Every Friday CTV consumer reporter Lynda Steele answers a handful of viewer questions.
Tina emailed us to ask about a pricing discrepancy at McDonald's. She asks:
Why is it that a single breakfast burrito at McDonald's is $1.39, but if you buy two burritos it's $2.99? I'm not very good at math and even I noticed the price!
CTV checked it out and, sure enough, when you order the two breakfast burrito deal at some McDonald's in Metro Vancouver you get charged $2.99 before tax. Order just one burrito and it's $1.39. That's 21 cents cheaper to buy them separately.
After a week of prodding, the fast food giant finally sent CTV this statement on Friday:
At McDonald's, we're committed to providing our customers with quality products at a great value. Upon learning of a situation that wasn't consistent with our pricing structure, we took immediate steps to correct it. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Our next question also involves pricing. It comes from Roland. He had a question about a receipt he got after a shopping trip to Wal-Mart. On it there were two separate charges, one for HST and one for GST. Roland asks:
Why was I charged both GST and HST on my bill?
We contacted Wal-Mart on Roland's behalf and discovered he was in fact not double taxed. Some of the items on his bill, like books, were HST exempt and he was only charged GST. While other items on his bill, were only subject to HST. That's why two separate taxes appear on his receipt. Wal-Mart says that routinely causes confusion with shoppers. You can always ask at the store if you're unsure about what you've been charged for tax wise.
Our last question comes from Caitlin who says she has received a number of calls from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, telling her that her computer is at high risk with a virus. She asks:
Have you heard if there is a scam going around where people impersonate Microsoft?
Yes, Microsoft is warning people to watch out for this emerging internet phone scam. Criminals posing as computer security engineers are calling people and warning them that their computers are infected with a virus. They then claim to give a free security check. Once they've tricked their victims into believing they have a problem, the scammers have them install software designed to capture sensitive financial data. The bottom line is do not give control of your computer to a third party and report any scam to local authorities.
What's your consumer question? We'd like to hear from you. You can email us at steeleonyourside@ctv.ca. If you want to send your question on video, that's even better. You can call our hotline at 604-609-2345 or tweet me your question at @CtvLyndaSteele . We'll answer your viewer questions every Friday.
