Glenwood Springs residents who shopped at Tractor Supply Co. between June and July may have paid an additional fee that was mistakenly added to the store’s system.
Tractor Supply is a chain that sells a variety of agricultural and livestock products and has a location in the Glenwood Springs Mall. The City of Glenwood Springs recently announced that it had corrected Tractor Supply’s erroneous collection of the city’s Public Improvement Fee (PIF).
“City staff worked with Tractor Supply’s on-site staff and Tractor Supply’s corporate team to resolve this accounting error,” a city press release said. “The city will not withhold any overage collected by Tractor Supply. Information regarding refunds or other questions should be directed to Tractor Supply.”
The PIF is a 1.5% fee levied on sales and transactions in Glenwood Meadows (more specifically, Glenwood Meadows Metropolitan Districts Nos. 1 and 3). It is used to fund certain public improvements in the area, such as public roads, traffic and safety controls, water and sewer systems, storm water drainage systems, sludge management systems and landscaping.
It is strictly a fee and not a tax, meaning it is part of the total cost of the sale/service and is subject to sales tax. The City itself collects the PIF on behalf of Glenwood Meadows.
In a statement to the Post Independent, Tractor Supply said the 1.5% fee was imposed on purchases at its Glenwood Springs store from June 20 to July 16 “because the system incorrectly assigned the store’s location in a neighboring jurisdiction.”
Tractor Supply declined the Post Independent’s request to disclose the amount of fees collected during this period, but said approximately 5,000 transactions were affected.
The 1.5% fee, plus taxes, could add an additional $0.14 to a small dog toy valued at $9.99or up to $150 for a $10,000 Massimo T-Boss 550 UTVone of the more expensive items in the store.
“We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers and are committed to refunding those who were mistakenly charged,” Tractor Supply wrote in its statement.
Tractor Supply said the company has worked closely with the city “since being notified of the issue” and is “in the process of identifying affected customers and discussing our plans for notifying the local community.”
The company said it will notify customers of the erroneous charges through signs in its stores and will send refunds to customers who can be identified by their mailing address on file during the August-September period.
The city of Glenwood Springs announced in a press release Thursday that it has resolved the issue of incorrect collection of public utility fees, saying it is up to residents to bring the issue to the attention of city staff.
“In the interest of transparency and a fair public resolution, the city encourages Tractor Supply to make serious efforts to contact affected customers and refund them,” the press release said.
“We hope Tractor Supply will be prudent in handling the excess fees collected and live up to its stated values of ethics, communication and accountability,” Glenwood Springs Mayor Ingrid Wussow said in the press release.
To obtain a refund, customers can contact [email protected]. with the following information:
- name
- Postal address
- Copy of receipt
Customers can also call 1-877-718-6750 or mail their request to:
Tractor supplier
Attn: Customer Solutions Center
5401 Virginia Way
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
