Who should I report this fraud from Walmart to?

[Nobody]

So today I went to Walmart to buy a few things. I needed to do an oil change on my car, so I got the oil, oil filter and air filter. My wife called and told me to get a new shower curtain, so I picked that up too. Then on the way out, my 5 year old son saw a 5 pack of Matchbox cars with Penguins of Madagascar characters painted on it that he wanted, so I grabbed that. Now here is the problem.....

I pay attention to the price of every single thing I buy, because I hate getting screwed. I check the tag, and compare the UPC code on the tag to the UPC code on the item, just to verify that the tag is for the item I'm getting. It drives my wife nuts, but it saves me from getting royally screwed. So here is a breakdown of what the tag price was for each item,, followed by the price it rang up as.....

-5 Quart Quaker State Motor Oil: Tag said $12.52, rang up correctly.

-Fram Original Oil Filter: Tag said $3.57, rang up $6.94

-Fram Original Air Filter: Tag said $5.86, rang up $8.97

-5 Pack of Matchbox Cars: Tag said $5.00, rang up $12.96.

-Shower Curtain: Tag said $9.96, rang up $18.54.

So, out of 5 items, 4 rang up wrong. Not just wrong, but my purchase that should have come to $36.91 before tax, instead totaled $59.93. That's an error of $23.02. I don't know about you, but to me that's a pretty damn big **** up.

One item, I'd say maybe it was a glitch in the matrix. But 80% of what I was buying? SERIOUSLY? I asked to speak to a manager, who sent someone to verify that I wasn't talking out of my ass. Instead of pricing it for what the tag says, like just about every other store in the country would have done, the manager responded by telling me, "I apologize, but we can't go by what the tag says, we can only go by what's in our system." Are you ****ing kidding me? I wonder how long they've been doing this, and how many millions of dollars they have raped people out of. I fail to believe that I bought the only dramatically mismarked items in the store.

If I bought 100 things, and 1 or 2 rang up wrong, or even if the mistake was a few cents - no big deal. But when they screw up on 4 out of 5 items, by an increase of nearly 70%, you're damn right I'm pissed and think there's a little bit of fraud going on here.

I already avoided Walmart like the plague and quit purchasing my food there 6 months ago when I noticed they are no longer the cheapest, but now I damn sure won't be going back. I already hated the place, now I despise it.

Other than something like the BBB, is there anyone I can report this to that will actually investigate them and punish them when they are found out for this BS?

 

[Goaldeje]

perhaps you should have watched the pole display a little better. and perhaps you should call the manager to ask him if perhaps the pricing dept at corporate put the wrong price attached to the SKU that goes with what you bought.

Mike, the big box stores pull this **** all the time. My wife rants and raves about the bait and switch Target pulls consistently. She constantly runs her items through the price check scanners to make sure their display prices are right.

Extreme, this has been going on for a LONG time. I am surprised by the response you got, however. Normally, when my wife complains (and she complains over $.50, btw), they refund the money and apologize for the problem. I doubt seriously they actually fix the display, and figure that 9 out of 10 people won't actually say anything about it, and they will just enjoy their profits.

I would email or call into a corporate center and express your disdain, letting them know you will not be going back. I would be shocked if they don't cut you a check, particularly if you mention the reaction of the manager you spoke with.

 

[Goaldeje]

perhaps you should have watched the pole display a little better. and perhaps you should call the manager to ask him if perhaps the pricing dept at corporate put the wrong price attached to the SKU that goes with what you bought.

Mike, the big box stores pull this **** all the time. My wife rants and raves about the bait and switch Target pulls consistently. She constantly runs her items through the price check scanners to make sure their display prices are right.

Extreme, this has been going on for a LONG time. I am surprised by the response you got, however. Normally, when my wife complains (and she complains over $.50, btw), they refund the money and apologize for the problem. I doubt seriously they actually fix the display, and figure that 9 out of 10 people won't actually say anything about it, and they will just enjoy their profits.

I would email or call into a corporate center and express your disdain, letting them know you will not be going back. I would be shocked if they don't cut you a check, particularly if you mention the reaction of the manager you spoke with.

 

[Nobody]

perhaps you should have watched the pole display a little better. and perhaps you should call the manager to ask him if perhaps the pricing dept at corporate put the wrong price attached to the SKU that goes with what you bought.

Maybe I should clarify...I did watch the pole display, that's how I caugh it to begin with. I made her void each item individually as it came up wrong. I ended up leaving with nothing but the oil - the price was just too good on that.

I would email or call into a corporate center and express your disdain, letting them know you will not be going back. I would be shocked if they don't cut you a check, particularly if you mention the reaction of the manager you spoke with.

Since I didn't purchase the items that came up wrong, and had her void them, I'm not expecting anything in return for my ranting to them, I was just looking to see if there was someone that could bust them on it and do something to change it or punish them for it.

 

[SkinnedAussie]

AFAIK, down here in Oz, if any item scans differently (more) to what is shown on the price ticket, we get it for the displayed price less 10%, then any other subsequent item is FOC. If what happened to Extreme occurred down here, each item would have been reduced to the ticket price, less 10% for each item.

 

[Nobody]

AFAIK, down here in Oz, if any item scans differently (more) to what is shown on the price ticket, we get it for the displayed price less 10%, then any other subsequent item is FOC. If what happened to Extreme occurred down here, each item would have been reduced to the ticket price, less 10% for each item.

A lot of stores here in the U.S. do similar things. Where I live in Virginia, most of the grocery stores will give you the item free if it rings up wrong.

Apparently, Walmart is above all that. I knew there was a reason I prefer Target. Walmart is useless unless your playing Walmart BINGO or mullet hunting

 

[stevenaa]

Or they could just be typically mismanaged retails stores employing less than ambitious people who don't care if they do their job correctly. That's not an envrionment full of our best and brightest.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Maybe I've been lucky, but every time I've gotten the wrong price on an item, they give me the correct price. And it is very rare.