Nova Scotia’s Tory leader is calling for a full investigation into an early price hike at Nova Scotia liquor stores.
A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation has admitted that 1,000 prices were increased on Saturday, two days before a price hike was scheduled to take place.
The corporation is blaming the error on a computer glitch, but Jamie Baillie is calling the incident a cash grab.
“It’s an example of an abuse of power and it deserves to be investigated,” says Baillie.
But Finance Minister Maureen MacDonald says there’s no need for an investigation, saying a refund and an apology are good enough.
The NSLC is now reimbursing customers who overpaid on Saturday due to the glitch.
“They’ll give us their receipt and we’ll investigate and we will issue refunds as requested,” says NSLC spokeswoman Jennifer Gray.
However, there may not be any recourse for customers who no longer have their receipt, and others may not even realize they overpaid.
“I buy it and just kind of leave,” admits one customer. “The only time I pay attention to my receipts is if I’m going to return something.”
While some customers paid more, the pricing mix-up may have actually hurt the NSLC’s bottom line, as others may have paid less.
Anyone who shopped at the NSLC on Saturday can have their receipt reviewed by filing a request online.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Marie Adsett
