Oops, sorry: do you get your money back if the wrong amount is printed on the receipt?

Well, that’s nice. You’re standing outside the supermarket with a full shopping cart, only to find out that quite a few things are wrong. As if inflation hasn’t hit us hard enough already. But what are you actually entitled to as a consumer when there are mistakes like these on the receipt? Do you get your money back? Radar investigated. 

Several supermarkets are guilty of issuing incorrect receipts. This is evident from research by the Consumentenbond in April. At Albert Heijn, for example, the price on the shelves did not match the receipt in 13% of cases, compared with 15% at Plus and as much as 20% at Jumbo. At the beginning of this month, it emerged that the situation at Albert Heijn still hadn’t improved. Fortunately, Jumbo and Plus are doing better by now. What policies do the three supermarkets apply when a customer ends up in such a situation?

Albert Heijn

If it turns out at Albert Heijn that the shelf price and the price on the receipt do not match, you get the product in question free of charge once. This doesn’t have to be on the same day as the purchase. So you can come back later with your receipt. But here’s the thing: many Albert Heijn employees are not aware of this policy. So you may still end up missing out.

Jumbo

Jumbo also says that you get the product free of charge if you can show that the price on the receipt differs from the price on the shelf. There is no deadline. So you can come back with the product and the receipt whenever it suits you.

Plus

At Plus, you get the difference in price refunded. So not a free product, but the actual money you missed out on because of the mistake on the receipt. At Plus, however, it is unclear how long you have to return to the store. So it’s best to take action quickly if you notice a mistake.

Stay alert

Always check your receipt. Even though supermarkets promise to do better, a mistake can easily slip in. In any case, the Consumentenbond is keeping an eye on things. They won’t hesitate to take legal action if supermarkets fail to resolve the problems. So always go back if you spot a mistake on your receipt, because you are entitled to a free product or a refund!

Also read:

• Albert Heijn wants to print the CO2 consumption of your groceries on the receipt; isn’t that a little hypocritical?
• This is why you should always ask for your receipt at McDonald’s
• 12 things supermarket employees find really annoying

Source: Radar AVROTROS