unlikely that they'd be the exact same weight. So I'd say give it a go next time you go to Coles, but don't bother making a trip specifically for this.

  • Willy Beamish on 22/09/2023 - 20:55

    they didn't charge him twice, he scanned or entered it in twice.

    registers don't work the way you described.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 22/09/2023 - 23:31

    My time is worth more than the $1.80 for however long it would take to resolve.

    However, if it happened repeatedly, I'd pursue as a matter of principle or change where I shopped

  • [Deactivated] on 26/09/2023 - 16:35

    POST UPDATED - KNOWN GLITCH!

    • tooblue on 28/09/2023 - 13:10

      Cool story. Did they refund the money?

      The episode in the car park with the child and mother is worth a new post.

      • [Deactivated] on 28/09/2023 - 15:59

        Received a refund.

        lol - what would be the point? The mother was scary as - the type that picks up their child by one arm, as if it was a handle, & carried him off back to her car.

  • Protractor on 27/09/2023 - 11:01

    I see you baby, shakin' that ass hammer

    https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/imprisoned-a…

  • user27 on 16/01/2024 - 15:38

    Saw a post online on a community forum - this known glitch STILL exists! This time it was double charging for a bag of cherries where th two items were 0.05g different and appeared one after the other. Coles employee confirmed that it is a known glitch and will refund when issue is found. Post has been strangely taken down since last night.

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