SAN DIEGO -- The average San Diego home adds about $5 a week of loose change to some kind of container, the Troubleshooter reported.

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Ease Usually Means Cost

Counting it and rolling it can be a hassle. A machine, called Coinstar Service, will take on the job for you -- for a cut.

For 8.9 percent of your total, Coinstar will convert your loose change into cash.

"In our homes there is roughly $88 million of loose change laying around," Albertson's manager Rick Mailloux said.

Mailloux said his customers love the service. But while this is convenient, it is not a convenience without a cost.

Customers just drop and feed coins into the machine's basket. The computer gives the customer a running count.

Coinstar will kick out what it does not recognize. For instance, foreign coins or U.S. coins that are bent or dirty.

After counting the coins, the machine will print out a voucher.

"I believe it is for 30-days, but they can walk through any check stand right now and cash it now, or they can go into our store and do their shopping, it's as good as gold, it's money," Mailloux said.

Coinstar said that the vouchers never expire, however older tickets will have to be verified.

Are the machines accurate? The Troubleshooter put Coinstar to the test -- not once, but five times at five different locations.

The Troubleshooter had a bag of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies equaling $17.50. The rolled coins came from a bank, but even so, every coin was counted

The first $17.50 through Coinstar somehow picked up an extra dime, and rejected two quarters, Mailloux said. So, the first test charged 8.9 percent of $17.10.

The second test a was held at Coinstar in Santee.

"This is absolute perfect, $17.50 accounted for, processing fee a $1.56," Mailloux said.

The Troubleshooter's total cash back, $15.94. Test three and test four also perfect.

The final test didn't turn out as well. The usual $17.50 was deposited, one quarter was returned, not accepted by the machine, and only 39 of 40 nickels were accounted for.

After exchanging $87.50, the Troubleshooter found two errors, but actually ended up 5 cents ahead.

If you have no idea what you are cashing in, you'll have to trust the count. But if you feel you were short-changed, Coinstar says you should report the problem to the store's customer service desk.

For more information about Coinstar, visit their Web site.