Coles customer slugged an extra $54 due to little-known rule: 'Disgusting'

Coles shoppers have been warned about when they place their delivery orders as it can mean the world of difference when you finally pay. A supermarket customer was recently charged an extra $54 due to a little-known timezone rule.

The Aussie had placed a click-and-collect order just before midnight in Western Australia and the website told her she owed a little more than $450 and had saved $100. However, once the order had been placed, the shopper was confused when she saw the final bill to be nearly $505 on her bank statement

A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo Finance this is because the Coles website is set to Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

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“We are investigating what happened here. We provided a full refund for the cancelled order and apologise to our customer for the inconvenience," they said.

Despite the order being placed at 11:35pm in Perth, it was technically registered as 1:35am the next morning due to the system settings.

Unfortunately, all the deals and specials that were available that day had ended because it was technically the next day.

"I am absolutely disgusted that they have taken that extra money and that's not what I was under the impression I was going to be paying," the shopper told 9News.

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"I hate to think how many other people have been caught out because of it."

When she called to enquire about the price difference, she was informed of the AEST setting on the website and was given a $54 voucher as a goodwill offer.

But she rejected the voucher and decided to cancel her $450 order altogether because she just wanted Coles to "own up to a mistake".

The supermarket giant has explained that daily specials cut-off times are outlined on their website.

The specials end at 11:59pm on the east coast, 11:29pm for South Australia and the Northern Territory, and 9:59pm on the west coast.

“Coles offers an extensive range of great value weekly specials every week which update at 11:59pm every Tuesday (AEST or AEDT during daylight savings)," the Coles spokesperson explained to Yahoo Finance.

"Orders need to be placed by this time to ensure customers receive the advertised special price. Weekly specials cut off times are listed on our website, including a conversation for customers in states with a different time zone.”

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