I-Team: Multiple retailers overcharging customers; what advice consumer experts have

News Center 7′s I-Team is continuing to follow up on a problem that we’ve been reporting on all week.

People around the Miami Valley said stores like Meijer and others charged their credit or debit cards multiple times for the same purchases. In some cases, this cost people hundreds of dollars in overcharges.

Meijer said, earlier this week, this credit and debit card overcharging issues happened to customers at their stores throughout the Midwest, including Ohio.

>> RELATED: I-TEAM: ‘Technical issue’ blamed for Meijer transaction problems; customers report duplicate charges

The I-Team’s John Bedell talked to the Better Business Bureau about what consumers should do if their bank account was impacted.

One woman was charged 12 times, totally $1,700. Another woman said she was charged 20 times with her bank denying another 33 charges that cost her more than $1,100.

Meijer blamed the error on a technical issue with Chase Bank who is the company the grocer pays to handle its credit and debit card checkout systems.

Aside from Meijer, the I-Team has gotten complaints from customers about debit or credit card issues at Walmart, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Costco and Lowe’s.

“Meijer is claiming this is a glitch in the system. We don’t have any research that says otherwise,” said John North with the Dayton chapter of the Better Business Bureau.

North said if consumers were overcharged, monitor your credit card frequently and don’t wait for monthly statements.

“If its not your charge or if there’s multiple charges, dispute that,” North said. And, he said to be an advocate for yourself.

>> RELATED: I-TEAM: Debit, credit overcharges expand beyond Meijer

North said it’s important to follow up and make sure charges are disputed if you asked for that and that money for multiple charges is refunded into your account.

“Meijer is all over the states, so you could be talking – it could take them a while to be able to get through all of those records because they’re going to want to be sure that they’re not sending money back that wasn’t part of this glitch,” North said.

Meijer said earlier this week that remaining affected customers should have their money back in their bank accounts “in the coming days.”