Target agrees to pay nearly $4 million in false advertising lawsuit

Target has agreed to pay nearly $4 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Northern California prosecutors that alleged the retailer charged higher prices than advertised, prosecutors said Tuesday. The lawsuit also alleges the Minneapolis-based company misrepresented the weights of products and failed to ensure that price scanners at checkout stands were accurate. Target Corp. was ordered to pay $3.9 million to settle the lawsuit filed in Marin County, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. "A fundamental consumer right is to be charged no more than the lowest advertised price. Consumers should always notify retailers immediately when they are being overcharged and demand to be charged only the lowest advertised price,'' Berberian said. Target spokesman Evan Lapiska said some of the problems stemmed from promotional signs not being removed immediately after a promotion ended and the company has taken steps to fix that and other problems. Target, the second-largest discount retailer in the U.S., also agreed to increase the number and frequency of price-accuracy audits at California stores, train its employees to make sure prices are accurate and hire an outside auditor to make sure weights are accurate in Target-branded products. "Any guest who feels she or he was overcharged for an item should bring their receipt to the guest service desk, where any pricing inaccuracies will be resolved,'' Lapiska said.