A customer’s report of being overcharged while using M-PAiSA at a Lautoka bakery has sparked fresh concerns over how some retailers deal with mobile payments.
The issue was raised when a customer was charged an extra $2 for her purchase, and the receipt showed that the amount charged was for M-PAiSA usage.
The Consumer Council of Fiji says its investigation confirmed that the additional charge was an error, and the issue has since been resolved.
They say the bakery apologised and has already refunded the customer, closing the complaint.
They add that checks with other branches found no similar issues, confirming that the overcharge was an isolated incident and not part of a wider practice.
The Council has stressed that businesses are not permitted to impose extra fees when customers pay via M-PAiSA QR Pay.
They say consumers must only be charged the amount displayed on the Point of Sale (POS) system, and any extra fees would breach fair trading rules.
While the case has been resolved, the Council says it will continue to monitor any similar complaints and will take further action if necessary to protect consumer rights.
We have sought responses from Vodafone and the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission regarding the matter.
