SAN FRANCISCO -- Customers at a Walmart customers will be receiving refunds worth $2.1 million after the retail giant was found guilty of overcharging them at the cash register.
The judgment, announced by California attorney general Kamala D. Harris, was related to Walmart's failure to comply with a 2008 judgment that required the Bentonville, Ark.-based firm to resolve pricing errors at checkout stands.
The Attorney General's Office and the San Diego District Attorney's office investigated claims made in 2005 that Walmart stores in California were scanning items at the checkout at a higher price than was being advertised on shelves and signs in the store.
Random price-checking across California found that 164 Walmart stores were guilty of making such errors.
"Consumers should feel confident that the price on the shelf will be the same price they are charged at the cash register," Harris said in a statement Wednesday. "Californians who shop at Walmart should know that they have the right to ask for the appropriate discount."
As a result of the decision, consumers who were overcharged are eligible to receive a discount of $3.00 off the lowest advertised price of an item.
If an item is listed as being less than $3.00, the consumer will receive the item free of charge.
