Tesco warns shoppers to check their bank statements as thousands are overcharged

Tesco has warned shoppers to check their bank statements after a technical error cause thousands of customers to be charged twice for their shopping.

Tesco has warned shoppers to check their bank statements after a "technical error" resulted in thousands of customers being charged twice for their groceries.

Maybe you've rushed out to take advantage of Tesco's unbelievable Cadbury Creme Egg bargain while doing your weekly shop, or have recently filled your car with fuel from a Tesco pump?

You could be affected and the supermarket chain is working hard to reverse the double charges some customers at its UK stores have faced after purchasing items in-store or at petrol stations.

An internal payments glitch is said to be responsible for having triggered a wave of overpayments on in-store purchases in the past week.

It comes after Tesco was listed among the supermarkets that confirmed it was banning shoppers who refuse to wear face masks in store.

In a statement to MoneySavingExpert, which first reported the story, Tesco said it's "working to reverse duplicate transactions" - however, admitted the issue is "ongoing".

The supermarket has promised to automatically refund customers within a day, though if you have been charged twice it may take a few days for your bank or card provider to actually return the money.

MoneySavingExpert previously revealed a big change to the Tesco clubcard and consumers should listen to their latest advice.

Customers who have shopped in-store at Tesco are advised to check their account to see if they've been double-charged - particularly as the supermarket hasn't yet been able to confirm it's fixed the problem.

Meanwhile, customers who are double charged and hit by bank fees as a result of becoming overdrawn, going into an unarranged overdraft, Tesco says it will consider these refunds on a case-by-case basis.

Complaints currently date back as far as Saturday 6th February - and so far double charges have been raised at stores including Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, King's Lynn in Norfolk, Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, Newmarket in Suffolk, and Merthyr Tydfil in Glamorgan, South Wales.

But there could be other stores affected that are not listed, which is why all shoppers must check their statements.

In the past shoppers have had their weekly shop affected by coronavirus with some supermarkets imposing product limits and this latest glitch isn't going down well.

One unhappy customer tweeted, 'So annoyed at @Tesco taking a transaction twice then having to wait 8 days minimum to get it back. How is that even allowed.' 

Another shopper said, '@Tesco you have taken my petrol payment twice, this happened 3 days ago and the money still hasn’t gone back in, what is happening.' To which Tesco tweeted a response, it read, 'I am sorry to say that we have a known issue that we are working on at the moment. The funds have not been taken from your account but just held as reserved funds. They usually drop back in within 48 hours bud can take up to 3 - 5 working days due to your bank.'