The Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (Sathosa) has embarked on a computerisation programme of its retail outlets to issue itemised billing to customers, acting Chairman Mahinda Karunakalage said.

"We started the process about six months back and the stocks and the finance division have already been computerised", he explained.

Karunakalage was responding to a complaint forwarded to him by the ‘Sunday Island’ that a customer was over-charged by the Ratmalana Sathosa outlet and detection was difficult due to the absence of itemised billing.

The acting chairman said that the billing machines at the retail outlets were not programmed to issue such itemised bills to customers.

At present, consumer items purchased from Sathosa register as either ‘provision’ or ‘grocery’ making specific identification difficult.

The complainant said that as he felt he had been over-charged because the few items he picked up simply couldn’t cost so much, he had initially sought verification from the security office. When it was found that he had been billed thrice for one particular item he had purchased (that’s item A for example, into three), he had informed the cashier.

"The female cashier checked each item and admitted that she had overcharged me. As if to add insult to injury, I was then asked to purchase something else for the additional amount charged as a refund was not possible", the customer complained.

As this was a shocking situation, the customer had informed the manageress who had apologised after giving a patient hearing to him and admonished the cashier in his presence. She had also ordered that the excess cash charged be refunded immediately.

"Fortunately, I checked the bill shortly after I stepped out of the outlet. Had I made the detection after I reached home, challenging the blunder would have been impossible due to the absence of an itemised bill", he said.

Karunakalage said the Rajagiriya and McCllum road retail outlets are already issuing itemised bills and this facility would be extended to the other outlets as well in due course.

Warning customers to double check their bills, the complainant said he was over-charged during the morning hours of a week day when business was low and under this set-up one could expect a greater degree of such blunders during rush hours. — (Suresh)