“Without an item price, consumers can be systematically ripped off.” That’s the warning from Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley, who announced recently that Home Depot had agreed to pay the largest fine in state history to settle a lawsuit over violations of the state’s item pricing law (see May 22 newsflash entry). Home Depot agreed to shell out $250,000 in a civil penalty, and to pay the state another $25,000 to pay for the costs of the AG’s investigation. Shoppers in Michigan are entitled to know how much an item costs before they reach the checkout register,” Kelley added. The AG’s charges grew out of a 2 year investigation against “America’s Most Admired Retailer”. The AG found that every Home Depot store surveyed was seriously out of compliance with the law. One trade industry newsletter said that Kelley “seems to have made the warehouse retailer (HD) his personal cause in that state’s campaign to force retailers to price products individually…”. Several months ago Kelley barely stopped short of asking shoppers not to patronize Home Depot. “When confronted about these (unit pricing) problems,” Kelley said, “the company agreed on several occasions to take corrective actions. Unfortunately, they were not true to their word. I can assure them that if this pattern continues, much harsher sanctions will be taken.”
For further information, contact Chris DeWitt in the AGs office at 517-373-8060. Why not call the AGs office and tell Kelley to keep to his word to stay tough as nails about Home Depot’s abysmal unit pricing record.
