Coles has shared its apologies to customers after it was caught prematurely hiking up the cost on items with prices marked “locked”. While an apology is all polite and nice, I’m not staying together with a toxic partner just ‘cos they say sorry every time I catch them pulling some BS.
According to the apology, Coles admitted that the prices on 20 different items were raised before their promotional period was over.
Keen-eyed shoppers noticed that they were getting overcharged for items such as dishwashing tablets, certain cereals, and pregnancy tests, and submitted a complaint to consumer advocacy group Choice.
In response to the complaint, Coles have actually offered to fully refund all shoppers impacted by the premature price hikes.
The apology was sent out to thousands of Flybuys members via email — so be sure to check your inbox and see if anything you purchased means you are entitled to compensation.
A spokesperson from Coles reported the company is “working quickly to make it right”.
“We know cost of living is the biggest focus for so many of our customers,” said Coles’ spokesperson.
Won’t lie, kind of wild to see Coles admitting to knowing what “cost of living” even is. Especially given the heat they are copping lately, with allegations they are intentionally price gouging being thrown at them on the daily.
If Coles was a person, it would be that one friend who you are watching fall further and further from grace.
They used to be a close bestie who you’d try and see every day, but when times got tough they cold-shouldered you and didn’t help out when you really needed it. Then they got really obsessed with finances and brag about how much they make, yet they always ask you to pay to the cent whenever you’re out. And definitely don’t give them any suspicion you stole from them.
Now you try to stay clear of them and only ever expect the worst, but they still need you in some toxic codependent way.
Because at the end of the day the problem is that Coles knows we are still going to shop there, regardless of how bad it gets. That’s the point of a duopoly, we consumers don’t effectively have a say.
I’d love to get up on my soap box and preach that we should boycott these stores as the only impactful way to make our distaste of these gouging business practises known to the companies, or how the best thing would be if we protest by cutting them off from their profits and show that the masses will not be exploited.
Which sounds great in theory, but is tricky in practise.
With Christmas right around the corner and some sort of party every week, where else are millions of Australians going to shop for seasonal treats like eggnog and pud?
Basically, this just sucks and will continue to go on until government step in. Which they are doing, thankfully, through the announcement last week of a senate inquiry into Coles and Woolies record profits.
But for now, the future is unknown, and I don’t know how much longer I can go on if Vegemite continues to cost almost ten bucks a jar.
