For release on May 2, 2013
CONTACT PERSON:
Tiyen Lin, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit
(408) 792-2825
Kohl’s department store chain has agreed to pay $409,500 in civil penalties, following a consumer protection investigation into overcharging at its stores.
Filed by District Attorney’s Offices in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Fresno and Sacramento counties, the consumer protection lawsuit was resolved this week. Under the terms of the judgment, Kohl's is prohibited from charging more than the lowest advertised price and upon notice shall refund any amount greater than that price. “Consumers can help to ensure accurate pricing for themselves and others by reviewing their receipts and alerting merchants when there are pricing errors,” Santa Clara County prosecutor Tiyen Lin said. Launched in 2009, the investigation conducted by the Weights and Measures departments throughout the state revealed hundreds of inaccurately priced items at the stores. Sale prices and discounts were not always registering in Kohl’s scanning system. After the investigation began, Kohl's changed its paper shelf tags to electronic tags in an effort to avoid these scanning errors. Kohl’s did not admit wrongdoing in this case and cooperated with prosecutors during the investigation. The company, Kohl's Department Stores Inc., is a Delaware corporation with its business headquarters in Wisconsin and has stores nationwide with 126 stores in California. There are seven Kohl's stores in Santa Clara County. Consumers in Santa Clara County who feel they have been overcharged should call the Scanner Hotline toll free at 1-866-SCANNER (722-6637). ###