Wal-Mart Supercenters come to a super-settlement with the state for overcharging customers.
Inspectors from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection discovered computerized scales at check-out counters were off at nine Wal-Mart Supercenters around the state.
The state's Chief of Weights and Measures, Judy Cardin, says the scales were not deducting the weight of the packaging as they are supposed to do.
Cardin says those overcharges could add up. For example, inspectors found consumers could be paying as much as twenty-one cents more per pound of coffee because of the heavy packaging.
Cardin says this isn't the first time Wal-Mart has had an overcharge problem. The company paid a twenty-five thousand settlement for the same problem in early 2006. This settlement is worth close to ninety-thousand dollars.
Since individual consumers can't be identified for refunds, the settlement money goes into a fund for public schools.
Cardin says it's not easy for consumers to know if they're getting what they paid for. That's why inspectors will continue to make their checks.
AUDIO: Jim Dick reports ( 1:08 MP3 )
