LABUAN: A business on the outskirts here is being investigated by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) after a chocolate product displayed at RM3 was charged at RM3.30 at the checkout.
KPDN Labuan Director Junaidah Arbain said enforcement officers found the 30-sen price discrepancy during an inspection recently. She said the product was displayed on the shelf with a price tag of RM3, but the same item was scanned and charged at RM3.30 at the payment counter.
“The price discrepancy could give consumers a misleading impression of the actual price of the goods, particularly when they make purchasing decisions based on the price displayed on the shelf,” she said.
Junaidah said the premises was suspected of committing an offence under Paragraph 12(1)(a) of the Consumer Protection Act 1999 (Act 599) for giving a misleading indication of the price of goods for trade purposes. She said the relevant goods and documents were also inspected to assist further investigations.
“KPDN Labuan takes such price discrepancies seriously as the displayed price is among the main pieces of information consumers rely on before making a purchase.
“Traders are responsible for ensuring that prices displayed on shelves, labels or price tags are accurate and correspond with the prices charged through the point-of-sale (POS) system,” she said.
Junaidah advised traders to regularly check their price tags and POS systems, particularly when prices are changed, to prevent consumers from being charged differently from the displayed price.
She also advised consumers to check shelf prices and receipts after making purchases and keep their receipts as evidence in the event of any discrepancy.
Consumers can lodge complaints with KPDN regarding suspected trade misconduct for further action.