False Advertising - Negligence - Lack of resolution

I made a purchase for men’s jeans on the 1st June 2024 instore during the 50% sale. Price tag advertised on the garment (Mens jeans) was R390.00 and the advert for a 50% sale outside the store.

When paying for the item I was charged the full price of R750 for the men’s jeans instead of R390 as clearly stated on the garment in bold. The teller failed to mention that the item did not ring up at the discounted price while the sale was going through, and I was billed for the full amount. Upon double checking my slip afterwards, I had to query why the bill was more than expected, even though the price tag had clearly shown the sale price in big bold letters. The store manager was called to assist which took some time. The store manager then proceeded to say that she will have to contact the "area manager" to resolve the discrepancy as she was not authorised to make any call on the matter. The store manager then returned to confirm that the area manager also could not resolve the issue and said I would be contacted on Monday 3rd June 2024 by a “higher” authority. Still nobody called, and I am still waiting for someone to contact me.

I cannot believe that the issue could not be resolved while I was instore on the day, especially since Truworths had advertised a 50% sale. I am sure many people may travel a far distance for shopping, only to be told to come back on Monday. What if a person has come from far away and cannot come back?

Items should not be advertised nor a sale be advertised outside the store if the system reflects a different amount on garments and customers are billed incorrectly. And if this were an innocent mistake, there should be no reason it cannot be resolved there and then.

In this case the garment had multiple price tag changes on it, which means it has been there all season, yet I was not allowed to purchase the item at the price it was advertised for.

I consider this a case of false advertising, negligence on the teller's part, and ultimately the lack of resolution on Truworths part, utterly unacceptable.