Concerns lead to Loblaw verifying accuracy of coin-counting machines
ALEXANDRA POSADZKI
CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Canada’s largest grocery chain says it’s trying to verify the accuracy of the coincounting kiosks in its stores after TD Bank got rid of similar machines from its branches over allegations that they’ve been nickel-and-diming customers.
“We are aware of the concerns recently raised about coincounting machines,” Kevin Groh, the vice-president of corporate affairs and communication for Loblaw, said in an e-mail.
“We have been working with Coinstar to confirm the accuracy of the coin-counting machines located in our stores and have no current plans to remove the machines. Should customers have a concern with any of the coin-counting machines in one of our stores, please contact our customer service team to let us know.”
The coin-counting machines located in Loblaw stores are owned and operated by U.S.based Coinstar, the same company that owned and operated the machines that TD Bank pulled from its Canadian branches in May.
Last month, a class-action lawsuit was filed against TD on behalf of everyone who used the coincounting machines at the bank’s branches between Jan. 1, 2013, and May 25, 2016.
Grocery store chain Metro also has Coinstar machines in its stores. A spokeswoman said the company has not received any complaints about the machines and therefore has no plans to remove them.
But Metro will continue to monitor the machines to “ensure our customers’ satisfaction,” Genevieve Gregoire said in an email.
The lead plaintiff in the classaction lawsuit is Lisa Ram, a woman from Kitchener, Ont., who says she counted her coins before depositing them in a machine at a TD Bank in the city.
Ram says she had a total of $854.25, but was shortchanged by $159.50. She alleges that she complained to the bank but they failed to do anything.
A statement of claim filed by Toronto-based law firm Sotos LLP alleges that the bank knew about accuracy issues with its machines south of the border, but still proceeded with a national rollout across Canada in January 2013.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
In order to proceed as a classaction, the suit requires certification from the Ontario Superior Court.
TD Bank declined a request for comment, saying it could not comment on the pending litigation.
Coinstar said in an e-mail that it aims to provide customers with “convenient, reliable and accurate” service and that its machines have processed more than one billion transactions over the last 25 years.
Any customer who has questions or concerns should contact customer service staff, the company added.
TERRY PEDWELL
CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA — Federal officials say they expect to have resolved all of the pay delays created by the government’s problematic Phoenix pay system by the end of October — but undoing the damage won’t be cheap.
Dealing with the months-long debacle, which has caused serious payday headaches for tens of thousands of civil servants, will cost an estimated $15 to $20 million, deputy public works minister Marie Lemay told a news conference.
That doesn’t include upgrades that will be required to ensure the system runs more smoothly in the future, she added. “There’s another portion that we’re looking at doing to enhance and that I still don’t have a cost to.”
Some 1,100 of the more than 80,000 problem files identified last week have been closed, Lemay said. That includes the 486 government workers who were provided with back pay on Wednesday after having gone for months without compensation.
Another 234 employees listed by officials as “Priority 1” cases will see their paycheques in two weeks, Lemay added.
A second priority group — workers going on maternity leave, longterm disability leave or retiring — will see their files handled within four to six weeks, the deputy minister said.
Another category of civil servants that includes employees owed overtime or who have seen their employment terminated will be processed by the end of September, said Lemay. Those who have been overpaid, promoted, are on planned leave without pay or are owed deductions or benefits are at the back of the queue.
Curiously, 60 people who reported they had not been paid were not in the government’s system at all. Lemay would not speculate on why their information was missing but encouraged anyone with outstanding issues to report to the government a second time.
To speed up the process of eliminating reported pay holdups, the government is opening satellite pay offices in Winnipeg, Montreal and Shawinigan, Que., as well as hiring more staff in Gatineau, Que.
“We’ve hired more people and we’re adding more temporary pay offices,” said Lemay.
“To accelerate our progress, we are recruiting as many compensation experts as we can to help employees get paid as quickly as possible.”