BevMo! Pays $350K For Allegedly Overcharging Customers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Discount liquor chain BevMo! settled a consumer protection case for $350,000, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced Tuesday.

The settlement comes after four California DAs sued the retailer after investigators found that it had charged customers more than the posted price — both in store on in advertisements.

The company did not admit liability and said it cooperated with investigators.

As part of the settlement, BevMo has agreed that it would not commit future violations and would initiate a pricing accuracy program in California. The company will also provide refunds totaling $17,991 to impacted customers through the business's customer loyalty program.

"Everyone is entitled to confidence in advertised prices," Dudley said in a statement. "We prosecute cases like this one to ensure that businesses deal fairly with customers and compete on equal footing in the marketplace."

Customers with loyalty accounts who live in California and purchased mispriced items during the time period covered in the complaint will have a pro rata amount credited to their accounts.