TESCO shoppers have been warned over a glitch that could leave them with a huge bill at the checkout.
Customers have said that a fault with Tesco’s self scanners left them with a “stupidly expensive” bill.
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The “shop as you scan” system allows customers to use a handset to scan every product’s barcode as they go.
Some shoppers have noticed a problem with the gadget that shows scanned items at a knockdown price.
But when they reach the checkout to pay for their items, customers say they then appear at full price.
On a post shared in the Extreme Couponing and Bargains Facebook group, one shopper said her shop came to -£150.75 for just seven items.
She claimed that she was able to checkout despite the glitch.
But some shoppers were quick to warn others that they were not able to checkout at the lower prices – and urged them to be cautious at the checkouts.
One Facebook user said: “I had this with reduced Easter eggs I was like 200 in credit so then done a 200 shop so I’d pay nothing.
“Got to the till it corrected itself and my shop was stupidly expensive!”
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Another Tesco shopper said: “A shampoo and conditioner was on offer and actually took money off my bill, so I picked up the shelf.
“Got to checkout and it corrected. The embarrassment when I asked them to take it off and put them back.”
It’s not clear how widespread the glitch is – we’ve asked Tesco and will update when we hear back.
Anyone using the self scan machines at Tesco should be aware that any discount that appears on screen won’t necessarily be honoured at the till.
It comes as shoppers are setting £30 limits at tills as inflation reaches 9.4%.
Asda said it has noticed customers watching the pennies as the checkout as they try to avoid going over budget.
And Tesco said shoppers in its stores doing the same.
Earlier this moth, shoppers complained that they had been charged minimum order fees on their online food shop at Tesco.
The supermarket giant said the only a “very small number of customers” were incorrectly charged the basket fee.
Do shops have to honour a price glitch?
Unfortunately shops don’t have to honour the low price of a product if it’s a glitch.
Prices that are advertised in error that were a “genuine mistake” mean shoppers won’t be able to get the low prices if it’s spotted by the shop.
While this may frustrating when you think you’ve bagged a bargain, it’s something to be aware of when buying a price glitch item – especially that you’ll likely face a wait for your money back, which could leave you out of pocket.
But if the glitch goes through at the checkout and you buy the item at the lower price, you won’t have to pay the money back.
Citizen’s Advice says they’re only legally entitled to ask you for more money if you’d talked about the price (eg £100) and they ended up charging you much less instead (eg £10).
If the tables are turned and you think you’ve been charged more than it was advertised for, you can ask the shop to refund the difference.
You’ll need proof of the error, like a receipt and a picture of the price on the shelf, for instance.
How to avoid going over your budget at the supermarket
Take cash only – there’s no easier way to avoid overspending.
This way you don’t have to worry about interest rates, and you can clearly separate your food money from your bills.
And it’s easier to see what you can afford with cash in front of you – there’s no confusion over what you can afford and you won’t be tempted either.
It’s very easy to tap or swipe your card with no real thought about how much you’re spending.
Although you can spend up to £100 with one tap, most cards allow you to set a lower limit.
Lloyds Banking Group, which runs Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland is giving shoppers the power to set their own spending cap.
By lowering your personal limit, there’s a smaller chance of theft and you can stop yourself from splashing out when you know you can’t afford it.
RBS, NatWest, Santander and TSB also have similar policies and changes can be made on their apps, online or over the phone.
Get in touch with your bank today to ask how to lower your spending limit.
