Price Accuracy

PRICE ACCURACY IS IMPORTANT!
Weights & Measures inspectors routinely check retail locations with automated point-of-sale (POS) systems to verify that the price you're charged is the same as the price that's posted, advertised, or quoted. These include price scanners or any electronic or computer systems that use price look-up codes or descriptions to retrieve the price for an item.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors enacted the Consumer Confidence Protection Act of 1999, which requires the annual registration of retail POS systems, as defined by California law, used by a retail establishment.

What You Need To Know About A Price Verification Inspection (Español)

Weights & Measures inspectors also confirm that checkout stands clearly display the price of each item as it's entered into the POS system. The California law (BPC §13300) that requires customer price displays was enacted in 2002 and became effective Jan. 1, 2007.

NOTICES REQUIRED TO BE POSTED
 Attention Consumers Notice must be posted at every POS station.
Atención Consumidores Aviso debe ser colocado en cada estación de Punto de Venta.

 

SHOPPERS BEWARE!
Customers should be vigilant to protect themselves:

  • Pay attention to the customer price display to make sure you are charged the correct price.
  • Look at your receipt before you leave the store.
  • Report pricing errors to store management immediately.
  • Ask about the store’s policy for overcharges (Sometimes the store will give you an item for free or subtract a dollar amount).

 

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
To report any overcharges, call 1-888-TRUE-SCAN (878-3722) (toll free) or email wm.awm@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Please provide the following information to enable our inspectors to accurately investigate the complaint:

  • Store name, address, and city
  • Date and time of occurrence
  • Sale ending date (if the item is on sale)
  • Item(s) purchased, including brand name and size as appropriate
  • Location in the store, such as regular aisle, end cap, special table display, at entrance, etc.
  • Specific complaint information (i.e., shelf price stated $1.50, but store charged $1.75)

Include your name and telephone number and/or email address, to allow us to contact you with the results of our investigation. This information is kept confidential from the store location.

Additionally, you can file your complaint using the form below: