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Are price scanners used in retail stores inspected for accuracy?
Yes. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) routinely inspects businesses that utilize scanners and price look up (PLU) systems for accuracy of pricing, following a nationally established procedure for price verification.
What happens if a business fails an inspection of their price scanners?
Businesses that fail to meet national standards for accuracy face administrative sanctions, including fines, as provided by Chapter 531, Florid Statutes.
What should I do if an item purchased at a store scans at a different price than the posted or advertised price?
If a store’s scanner reflects a different price than the posted or advertised price, you should first bring the discrepancy to the attention of the sales clerk or store management. Many businesses have policies in place to immediately correct any discrepancies and reward customers that bring pricing errors to their attention. If you cannot get satisfaction from the business’s management, please call 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) for assistance.
Are businesses required to provide items for free or at a discount if they scan incorrectly when purchased?
If an item scans incorrectly, the business is under no legal obligation to provide the item for free or at a discount. Many businesses do, however, have policies that reward customers that experience scanning errors.
When I purchase a package that is weighed on a scale, am I paying for the weight of the packaging as well as the product?
No. When you purchase a package that is weighed, you should only be charged for the actual commodity you are purchasing and not the package itself. This is called “net weight." Anything included in a package other than the actual product is called “tare.” Tare weight must be deducted or not included in the total weight of the package. If you think you have been charged for tare weight, bring it to the attention of the store clerk or manager.
I recently purchased items weighed by a scale that did not appear to have an approval seal. Should I be concerned?
If an approval seal is missing from a scale, there is no assurance that any measurement made by the scale is accurate. FDACS tests and certifies all commercial devices periodically, if they are reported to us. The approval seal is your assurance that a device is accurate and correct. If the seal is missing, please contact us so an inspector can be dispatched to test the device.
Can FDACS enforce legal truck weight limits on highways or do anything about overweight trucks damaging roads?
FDACS has no laws governing truck weight limits. Regulatory authority for weight limits in regard to highway transportation rests with the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Motor Carrier Compliance at (850) 488-7920.
I purchased a bag of potato chips and noticed the bag was only half full. Should I be concerned?
Not necessarily. Potato chips, as well as many other packed products, are sold by weight rather than volume. FDACS routinely tests packaged commodities for net contents compliance. If you feel that a package you purchased does not contain the stated net contents, you should contact us at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) so a test of the product can be performed.
