Consumer organisation Consumentenbond wants supermarkets to take responsibility for the mistakes they make on receipts instead of telling customers to spot them themselves, or face legal action.

The Consumentenbond conducted a probe into 200 offers at big supermarket chains Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS. At Jumbo, the price charged for 20% of products did not coincide with the advertised price. Some 15% of prices were wrong at PLUS and 13% at Albert Heijn.

It is the third time the organisation has found shopping receipts riddled with mistakes. ‘We had a long conversation with them last year and they promised they would do better. But they haven’t,’ Consumentenbond director Sandra Molenaar said.

A scheme in which customers can earn a free product by pointing out mistakes has been implemented by Jumbo and Albert Heijn but is not the way to solve the problem, Molenaar said.

‘Supermarkets are shifting the responsibility onto the customers who have to check their receipt and take action themselves. That is not acceptable,’ she said.

If the supermarkets are found to be at fault again, they will face legal action, the Consumentenbond said.