Weights Measure
Reporter: Jonathan Creek
When you shop at a deli or even a supermarket, how often are you getting what you pay for? Father of two, Tom Ivascanin couldn't believe what he found to be wrong with his milk. "What it said on the carton and what it said on the measuring line of the bottle was two different things, so yeah definitely upset", he said.
Thinking it was a one off, he tested it again ... and again it came up short. "I kind of felt this wasn't right and I just started calculating how many of those little cartons get sold, Australia wide, came in my head and I thought woo this is a huge amount and I couldn't let go of it", he added. So we too decided to put the Woolworth's milk to the test. Buying three 300ml cartons, each time they appear to come up short.
In a statement late this afternoon Woolworth promised to investigate and offered any dissatisfied customers a full refund. "It's all about a fair deal -- consumers should get what they pay for ", said Tony Robinson, Victoria's Minister of Consumer Affairs. Yes we should, but we're not, if you look at the results of recent raids carried out by Victoria's Consumer Affairs Department. The undercover blitz found 11 out of 27 delis were ripping off the public -- be it by accident due to faulty machines or design.
Mr. Robinson said, "It's a vital principal if you pay good money you are entitled to get what you paid for. It doesn't matter if it's a few grams here or a few grams there, over a period of time that adds up". His Department conducts 44,000 checks on delis and supermarkets weights and measures each year. "In most cases it's inadvertent or poor practices or it's a question of the scales being out of calibration, in which case the infringement notice is accompanied with an undertaking that these things will be addressed in the future", Mr. Robinson said. But a much more sinister practice is the purposeful weighing of the packaging -- its illegal because it adds weight when calculating the price. Put simply they are charging you more for less.
Sending a clear message that they are getting tough, the operators were all fined $700 for overcharging amounts between 20 and 70 cents. "The container is not meant to be what you are buying, you are buying fifty grams of food substance then you want fifty grams of substance, you don't want the plastic to be counted as well", Mr. Robinson said.
Each year $400 billion dollars of commercial transactions are based on trade measurement accuracy, so being constantly out -- even by just a little bit -- can in fact be big business. Last year Woolworths received 12 fines for selling Custard pies well below the advertised weight; the petroleum Industry is also known for struggling to keep bowsers accurate -- a blitz in 2006 found one in four bowsers Australia wide to be inaccurate; while an investigation into foreign seafood uncovered the systematic practice of "icing" -- that's where seafood is filled with water then frozen to make it heavier, making a big dollar difference on the scales.
"I think we should be concerned when weights and measures don't come up to scratch", said Christopher Zinn from Consumer watchdog Choice. Christopher claims it's up to shoppers to be vigilant and report any suspect measures. "If they're doing it in a cold blooded, deliberate way, hoping that no one will really notice or no one will care because its only 20 or 40 cents here or there, then they've made a big mistake and they've got a big reality check coming", he added. "We always urge consumers if they spot a practice that's not up to scratch, to let us know at Consumer Affairs and we'll get the inspectors onto it", Mr. Robinson said.
And if you've been shortchanged like that, let us know: tt@7perth.com.au