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MONEY

‘Little mistakes’: Danish supermarkets overstep fixed prices by fractions of a krone

Fish, fruit bars and cheese were among products affected as Danish supermarkets Føtex and Bilka set prices marginally above previously-promised limits, according to a report. 

Published: 18 July 2022 13:54 CEST
'Little mistakes': Danish supermarkets overstep fixed prices by fractions of a krone
Salling, which owns the Bilka and Føtex supermarket chains, said it will pay back any losses to customers after an 'error' caused prices on a small number of items to be set marginally above previously fixed amounts. File photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

The Salling company, which owns three supermarket chains in Denmark including Føtex and Bilka, earlier this year placed temporary limits on the price of selected products, in response to inflation.

But a number of the products have since been sold for more than the fixed prices, broadcaster DR reported.

A review of prices conducted by DR, using data from the Beepr price checking tool, showed that not all of Salling’s prices were in line with the limits previously promised by the company.

Specifically, four products were found to be priced over the promised limits. 

The four products in question according to DR are a picture frame; a spreadable cheese from the P. Rondele brand; a 600g fish fillet in breadcrumbs, and Salling organic branded fruit bars. None of the products are priced at more than 10 øre (a tenth of a krone) above the advertised limit.

Around 200 different products at Bilka and Føtex were initially included in the price limit pledge. Additional products have since been added, bringing the total to 340-360 products according to Salling.

Salling director of communication Henrik Vinther Olesen said he “hoped for forgiveness” in comments to DR.

The company initially explained to DR that the higher prices were a result of special offers.

Products that had been on offer could see prices increase once the offer ended, despite having a limit placed on them.

But this was not found to be the case for two of the products in question, DR writes. Additionally, Salling said it had found two other products which had increased in price despite the prices ostensibly having been fixed.

“An error has occurred here when the prices should have been fixed,” Olesen told DR, noting that two of the products mentioned by the broadcaster had been “entered incorrectly”.

Although the amounts involved are small, he said that “if anyone has purchased large amounts of this so it can be rounded up and refunded, we will do it”.

“It’s not our intention that anyone should feel cheated. They should feel secure. So I also hope that people understand that these 5 or 10 øre [fixed price oversteps, ed.] are little mistakes that we have corrected,” he also said to DR.

Denmark is currently seeing a general trend of increasing prices at grocery stores as the country experiences record inflation.

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MONEY

What happens if you don’t pay a bill in Denmark?

Denmark's courts can enforce collection of unpaid debts and fines. So, what happens as an unpaid bill moves through the system, and can you do anything if you have a black mark on your record?

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What happens if you don't pay a bill in Denmark?

What happens when you have a bill?

Usually, if you have a bill in Denmark (or receive a fine like a parking or speeding ticket), you will receive an invoice (faktura, also known as a regning or ‘bill’) either digitally or via post. This will include details such as the amount owed, who to pay and the date payment is due (betalingsdato or forfaldsdato).

If you don’t pay the invoice on time, the person you owe money to will initially send you a rykker or reminder. This can be sent from days to weeks after the original payment date has passed, and will often be accompanied by a rykkergebyr or late payment fee, for the a relatively small amount of 100 kroner. Up to three of these can be sent.

If you pay a bill after the due date but before a rykker reaches you, there are usually no further consequences.

If you still don’t pay after receiving these reminders, the creditor may turn the case over to inkasso, or a debt collection agency, who will again send you an invoice for payment, plus the agency’s fee – likely to be considerably higher than the late payment fee from the creditor.

It’s also worth keeping in mind other consequences of not paying bills – for example, a landlord may be able to cancel your rental contract if you do not pay rent within a given time. This will be stated in the contract.

What happens next?

If this invoice goes unpaid, the courts may eventually get involved.

If you don’t pay after the debt has been sent to an inkasso agency, you will be summoned to the fogedret, essentially a court for settling debts between individuals and businesses. The summons is usually delivered via e-Boks, the secure digital post system used in Denmark. Fogedret courts come under the district court system, so there will be one local to where you live.

At the court, you will be required to agree on a new payment system with the creditor. This could cost more than the original invoice because the creditor’s costs are accounted for.

The final step of this process allows the creditor to forcibly recover your debt through any assets you might have, like a house or car. These can eventually be confiscated and auctioned under the court’s authority if the debt is not paid off under the agreed schedule.

Denmark’s debt collection agency (Gældsstyrelsen) can meanwhile make deductions from your salary if you have unserviced debts to the state.

If you cannot agree a payment schedule and do not have any possession against which the debt may be recovered, you may be able to declare insolvency.

The RKI register

RKI is Denmark’s national register of people who have defaulted debts. Every big company subscribes to this register, which is important because it can make it harder to be approved for a mortgage or other loan, a rented apartment, credit card, or even a phone contract or fuel discount card.

You can check whether you are on Denmark’s RKI register by visiting the dininfo.dk website and logging in using your MitID digital ID.

Can I do anything to be removed from the RKI?

RKI registrations last for a standard five years per defaulted debt – so after this time, you may no longer appear on the register. Additionally, if you agree a payment schedule with a creditor, you may be able to include removal from the RKI register as part of this agreement.

Sources: dingaeld.dk, borger.dk

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