If you were undercharged at a store, would you go back and pay?

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by MosMom
Often though, I don't even do this. I will realize I got overcharged and it isn't worth it to me just to get a few dollars. It is a big enough pain going the FIRST time! We are about 10 minutes away from where we shop though so a 20 minute drive just to get $7? Oy!

I've got you beat on the drive. We're 10 minutes away from the nearest civilization of any kind....meaning a gas station. It's a 20 minute drive to any grocery store and 30 away from one I would consider shopping at.

So, as I said, I wouldn't make a special trip, but I would take care of it the next time someone made it into town.

Edited to add I just read your "solution" post...great idea! I bet you feel better now, huh?

 

[Az Pirates]

Originally posted by hrh_disney_queen
I do like the idea of mailing the under charged amount in. They will get their money, but they probably won't have a clue as to how to account for it!!

I used to work in the credit office of a major department store. We had a special ring code for "conscience money"
Some was from discrepancies and undercharges at the register. We also got 'so sorry I stole from your store' letters with money enclosed.
You'd be surprised at how often we used that code - more than I thought we would.

 

[Otto's Doll]

I would absolutely go back. Not only are my kids watching, but we never know who else might be. We can be a real testimony to someone else just by being honest.

 

[Lewski709]

Nope and I wouldn't lose sleep over it either. I shop at one store and I have had them forget to put things in my bags and I have to drive back to the store to get them. They don't compensate me for anything. I think it all evens out. Everybody makes mistakes and you didn't do anything intentionally to get the stuff for free.

 

[meeshi]

Well, honestly I probably wouldn't even know. I'm so bad about checking my receipt, I don't even count my change. People could be ripping me off right and left and I'd never know. But if I knew about it I would go back.

One time I bought a book of stamps, and when I got home I realized there were 2 books stuck together. I took the 2nd book back and the lady at the service counter (I bought them at the grocery store) looked at me like I had two heads. She couldn't believe I brought them back.

 

[Lewski709]

How many times have I caught them or not caught them charging me double for something, or not giving me a sale price when that's the main reason I bought the product? It happened tonight and it was for 3.99.

Not to mention their store return policy SUCKS! If anyone has a Meijer, they know what I mean. First, must have a receipt. Second, no exchanges. So if I bought a shirt for 12.99 on sale and it's too big and I need to return it, when I do....all they give is the cash or store credit. You can't go get the exact same shirt and exchange it. WHY is this important? Because I buy on sale, so do a lot of people. If the item is not on sale when I return it, if I want the EXACT same product in a different size, I have to pay the rack price. Same with damaged items.

 

[poohandwendy]

I would and I have, but I am with Meeshi on this...it is likely I would never know unless the amount was substantial. I very rarely buy one item and it is difficult to keep track of sale prices, totals, etc. So, I definitely would, but I am not sure there haven't been many times I was over or undercharged.

 

[DIZNYFAN]

Yes I would go back and pay the difference. Think of it this way if you owned the store would you want to be short that money due to an error or oversight. I know I wouldn't and I can honestly say I would be willing to go back and pay the difference as I know it is the right thing to do.

 

[MosMom]

If I see that I have something under my cart or have unintentionally taken something. I have always paid for it or returned it. If I realized that *I* had taken something, then that is my responsibility to pay for it. If THEY didn't scan something properly, I am not going to go back to pay them for something that was their fault. I am not going to spend my money on a stamp, envelope, or gas. Why should I be inconvenienced for their mistake? When they overcharge me they sure as heck aren't hunting me down to refund me.

Like I said, if it is my mistake I make it right but I am not driving 20 minutes or paying for a stamp/envelope over a .34 can of catfood.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>I don't base my behavior on how I'm treated, but on how I like to be treated. Even if someone treated me rudely, I would make good on the money I owe - I would probably just go to someone else, though.

My son once bought a Gamecube game at Target for about $60. When we got home, we realized that the clerk had included another one - different - on accident. I put it in my car, and took it back the next day, and returned it to the manager -- I enjoyed the lôôk of surprise on his face.

Then Target was good to me, too. They once forgot to give me a bag of stuff. I went to their customer service, and explained what happened, and they told me to go in the store and replace my items. They didn't give me a hard time about it, either. It all evens out in the end.

 

[Micca]

I think I am like Meeshi. I would't know if I had underpaid or overpaid. As long as it works out evenly the karma is on the store.

 

[Missy1961]

Yes, I would. I did.

I have twin nephews. And I do the gift shopping for my parents. So I went to Kids R Us, bought 4 prs of sweatpants, 4 sweatshirts, and assorted other things. When the cashier gave me the total, I thought it sounded low. So before I left the store, I checked the receipt and sure enough she had a missed some stuff. So I told her, had her ring them up. The manager of the store was standing nearby and couldn't thank me enough. I told her I would have complained if I was overcharged, so I should pay for everything. And if I had gone home and noticed it, I would have gone back.

 

[suzannews]

I was not charged for a $90 water cooler last year at Home Depot. We had just moved into our new house and bought so much stuff including a grill that I didn't look at the total, I just signed the credit card receipt and off we went. When we got home, 20 miles away, I realized what happened. I called the store and the lady at customer service thought I was crazy. The next time we were in the area, I stopped in to pay for it and it took 4 people to ring it up. No one knew how to ring it up without the box at the register so they had to call back and get the product code # etc. It was crazy but I truly believe what goes around comes around.

 

[Mimi Q]

Yes, and I have.

 

[cgcw]

I would have gone back to correct the error too.

There have been many times I've been given the wrong change and handed it back.

Partly because this is how I was raised. What's not mine is not mine.

Many years ago, I worked in a bank as a teller. A man came in with a stack of bills and asked for $100 bills. I counted the money, came up with $500. Did not have $100 bills in my drawer so I asked the teller next to me for 5 - $100 bills. She gave them to me. I turned back to the customer, counted them and out the door he walked. Then I handed the stack of money to the other teller, who counted it, to find there was only $400.

My manager wrote a lettter to the man asking him to return the extra $100. Surprisingly, he did. It was still a mark on our record but it looked better in our files that the money was returned.

I will always correct a mistake. We are all human.

 

[disneyfuntime]

It's best to be honest, I have gone back into the store when a mistake has happened.

I had an experience with a ATM machine that gave me 40.00 cash back when I had wanted 20.00 I went into the bank asked them to check my account to see if the bank had charged 20.00 against my account or 40.00 sure enough the withdrawal came up as 20.00 I returned the other 20.00, I was asked to wait at the window while the teller got the bank manager, he thanked me and wished more people were honest. I told him that when I was younger I was a bank teller and when you are out of balance which the Atm would have been, it would be a nightmare to figure out.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I don't think I would go back.

I can't tell you how many times I've been charged for things I didn't buy (Wal-Mart), double charged for items (Wal-Mart), not given the advertised sale price (uh - Wal-Mart, why do I still shop there?) or had bottle return refund slips ADDED to my total instead of deducted. (none of this I realize until I'm home and I'm sure as heck not going to waste my time going back.)

I think, in the grand scheme of things, my "free stuff" has been paid for by the "stuff I was overcharged for"...I think it all evens out in life.

If that makes me a bad person, so be it.

 

[disneygals]

I'm with Mo's Mom and Stinkerbelle (love that dog!)

If I accidentially stole something, I'd go back, if they made an error and I don't see it til home I don't worry about it, if I notice it there I ALWAYS say something.

One time buying a coat and many other things, we had to remind the saleswoman to ring up the coat about 3 times, she was so confused and babbling.

 

[KingsFanInRI]

if it is an honest mistake I will certainly correct it in either event, but on two occasions that I can remember I have been at WalMart (two different stores mind you) and had a cashier that was so unattentive to what she was doing that she failed to ring my order properly. One of them was on her cell phone while she rang me up and only charged me for one of the two pairs of pants I had.

The day I got married our MOH was picking up some food for the reception. We had purchased three sandwich platters but they only charged us for one (about a $60.00 mistake). She told them about the mistake and paid the bill and she told me that she wanted to do the honest thing just like I would have and I told her "Are you crazy??? THat was God's wedding gift to us!"

 

[Chicago526]

I used to work for Target. When I was hired, the showed us a film about shoplifting, and how what shoplifting costs Target is added into the price of what they sell. So when you buy something, it's a little bit higher than it might be, to pay for what other people stole.

Now of course no one on this thread stole anything, but when Target does inventory, they see items that are missing and wern't paid for. So the cost of everything Target sells goes up that much more. I assume that most, if not all, retailers do the same.

Moral of the story, I always go back and fix the mistake (although for a .25 cent can of cat food, I might let it slide) because in the long run, we all have to pay for it!