'˜System fault' as Asda bill doesn't add up

The mistake was spotted by local solicitor Laurence Spencer when he went to do his regular shop at the Portadown store last Sunday.

The Portadown man, who normally uses the self-service tills, said, “One of the items I bought was two litres of motor oil (ASDA own-brand) which was showing on the shelf as discounted from £10 to £8.

“However, at the self-service till this item still came up at £10. When I raised this with a member of staff she helpfully changed the price at the till to the correct price of £8.”

When Mr Spencer went to pay for his shopping the bill amounted to £41.50. He added, “I was about to pay, but then realised that all the items in my basket which I had scanned were not anywhere near this amount.

“I raised this with the same member of staff and she helped me to scan all the items again on a different self-service till. She again had to manually discount the two litres of motor oil, but this time the total price was £22 – which was the correct amount.

“Had I not noticed these mistakes I would have paid almost twice the price for my basket of shopping.

“I am not sure if ASDA are fully aware of these problems and whether they are taking any steps to address these. Unfortunately, I do not always check the amount that I pay ...but on this occasion, it was very easy to spot these mistakes.”

He said he had noticed on a number of previous occasions at the store that the price for an item showing on the till, and the receipt, was higher than the shelf price, usually when the item was being sold on promotional discount.

A spokesperson for Asda said its team will continue to monitor the system in the Portadown store. The statement added, “We always welcome feedback and were disappointed to learn that, on this occasion, the customer’s experience has not met our own high standards.”