Albertsons and Vons have agreed to pay nearly $4 million to resolve a civil complaint brought by prosecutors statewide, including the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
The complaint alleged that customers were charged more than the lowest advertised or posted prices on items.
Albertsons also had issues with inaccurate weights on labels, which meant certain items had less product inside packages than was expected, according to prosecutors.
The case, filed in Marin County Superior Court. was brought by district attorney’s offices in San Diego, Alameda, Los Angeles, Marin, Riverside, Sonoma and Ventura counties.
As part of the agreement, according to a news release from the San Diego D.A.’s Office, the grocers will be required to pay more than $3.2 million in civil penalties and nearly $750,000 to cover investigative costs and support other consumer protection enforcement efforts.
Albertsons and Vons also agreed to a prohibition on engaging in false or misleading advertising.
A “Price Accuracy Program” also has been established, which allows customers to be compensated by up to $5 if they are overcharged. The program is an incentive to encourage consumers to report false advertising to the store directly as soon as it is discovered.
“Consumers should be able to trust that the advertised weight of a food product is accurate,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. Her office’s Consumer Protection Unit, she added, “works to hold grocers accountable for meeting their obligations under the law.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
