I bought a stereo for my car yesterday from Meijer. It was clearly marked $29 yet it rang up at $69. I proceeded to the service desk for the difference and the Michigan wrong scan reward. They told me “sorry we can’t sell it to you for less than the cost they paid for it,” so the price stood at $69. I left it there – without even a reward for finding the scan error.
This morning I went back for breakfast food. The stereos I tried to buy yesterday were still marked at $29. I took one through the check out again, this time informing the clerk that it was marked wrong. The same thing happened. They called a service worker who said they can’t give it to me for less than cost but I could call back after 7 a.m. and the store director would probably make some sort of arrangement for my purchase.
I called back. Asked what kind of arrangement we could make on the stereo that was marked wrong. The store director said ‘there were suspicious circumstances’ and pretty much accused me of marking the stereos myself. He said he would talk to the department manager about ‘what actually transpired’ as if I would drop it then. I didn’t. I asked if he would be calling me back with the information, he said “No, you can call me…”
Ain’t that something? I guess the Michigan laws only apply when they protect Meijer? Or Meijer found a loophole? I really wish I could now say I am a ‘scam investigator and you failed miserably.’
In any case the customer not only is no longer right anymore but when they are, they are accused of attempted theft.
T. Hall,
Michigan
Dear T. Hall,
Your mission, should you agree to accept it, is to make Meijer squirm. They have shown willful disregard for Michigan law and the fact that you pointed out their error, not once but twice, can be used to show in court that they are illegally scamming customers.
I refer you to §445.354 of the Michigan Code, which clearly states:
•A person shall not knowingly charge or attempt to charge for a consumer item a retail sale price exceeding the price required to be indicated pursuant to section 3. It shall not be construed to be a violation of this act to charge for a consumer item a total price less than the price required to be indicated pursuant to section 3.
•It shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section if a price charged or attempted to be charged as a result of electronic identification or calculation by an automatic checkout system exceeds the price required to be indicated pursuant to section 3.
If you continue reading the law, you will find what the law prescribes as a remedy. Please feel free to print off a copy of the law and show it to the Manager. If the Manager refuses to make things right, please take this matter up with the Attorney General’s office. I’m certain they would be quite interested to know that Meijer has been notified twice of a pricing error and yet refuses to act to either correct the mistake or to abide by Michigan Law.
Best wishes to you. Please let us know how things work out for you.
Thank you so much for your response and your guidance.
Armed with your state law, and the knowledge that I was not only treated with disrespect by a store director but the state laws were on my side, I headed back to my local Meijer store to confront the director.
Before searching for a clerk, I first checked the shelves. The same CD players had been remarked with a $129 price tag – some haphazardly over the $29 tag, though they were ringing at the scanner for $69, which is still $6 under what they claim they paid for them. Funny, because just yesterday and the day before they told me they could not sell anything in the store for less than they paid for it. [At this point I kept thinking; why did I not bring my camera?]
I then found the automotive clerk and asked to speak to the store director regarding a scanning error. The clerk summoned the store director, who sent the store manager to act in his place. [The coward!] After a short discussion regarding Michigan laws, though I was not issued an apology, I was given the same CD player I had tried to purchase earlier (still bearing the $29 price sticker) and a rain check allowing me to purchase it at that price.
I want to thank you for assuring me that the Michigan State law was on my side and that this was a mission I could accept. Thank you also for posting my notice where others who have been scammed and treated the same manner can read it. I can only hope the corporate office has or will have words with its store director(s) as well.
Somewhere down the line we all have to stop believing that what they tell us is true and start looking into it for ourselves. Standing in the face of opposition isn’t easy but with a little help from a friend like you it can be done.
I’ve often heard that very big changes start with one person. Thank you for being that one person.
T. Hall