How is the baggage allowance when checking in multiple pieces supposed to be calculated? Cumulatively across the pieces or with individual pieces rounded up?

I just checked-in at Johannesburg with 3 bags. The weights of the bags were :

13.6kg
17.5kg
14.7kg

By my calculations, this meant that my total baggage used was 45.8kg, which was within my allowance of 46kg (30kg standard allowance + 16kg extra allowance for Skywards Gold).

The check-in girl however said that this came up to 47kg and therefore I was overweight by 1kg and would have to pay R210 in excess baggage charges. She was rounding each individual piece up and then adding them together, so she saw this as 14kg, 18kg and 15kg.

Supervisor was called and no excess baggage fees were charged in the end, but I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience in the past and what the official policy may be?

That is not the norm, there is no reason for her to round up. If anything I had them round down on occasions.

Yep I agree, there is no reason to be rounding anything up, If it says total then that is what it is.

Some airports have weighed my hand luggage and then in others you see people trying to stuff what looks like 100kg of stuff into any available space.

Talk about a stickler

I have seen agents round up also, but I have never seen one make a fuss about 1kg.

I can understand someone rounding for ease , but the passenger is entitled to their whole allowance

If hand luggage was within the 7Kg allowance too, then there should be no reason for any charges that I can see