A POOLE shopper has been left with empty cupboards and an empty purse after Asda charged her four times for food she did not receive.

The blunder happened at the superstore at Holes Bay, Poole, on Sunday when Abbey Simmons, 21, tried to pay for her £35 shop.

When her card was declined, the cashier swiped it three more times before giving up – forcing Abbey to leave empty-handed.

But she was horrified to discover that the transaction had been charged every time – mounting to a £140 payment which cleared out her account.

Asda has admitted the problem and said the money will be refunded – but not before Friday.

The senior insurance sales adviser said: “I’ve come out with no shopping and no money in the bank, it’s so frustrating.

“I don’t have lots of money with the way things are at the moment so it doesn’t help when something like this happens.

“They should have warned their customers they were having a problem with the system.

“They told me it had been happening since 10am that day – I was there just before 4pm. Goodness knows how many people were affected. I asked if it was going to come off my card and they not to worry, it wouldn’t. If I’d known there was a problem I wouldn’t have risked it.”

An Asda spokesman said there had been an “issue with the system” on Sunday and five people had complained.

He said the money would be refunded in five working days, and before it cleared – so Abbey should not incur bank charges. Anyone effected would be refunded automatically.

He added: “We are very sorry for what has happened and that Abbey was put in a situation where she has no money. I would recommend she speaks to customer services or pops into the store. We would hope to help her out in some way.”

Anyone concerned should contact the customer services line on 0845 3001111.


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