Coles issues refunds after overcharging thousands of shoppers

The pricing errors were for several everyday household items like cornflakes, canned tomatoes and thickened cream. Here's how to get your money back. 

Coles has extended apologies and offered refunds to thousands of customers following a series of pricing errors. 

The supermarket chain admitted that the prices for 20 popular household items were inadvertently raised before the end of the advertised promotion periods, both in-store and online. 

This meant that the ticket price on the shelf had changed and customers were charged the price they saw, instead of the correct discounted price.

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Coles responds to pricing error: "We know cost of living is a big focus"

After discovering they had been overcharging customers, Coles sent an email to its Flybuys members, and shoppers are being asked to check their inboxes to see if they've been affected by the incident.

They are also encouraging customers who think they may have bought items at the incorrect price in-store to visit their local Coles service desk for a refund. 

A Coles spokesperson told Kidspot: "We incorrectly increased the ticket price of 20 products before the end of the promotional period.

"We know cost of living is the biggest focus for so many of our customers. We sincerely apologise to our customers for this mistake and we are working quickly to make it right.

"As a result of this error, we are refunding 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 ask any customer who purchased these items in-store to visit our service desk with a receipt for a full refund."

They added, "We are also making arrangements to place these products back on promotion. Eight are currently back at a reduced price and we are making arrangements to place the remaining 12 on promotion for our customers."

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The items involved in the pricing error

The pricing error affected six brands across various products, including Bulla's thickened cream available in both 300ml and 600ml packs.

Somat's dishwashing products were also mispriced, including their 30 and 45-pack excellence dishwashing tablets, 25 and 51-pack gold dishwashing tablets, along with their rinser and drying booster dishwasher rinse aid in 500ml bottles.

Refunds were also issued for Napolina's chopped and plum tomatoes, both available in four-packs.

Several other items like Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Fehlbergs' sliced jalapenos in 470g packs, Coles' own brand of BBQ briquettes, and bran flakes with sultanas 580g, were among those incorrectly priced.

Additionally, a range of Coles' medical products were part of the refund process. These products included the ankle support premium, silicone bead heat pack, medistrips fabric 50-pack, single and three-pack pregnancy midstream tests, and wrist support premium.

Originally published as Coles issues refunds after overcharging thousands of shoppers