I have another great question from one of my readers, and I thought I’d post the answer here in case it might be helpful.

The Question:  What do you do if you realize there’s an error on your receipt after you’ve left the store?  Coupons rang up incorrectly, Item price not what you expected, etc.

Scenario:

You have a coupon for a FREE Yoplait Yogurt Cup.

You add the item to your cart, check out and pay.

While you’re looking over your receipt in the car, at home, etc you see that the coupon did not come off of your total.

What should you do?

If you’re still in the parking lot it’s really best to go back in right then and ask them to correct it. They can look in the drawer to find the actual coupon and fix it on the spot.  If you’re already home I guess it depends on if the amount is worth going all the way back to the store.   If it really were a Yogurt Cup it might not be worth it.  But if it’s a bigger dollar item or several items then it might be worth it.  Use your judgement here.

When you have to go back to the store after the fact you always run the risk of the store not ruling in your favor. In the majority of situations a store with excellent customer service will always give the customer the benefit, but I know it doesn’t always work out.

A few tips when asking for a correction:

• Just remember to be nice and always treat the employees with respect.
• Have your receipt with you
• You do not have to have the item with you, but it’s a good idea if you haven’t left the store yet.
• If the customer service employee isn’t helping ask for a manager – Nicely.
• Be willing to cut your losses.  Sometimes you just have to let go.  I know it’s hard, but the stress is just not worth it over a few dollars.  Just move along, smile, and get ready for the next good deal.

Perhaps I’ve been blessed in this area because I’ve not had much trouble getting these types of issues corrected.  However, I have heard horror stories of customers being treated very badly and unfairly when bringing these errors to light.

I think the best way to handle this situation is to try and avoid it from the beginning. You may have heard the saying – “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.  This certainly rings true in this situation.

A few things you can do to help your transaction go smoothly:

• Take a quick break before you get in line to be sure you have all your coupons ready and have taken all the ones out that you won’t be using.

• If you have coupons for “FREE” items from the manufacturer put those items last.  Put the coupons for those items at the top of your stack.  Often the cashier will have to enter the item cost and it’s a pain searching throught already bagged groceries to scan it again.

• Watch the items as they ring up.  Especially watch the coupons being scanned.  You can catch errors as they happen this way.  Yes I know that’s easier said than done if you are shopping with kids — Trust me, Boy do I understand!

I hope that helps!

Got Questions????

Submit your questions to holly@igobogo.com with the subject line “Questions” & I will answer them to the best of my ability.