Coles has apologized and offered refunds to thousands of customers after accidentally overpaying for a number of different products.
The supermarket giant sent an email to its Flybuys members this week admitting that the price of 20 popular items had been accidentally increased before the end of a promotional period.
A spokesperson for the supermarket chain told Ny Breaking Australia they understand many customers rely on discounts to make ends meet.
“We know that cost of living is the biggest focus for many of our customers. We sincerely apologize to our customers for this error and we are working quickly to correct it,” they said.
'We will refund the full cost of the items to customers. Coles has processed refunds for customers who used their Flybuys card or purchased through Coles Online.
'We are also making agreements to promote these products again. Eight are currently back at a reduced price and we are making arrangements to put the remaining twelve on promotion for our customers.”
Coles sent Flybuys customers an apology email and offered a refund for overcharging on sale products
The six brands involved in the pricing error are: Bulla's thickened cream in 300ml and 600ml packs and life variants.
Somat's 30 and 45 packs of excellent dishwasher tablets, 25 and 51 packs of gold dishwasher tablets and rinse aid and dry booster dishwasher detergent in 500 ml bottles were too expensive.
Napolina's four-pack sliced tomatoes and four-pack plum tomatoes were refunded.
Kelloggs Corn Flakes, Fehlbergs Jalapenos Sliced 470g, Coles BBQ Briquettes and Bran Flakes with Raisins 580g were all also mispriced.
A number of Coles medical products were reimbursed, including the ankle support premium, the silicone bead with heat pack, the 50-pack medistrips fabric, the one-pack pregnancy midstream test, the three-pack pregnancy midstream test and the wrist support premium.
Coles encouraged all Flybuys customers to check their emails for information about their refund.
“The next time you scan your Flybuys card, the credit will be deducted from your store,” the email reads.
However, many customers said the email was confusing.
The grocer said it changed prices on 20 popular items before the promotional period ended
'I have mainly shopped at Woolworths in recent years so apologies if this is common. Now I have to go to Coles and see if I can get $1 or $20 back,” said one.
'I have it too. I didn't buy the meat. I have no idea what I was overpaying for,” wrote another.
'I did that too, the first time. And I shop at Coles quite often,” said another.
A fourth thought it could be a scam, writing: 'I was very confused at first and assumed there was some dubious link I had to click on and enter all my card details or something but I think it's legit .'
Customers who purchased the incorrectly priced products but are not Flybuys members can go to their local store's service desk for a refund.