What looked like a too-good-to-miss grocery deal has left hundreds of shoppers fighting surprise charges worth hundreds of dollars.
The complaints stem from a popular Coles “2 for $14” promotion advertised through Uber Eats, which was applied to a wide range of poplar supermarket items.
While some items offered only modest savings, shoppers reported scoring triple-digit discounts after filling their carts with premium meat products, prompting many to stock up.
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Customers took screenshots of the discounted prices at checkout and were charged those amounts when placing their orders.
But after their groceries were delivered, many claim Uber Eats removed the promotion from their orders and attempted to charge them the difference between the discounted and full prices.
Screenshots shared by shoppers show a range of meat products advertised under a ‘Buy 2 for $14’ promotion on the Uber Eats app. Credit: Uber Eats/FacebookSome of the products included in the promotion were ordinarily priced at more than $30 or $40 each, leading shoppers to report savings worth hundreds of dollars. Credit: Facebook
The issue sparked outrage in online bargain-hunting groups, with some shoppers claiming they were charged hundreds of dollars more than they had agreed to pay.
“Anybody who did the ‘2 for $14’ deal with Uber/Coles yesterday check your Uber account,” one customer wrote in the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group.
“It was a glitch and they are looking for the rest of their money. They are trying to hit me for an extra $152.00.”
Another customer claimed: “I just had $95 taken out of my account and ordered the 2 for $14 on Monday.”
A third shopper alleged Uber Eats withdrew an additional $270 from their PayPal account after the order had been completed.
“I won. Got my $$ back as they changed the prices after order was placed,” the customer wrote.
Others said they had spent hours trying to resolve the issue with customer support.
One shopper claimed an order initially priced at $169 was later adjusted to $379.
“There is no way I would have paid $379 for it,” they wrote.
In a Facebook post promoting the deal, one customer calculated they had reduced an Uber Eats grocery order from more than $320 to less than $165.
Some customers said they disconnected linked bank accounts, moved funds out of connected accounts or lodged PayPal disputes in an effort to prevent or recover the additional charges.
Customers claimed they were later charged more than the promotional prices displayed at checkout after their orders had been delivered Credit: Uber EatsOne shopper’s cart showed more than $157 in savings after the ‘Buy 2 for $14’ promotion was applied across eligible products. Credit: FacebookA checkout screenshot shared online showed a grocery order reduced from $321.99 to $164.79 after promotions were applied. Credit: Facebook
Uber Eats has since acknowledged the issue and says affected customers will not be required to pay the higher prices.
“We are aware of an issue that affected a small number of orders associated with a Coles ‘2 for $14’ promotion,” Uber Eats told 7NEWS.com.au.
“In some cases, customers were charged the full price instead of the promotional price displayed at checkout.
“We are correcting affected orders so that customers pay the promotional price they were expecting, including issuing refunds where required.”
Approximately 550 orders were affected by the issue, with refunds being processed for impacted customers.
Customers with questions about their orders should contact Uber Eats support through the app.
7NEWS.com.au contacted Coles for comment on the promotion and the complaints raised by customers.
The issue comes about six months after Coles and Uber Eats announced an exclusive partnership, allowing shoppers to order Coles groceries through the delivery app.
