Walmart fined $5.6 million for overcharging and misunderstanding in California
Walmart pays $5.6 million after accusing California County of overcharging the weight of its products and complaining of misunderstanding.
Walmart will pay $5.6 million as part of a settlement in a consumer protection lawsuit that claims retailers have overcharged their customers.
The Arkansas-based company has been accused of overcharging its customers and selling produce, baked goods and other products with less weight than what it weighs on the label, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in California.
Civil complaints filed by four California counties claim that retailers are more likely than illegally charged prices for customers than illegally advertised or posted prices.
The Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office said Walmart’s actions violated California’s false advertising and unfair competition laws.
“When someone brings items to scan the register, the prices must be correct,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “They are expecting it. California is expecting it. My office is expecting it. And we apply the law to confirm it.”
Walmart has previously been accused of overcharging consumers
In 2012, Walmart agreed to pay $2.1 million for overcharging consumers in violation of a 2008 court ruling, according to a statement released by the California Department of Justice.
“Consumers who were overcharged at the register should have received $3 immediately from the minimum advertising price for the item. If the price was less than $3, the item was given to the consumer for free, based on a statement released in 2012 by the state attorney general and former vice president Kamala Harris.
