Check Those Receipts When Holiday Shopping, Warns County Officials

Holiday shoppers should check their receipts to make sure they get the bargains they're shopping for, county officials warned Wednesday.

With sales and price breaks lasting just a day or a few hours and a host of special discounts and membership deals available during the frenzied holiday season, it's easy for mistakes to happen, said a spokesman for the county's Weights and Measures Bureau. And with electronic scanners and payments made by swiping a card, shoppers often fail to pay close attention to individual charges, he added.

"Shoppers should compare the price advertised to the price charged by check-out scanners, which are connected to the store computers and are only as correct as the information that has been entered,'' read a statement issued by the bureau. "Check those receipts. Shoppers are entitled to the lowest advertised, listed or labeled price for any specific item."

Shoppers who think they've been overcharged and don't get satisfaction from a store manager or customer service desk can report errors to the Weights and Measures Bureau at (800) 665-2900 or submit a complaint at www.acwm.lacounty.gov. Complaints should include the shelf price and advertised price, the scanned price, the date of the overcharge and the store name and location.

Officials say all complaints will be investigated.

- City News Service