Remember Mary Bach? She’s the Pennsylvania woman who makes a hobby of suing retailers for not following her state’s tax laws. Well, this time she’s caught CVS charging sales tax on DTV converter boxes. Tsk, tsk.

Local consumer advocate Mary Bach is also familiar with the rules. When she said a local CVS refused to follow them, she decided to send a message.
For a company that promotes itself as offering extra care, a new lawsuit suggests that a CVS store in Monroeville hardly lived up to its promise.
Bach and her husband Lenny said they tried to resolve a mistake at the register.
“They simply would not fix the problem. They refused to take the sales tax off and suggested that we could go elsewhere,” said Mary Bach.
The Bachs were buying a pair of digital TV converter boxes. CVS had put them on sale for $40 and the Bachs had two $40-off government coupons.
Just as the CVS flier said, the boxes should have been free. But they weren’t. Their receipt clearly shows the Bachs were charged $5.60 in state sales tax. But in Pennsylvania, the law says the tax should be applied to the amount after the coupon is deducted, if the coupon and the item can be listed on the receipt, as they are in this case.

Bach filed a $100 lawsuit, just as she did with Kmart and Walmart, because she was worried that the register error was widespread… and it was. CVS says they discovered a nationwide register problem and are working to fix it.

State tax laws vary, but if you think you were overcharged, call your state’s Department of Revenue.

Call 4 Action: Murrysville Woman Sues CVS Over Sales Tax [Pittsburgh Channel] (Thanks, Carolyn!)
(Photo:daquella manera)

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