They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if said apple costs about as much as a trip to the hospital, you might not bother. That was certainly the case for one person in Switzerland, who was charged 448 francs for six apples at Migros.

SubitoGo app runs into trouble three months after release

Since November 2022, people shopping at the Swiss supermarket have been able to use the SubitoGo app to scan and pay for their shopping using their mobile phones. The system promises “quick and easy” checkouts where customers can pack their bags and walk out without having to endure the rush of scanning and packing at a regular till.

However, as one elderly gentleman from Zurich found out, the system is still prone to faults. According to Blick, the man was using the app to buy nine items from Migros on January 5. One of the items was a six-pack of juicy bio Gala apples, which were priced at 5,05 francs a pack.

Instead of six apples, man in Switzerland charged for the whole orchard

It was only after he paid for the apples that he noticed something was terribly wrong. Not only were the apples being charged at 6,30 francs a pack, but the system had assumed the man had scanned the item 71,156 times and calculated a total cost of 448 Swiss francs and 28 rappen. 

The man, who works as a computer scientist, was shocked. "I'm really used to a lot and I know that systems sometimes do things that they shouldn't do," he told Blick, but noted that he had never personally experienced anything like it before. "Of course, I complained immediately, they said it couldn't be, I had done something wrong.”

Luckily, after being contacted by the newspaper, a spokesperson from Migros said that they were aware of the case and were investigating the incident as a “technical error.” While the man has now been fully refunded the money, he affirms that he will never use the system ever again.