Are you being overcharged? ETFPOS machines only accept round amount

L[Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 16:30

Hi OzBargainers,

This is my first time posting here.

I made a purchase yesterday at a fruit market in Sunnybank QLD for 2 tubs of honey worth $8.99 each. The total of 2 tubs is $17.98, however I was charged $18.00.

When I asked the cashier why I was charged the rounded amount ($18.00 instead of $17.98) when I paid by ETFPOS, the cashier said she can only enter the round amount on ETFPOS machine.

Based on the receipt (sorry, not sure how to upload image), it clearly indicated the payment system used by the store was supplied by Westpac. I have contacted Westpac to seek clarification.

Am I wondering if anyone experienced such thing too?

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • grog on 04/01/2017 - 16:35

    When i pay via eftpos with my CBA credit card, it always show the correct amount.

    Worth checking next time if i pay eftpos from savings account not CC?

  • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 16:38
    +6

    never heard such a thing. i use eftpos all the time for the exact amount

  • activ8newbs on 04/01/2017 - 16:49
    -5

    I'm confident that the cashier just rounded up purposely and casually told you "I can only enter a round figure".

    But even then, It's not worth blaming cashier over a couple cents. Live, and let live, I think.

    No point wasting your time contacting banks etc. Yes, you got robbed a couple cents, but chances are it won't happen again. If I were you, I'd just move on - But that's just my two cents ;). Pun Intended.

  • CodeXD on 04/01/2017 - 16:51
    +5

    100% not true for ETFPOS machines. I predominately card everything as I do not like to bring cash on my person and I have never been over-charged due to machines only accepting "round" numbers

  • retiredfeline on 04/01/2017 - 17:04
    +4

    I have contacted Westpac to seek clarification.

    Cashier is lying or ignorant. And you don't value your time much. You could even have asked here first.

  • mrham on 04/01/2017 - 17:34
    +3

    Who makes an account just to whinge about being overcharged two cents?

    • ilovepizza on 04/01/2017 - 19:19
      +1

      over 80 years?

  • tomsco on 04/01/2017 - 18:18

    I've had that happen a couple of times paying by card.

    I would've argued on principle, but cbf over 2c. Maybe you can go back and buy a $x.x2 or $x.x7 and get them to round down for you.

  • Aniseed Steed on 04/01/2017 - 18:24
    +1

    I wonder how much extra the shop makes if all their cashiers have been instructed to do this with every customer. I don't think the OP is whinging if the shop really is engaging in such a deceitful practice.

  • digitizer on 04/01/2017 - 18:50

    Totally legit. When I sell via PayPal I always tell the buyer that PayPal only accepts rounded up multiples of $10

  • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:37
    +2

    That is absolutely BS. Whether the amount is automatically or manually conveyed to the EFTPOS machine, you can enter any multiple of one cent as an input and the EFTPOS machine will accept it.

    If somebody told me that their machines only accept round numbers I'd simply vote with my feet and walk out.

    • altomic on 04/01/2017 - 19:50
      +4

      Dude - "Kaptnkaos, your new Mercedes Benz comes to $68,945.98 and you're paying with eftpos so $68,946"
      kaptnkaos - "F#&k this sh!t" walks out.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 22:58

    Thank you all for your reply. I don't mind paying the extra 2 cents but I do want to know what's the story behind charging a round amount on ETFPOS? When is this a requirement on EFTPOS?

    I am willing to donate to charity and helping the poor but when it comes to big banks and businesses, it's a different story.

    2 cents from me alone is nothing, but 2 cents from 10,000-20,000 customers would mean something more.

    If you feel a few cents is nothing, have a look at this link - you might change your mind.
    http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/salami.asp

    Westpac replied the following:

    Thank you for contacting us. We're unable to respond to this email. To help us better service you, please call us on 13 20 32 (8 am - 8 pm, 7 days a week, local time). From overseas, please call +61 2 9293 9270 (8 am - 8 pm, 7 days a week, local time).

    You can also find answers to the most frequently asked questions at www.westpac.com.au/faq/.

    • retiredfeline on 04/01/2017 - 23:13
      +3

      You're talking to the wrong party anyway. It's the merchant's cashier that's making the mistake. The bank just facilitates the payment.

      This wouldn't happen if the cash register were automatically linked to the card reader. In that case when you swipe or tap your card the exact amount is charged.

    • tomsco on 05/01/2017 - 12:54
      +1

      The full 2c is not going to the bank. The cashier is lying to you. It does not need to be rounded. Don't waste your time with Westpac.

    • John Kimble on 12/11/2017 - 16:22

      2 cents from me alone is nothing, but 2 cents from 10,000-20,000 customers would mean something more.

      Would mean $100 to $200 if my maths is correct.

  • alchew on 05/01/2017 - 15:28
    +1

    I went to buy fish yesterday at my local fish shop and it came to $42.93 but they put in $42.90 into the EFTPOS machine which I was a bit surprised about…not sure if they were just being nice or if it is true that they can only put in multiples of $0.05. I'm wondering if the cashier has to manually put it into the EFTPOS machine maybe they can only do in multiples of $0.05? Whereas most of the time when the amount is automatically sent to the machine via the cashier's computer it charges the exact amount??

  • Baysew on 06/01/2017 - 10:24

    Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

  • [Deactivated] on 09/01/2017 - 12:53

    My guess is that the register and the EFTPOS machine are not connected and the store has to manually enter the transaction amount. The fruit market have probably agreed to do rounding for both cash and electronic transactions. It sounds like a store policy rather than a merchant decision. It sounds like a thing that small businesses will do on a regular basis. Think of this as something that supports small businesses and not the banks. Remember that it costs the business money to provide the EFTPOS service to you. They're not supposed to claim this back from the customers but I can't blame them for the rounding issue.

    I remember when rounding first started to come in at shops. This was before the day that many small businesses used barcodes to scan at the registers. The prices were on sticky price tags. Some small businesses would round the prices up or down for each product on the price sticker so they never had to round at the register.

    I confess that I don't use small businesses on a regular basis, but when I do, I don't mind paying more for the extra service and quality products.

  • Nayaa on 12/11/2017 - 15:15
    Merged from Shop Rounding off Individual Items at The Checkout

    This is an Asian groceries store in Belconnen shopping mall selling veggies and groceries. They have price tags attached to each item and most of them ending with 99 cents. For example $1.99. At the register, they round off individual item to nearest dollar and bill them.

    For example items marked as $1.99 will be billed as $2.00 at the register. Then they round it off again when entering to the EFTPOS machine. This was happening for months or possibly years and last time I have confronted them about this as I purchased 7 veggies and 1 fruit which was marked as $1.99 each and they have been billed at $2.00 each and round off to extra cent when entering to the EFTPOS machine which caused a loss of 8 cents to me. They were very rude and say it is how it works in Australia (I am an Asian as well) and they said machine is rounding them off and that is how it works.

    This shop is possibly selling thousands of items every day and taking hundreds of dollars from consumers who does not check their bills. I find this is unacceptable practice. Did any of you come across similar. If so what did you do?

    • mysterytal on 12/11/2017 - 15:17

      You don't have to buy them. Go elsewhere, they lose your custom and a lot more than 8 cents.

      • Nayaa on 12/11/2017 - 15:21
        +2

        Possibly could have done that. Not many options to buy things I wanted from this shop around here. It is not really about loosing 8 cents. It is the unethical practice and surely unacceptable to many of us.

        • mysterytal on 12/11/2017 - 15:31
          +1

          It's unacceptable but the fight is not worth fighting.

    • Diji1 on 12/11/2017 - 16:10

      Isn't this illegal? Report to Consumer Affairs.

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