BRONSON ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ANNUAL SCANNER SURVEY

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is urging consumers to check their receipts before they leave a store this holiday season.  A sweep of store scanners by his Division of Standards shows most of them are correct but mistakes can be made.

Every year, Bronson conducts a pre-holiday scanner survey.  This year inspectors with the Bureau of Weights and Measures visited 52 stories in 24 cities and towns to determine scanner accuracy.  A total of 2,989 items were scanned during the annual inspection.

Of the 2,989 items scanned, 54 (1.8 percent) scanned at a different price than the lowest advertised or posted prices.  Of those errors, 28 were overcharges and 26 were undercharge errors.  Four stores inspected during the sweep were found to have excessive overcharges and face administrative sanctions ranging from warning letters to fines of up to $5,000 for repeat violations.  Stores that fail to meet the 98 percent standard due to excessive undercharge errors are inspected more frequently until the acceptable accuracy is met.

The state's adopted requirement for acceptable accuracy is 98 percent, which is the national standard as established by the National Conference on Weights and Measures.  All items found in error must be corrected immediately or an off sale notice is issued.

While the survey found that scanning errors are relatively uncommon, mistakes do occur. It means that consumers need to be aware of the price that they should be charged, Bronson said.

"The important thing is to know the price of the item that you're buying, make sure that's what you're charged at the checkout line and keep receipts," Bronson said.  "If there is any discrepancy, bring it to the attention of store personnel."

Bronson's Division of Standards tests checkout scanners, as well as scales and other devices used for products sold by weight or measure. Consumers who believe that they have been overcharged, or who detect problems with a store's scales, are encouraged to call the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 1-800-HELP FLA (435-7352).
 

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