Delhaize has been fined by Belgium's Economic Inspectorate for wrongly charging customers for products they did not buy, following a software error. The supermarket chain confirmed the news, first reported by VRT NWS.
The issue was uncovered after a complaint on WinWin, the consumer programme on VRT Radio 2. For several months, checkout systems had been charging shoppers for items they never purchased because scanners were reading both the barcode and a small data matrix, similar to a QR code, on around ten products.
The Economic Inspectorate has imposed a financial penalty, which Delhaize declined to disclose. "It's a substantial amount," said company spokesperson Roel Dekelver, adding that the retailer will not appeal the decision.
"Delhaize attaches great importance to customer trust and to the accuracy and transparency of its prices," Dekelver said. "Together with store operators, we have worked hard to implement a solution to prevent similar product code errors in the future."
