The Company who has been known to sell 10,000 TV’s in ninety
minutes has failed to disclose that they charge a 0.5 percent surcharge when
consumers use tap and go technology at their retail outlets.

Back in October the German retailer who does not charge
consumers a fee in Germany but do in Australia, told the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission it would improve its disclosure of the credit card
surcharge by placing signs at the entrance of their stores payment registers,
before payments were made.

However a visit to their stores by Fairfax Media reveals
that several stores are failing to comply.

Fairfax Media spoke to Aldi customers outside Melbourne
stores yesterday and none knew about the fee or were informed by their cashier.

Aldi customer and German citizen Claudia Scent said, “I
didn’t know before now, lucky I paid in cash. I come from Germany and there’s
no surcharge at Aldi there.”

Aldi is the only supermarket chain to apply the surcharge on
credit card and tap-and-go purchases. Woolworths, Coles, Costco and IGA
supermarkets do not.

Under the ASIC Act, a failure to adequately disclose
surcharges, or creating the impression that surcharges do not apply, may be
misleading or deceptive.

But because Aldi’s was a voluntary undertaking, it’s
understood there was no deadline for ensuring the signs were in stores, and
there are no real consequences for failing to comply. ASIC can resume talks
with Aldi, however, if it believes Aldi has not complied with its commitment.

Aldi has 367 supermarkets throughout Australia and is eyeing
15 per cent market share through expansion into Western Australia and South
Australia, and double-digit store openings each year on the east coast.