Have you ever been drawn to “the Independence Day Sale” or the “Big Day Sale” that most departmental stores announce frequently?

If so, after making the purchase, do you merely check whether the goods you have bought tally with the billed products or do you check the cover price as well for any discrepancy in the rate?

A cross-section of consumers that this correspondent spoke to said they generally made heavy purchases when such discount offers came their way. “The pamphlets give us a fair idea of the discounted rate. So, we just go by it. The bill is computer-generated, so I do not check the total. In fact, it is not easy on the eye,” said Savithri, a housewife.

Another youngster said she does not even check her purchases. “I pick the stuff I need, pay and leave the store. Anyway, the counter clerk runs through the list before generating the bill,” she said.

Saju Mathew (another buyer) felt that consumers were being taken for a ride, not just during such offer periods, but even on regular shopping trips.

Citing billing discrepancies, he said: “I bought an Odonil Lavender Zipper air freshner on August 1. While the MRP was Rs 45, it was billed for Rs 49 and after a discount of Rs 5, offered at Rs 44. The buyer would think he got a discount of Rs 5, but it was just Re 1 below the MRP.

A Godrej AER pocket Tangy delight with MRP of Rs 50, was billed for Rs 55 and after a Rs 3 discount, offered at Rs 52, which was Rs 2 more than the MRP.

Then, a Park Avenue Shaving Cream – Cool Blue – with an MRP of Rs 65, being offered with a special discount of Rs 16 and final price declared of Rs 49, was billed for Rs 60 (Rs 11 more than the discounted price)

A 100 gm pack of Poof Wafflets with an MRP of Rs 60, was billed for Rs 95 with a discount of Rs 10. The final price for the customer was Rs 85 (Rs 25 more than the MRP), he said and pointed out that in this case, he had noticed the MRP earlier and had pinpointed the discrepancy to the billing clerk, who effected the correction at the end of the bill.

“The other mistakes were found once I checked the bill on reaching home, as I was not happy with the way things were done at the counter,” Mathew said.

He further said this was not the first time as in earlier instances, too, he had cited such discrepancies. “I went back and sought an explanation from the manager and customer service person, but they were unable to explain. I have strong reason to believe that these errors are not due to oversight,” he said, stressing the need to create awareness amongst consumers to wake up to such mistakes.

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