Woolworths admits error after woman decodes receipt symbol
- Replies 4
After spotting an error on her grocery receipt, a Woolworths customer has taken to Facebook for an explanation.
“GST charged today on tinned sardines which are GST free? Please explain,” Julie Black wrote in her post.
Julie had been charged Goods and Services Tax, or GST, on a can of Deep Cove Sardines. Photo from Facebook.
The photo posted showed a hashtag symbol next to a can of sardines. Placing a hashtag next to the item means that it is subject to GST.
However, sardines are included in the list of food items that are exempted from the tax.
The Australian Taxation Office, or ATO, states that fish products for human consumption - including fresh, frozen, dried, canned or packaged - are GST-free.
Shortly after, a Woolworths representative responded to the post.
“Hi Julie, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take great pride in offering our customers a positive experience in our stores, and we're sorry that wasn't the case on this occasion,” the person commented. “We can confirm you shouldn't have been charged GST on these items, and we have now fixed the technical error that caused this.”
To compensate for the error, Julie was offered a refund for the overcharged amount.
“Please feel free to bring your receipt back to our store, and we'll provide a refund for the overcharged amount. Please send us a private message if you need any further assistance. Thanks.”
In a conversation with 7NEWS.com.au, a Woolworths spokesperson has confirmed that the supermarket made a rare mistake on this occasion.
“This is a clear error on our part, and we have reached out to apologise to the customer and offer a refund for the overcharged amount.”
The technical error was identified in the supermarket’s point-of-sale software, which has now been fixed.
“If ever our customers have any questions about their receipts, we encourage them to return to their local store with their docket or contact our Customer Hub for a speedy resolution.”
Anyone have any recent receipts from Woolies? Make sure you double-check you weren’t overcharged.
“GST charged today on tinned sardines which are GST free? Please explain,” Julie Black wrote in her post.
Julie had been charged Goods and Services Tax, or GST, on a can of Deep Cove Sardines. Photo from Facebook.
The photo posted showed a hashtag symbol next to a can of sardines. Placing a hashtag next to the item means that it is subject to GST.
However, sardines are included in the list of food items that are exempted from the tax.
The Australian Taxation Office, or ATO, states that fish products for human consumption - including fresh, frozen, dried, canned or packaged - are GST-free.
Shortly after, a Woolworths representative responded to the post.
“Hi Julie, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take great pride in offering our customers a positive experience in our stores, and we're sorry that wasn't the case on this occasion,” the person commented. “We can confirm you shouldn't have been charged GST on these items, and we have now fixed the technical error that caused this.”
To compensate for the error, Julie was offered a refund for the overcharged amount.
“Please feel free to bring your receipt back to our store, and we'll provide a refund for the overcharged amount. Please send us a private message if you need any further assistance. Thanks.”
In a conversation with 7NEWS.com.au, a Woolworths spokesperson has confirmed that the supermarket made a rare mistake on this occasion.
“This is a clear error on our part, and we have reached out to apologise to the customer and offer a refund for the overcharged amount.”
The technical error was identified in the supermarket’s point-of-sale software, which has now been fixed.
“If ever our customers have any questions about their receipts, we encourage them to return to their local store with their docket or contact our Customer Hub for a speedy resolution.”
Anyone have any recent receipts from Woolies? Make sure you double-check you weren’t overcharged.
.png){kind=icon}
