Pingo Doce convicted of extra 49 cents for packing sheep’s cheese in Povoa de Varzin

The supermarket chain Pingo Doce will appear in court in Povoa de Varzim on charges of charging an extra 49 cents for a package of sheep’s cheese with black olives, according to a court decision seen this Wednesday by Lusa.

The popular lawsuit was filed by the consumer protection association Voice of Citizens in the Povoa de Varzim court in the Porto district, but the initial application was rejected due to the court’s lack of substantial jurisdiction to hear the claim.

The association then appealed to the Supreme Court (STJ), which, in a ruling dated November 16, declared the Central Civil Court of Póvoa de Varzim “materially competent.”

In the lawsuit, the association alleges that from at least 8:00 a.m. on May 31 to 11:12 a.m. on June 1, the defendant sold packages of sheep’s cheese with black olives at a branch in Maya (Aguas Santas). , from the Pingo Doce brand, at a higher price than what is shown on the signs you create.

“The defendant, through a sign installed next to the above-mentioned parcels, priced them at 3.95 euros per parcel, but at the time of payment, both at self-service ATMs and in the auxiliary payment cells for the defendant’s employees, charged 4.14 euros. euros, that is, the defendant set a price 12.41% higher than what he stated,” the lawsuit says.

Thus, Citizens Voice concludes, there were many consumers, clients of the defendant, who “ended up paying an additional price of €0.49 for each package.”

In addition to “misleading advertising and unfair trade practices that restrict competition,” the association argues that such conduct amounts to price speculation because the defendant “sells goods at a price higher than the price indicated on the sign he created.”

This month it was reported that Pingo Doce was sentenced to pay a fine of €120,000 for a profiteering crime for charging a customer an extra 50 cents for a bottle of wine that was on sale and the price of which had been charged at the checkout. the counter was higher than what was indicated on the relevant label (2.49 euros).

The decision of the Vila Nova de Gaia court was recently confirmed by the Porto Court of Appeal, but the supermarket chain announced that it would appeal to the STJ this time.

Meanwhile, Pingo Dose decided to take precautions against the Citizens’ Voice association and its leaders in defense of honor and reputation.

“This is about putting an end to the accusations that this association constantly makes on the “website” about the crimes of our company against our clients and consumers,” an official source from the retail chain Jerónimo Martins told Lusa.

Voice of Citizens – The Consumer Protection Association is a non-governmental organization established to promote the interests of consumers in the European Union through research, advocacy and education.