Customer Sues Whole Foods Over Prices

Move comes after scathing report by New York City investigators
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2015 6:29 PM CDT
Customer Sues Whole Foods Over Prices
A Whole Foods Market in Union Square.   (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

A blistering report alleging overpricing at Whole Foods in New York City has brought the chain more than just bad publicity—now it's facing a lawsuit from an angry customer. Joseph Bassolino filed his suit today in state Supreme Court, one day after city investigators accused Whole Foods of systematically overstating the weights of packaged goods and thus overcharging, reports NBC New York. A quote from the city's Department of Consumer Affairs provides a taste: "The overcharges ranged from [80 cents] for a package of pecan panko to $14.84 for a package of coconut shrimp," says a statement.

"Our inspectors tell me this is the worst case of mislabeling they have seen in their careers," adds DCA Commissioner Julie Menin. Whole Foods denies the allegations, which resulted from an undercover operation in the fall in which investigators weighed more than 80 types of products throughout the chain's eight locations in the city, reports the Daily News. Whole Foods "never intentionally used deceptive practices to incorrectly charge customers," says a spokesperson. Still, a city investigation is underway, and Bassolino hopes to turn his lawsuit into a class-action one so others can join. (More Whole Foods stories.)

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