Walmart is one of the most famous retail stores in the country, as people rely on it for their affordable prices and deals. However, they recently were caught doing wrong by their customers out in California, and they’re going to have to pay for it.
The mega-retailler was recently ordered to pay a $5.6M settlement following a lawsuit in California that alleged customers were “overcharged” and being sold weighted products that actually contained less than what was advertised on their packaging. Walmart customers may recognize this issue, as the store’s been getting called out on certain products, especially poultry and meat, that are packaged in-store and sold by weight. Customers have accused the store of “scamming” them, and it looks like something is being done about it. Read more about the lawsuit below.
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Walmart Is Sued By District Attorneys In California For 'Overcharging' Their Customers
The Arkansas-based company has been a notorious place to shop in the United States for decades. You can buy just about any and everything you need at Walmart for lower prices without a membership card, which is why people love it so much. Every once in a while, the store has received complaints, whether it be over the quality of an item or some other issue. However, more recently, people have been complaining about their prices, believing that something was wrong behind the scenes.
Issues were popping up with items weighed and packaged in Walmart store locations, which vary from baked goods to meats like packaged chicken breasts. Just recently, a TikTok video went viral after a Walmart customer said the store was "scamming" them, because the amount of chicken they bought weighed less than what was advertised on the packaging.
This year, a lawsuit was filed against Walmart by district attorneys in California, including those from Santa Clara County, San Diego County, San Bernardino County, and Sonoma County. They alleged that the store had allegedly "unlawfully charged customers prices higher than their lowest advertised or posted price."
Walmart Ordered To Pay $5.6M Settlement Following California Lawsuit
Although such major companies like Walmart tend to win a lot of lawsuits, given they're so powerful, they couldn't do so this time, and it was recently reported that they would have to pay customers in California a total of $5.6M in settlements.
According to new reports, Santa Clara County will receive $1.4 million, which, according to the district attorney's office, will go to their Consumer Protection Fund. The company will also reportedly have to pay an additional $139,908.92 to cover "investigation costs."
Surprisingly, or not surprisingly, given the number of customers who have decided to boycott the store following pricing issues, this is not the first time Walmart has gotten in trouble for pricing issues, especially in the state of California. The store had to pay more fines of up to $2M for "overcharging" customers in 2012.
Following the latest settlement news, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen told news outlets, "When someone brings an item to the register to be scanned, the price must be right."
"They expect it," he continued. "California expects it. My office expects it, and we will apply the law to make sure of it."
