Walmart says it charged Beauty Box subscribers nearly $700 instead of $6.98 due to a 'coding error'

• Walmart Beauty Box products cost subscribers $6.98 without taxes every three months of the year.
• On Tuesday, customers took to social media to say that they were charged for 100 boxes, at $698.

When Walmart launched its Beauty Box product in 2014, its pitch was simple: Pay $6.98 plus taxes every three months to receive a box full of beauty products to last you each season.

And that's exactly what customers came to expect until an unwelcome glitch this week.

Some customers took to social media Tuesday to say that Walmart charged them for 100 Beauty Boxes instead of one, a grand total of $698 before taxes.

Walmart has since issued a mea culpa, saying that some subscribers of the product were overcharged "due to a coding error by a third party vendor."

"Brandshare, the company who operates the Beauty Box program, is working to complete refunds as soon as possible," Walmart spokeswoman Tricia Moriarty told Insider in a statement. "We sincerely apologize for this mistake and any inconvenience this causes our customers."

Beyond the refunds, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant will also be giving customers $100 Walmart gift cards and complimentary spring and summer Beauty Boxes, according to Walmart. All customers who were overcharged have been contacted.

Still, some shoppers aren't happy. One Reddit user, MamaK35, posted a message Tuesday she received from Walmart saying the refund would be reflected on their billing statement in five to 10 business days. Many replied to that thread saying the overcharge came at an awful time at the end of February, with rent due the next day.

Are you a Walmart Beauty Box customer who was overcharged? Reach out to reporter Ben Tobin on email at btobin@insider.com or encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 703-498-9171.