PC World today..... accused of being a Worrell-Thompson

Lynton

Lynton

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Lynton (yes really!)
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So I did the all time classic photography f*** up today - left the house without a memory card..... :bang:

popped into PC world which in itself was madness as Warehouse Express is literally 500 yds round the corner......

picked up an SD card box and headed for the tills.....


Turns out the box was empty and should have been in a perspex security box....

To cut a long story short, the cashier, basically accused me of nicking it.... (yep because I am going to do that and then queue up to pay for an empty box.... :cuckoo:)

So I asked politely to speak to the store manager, for I was most offended of this accusation....

Some kid probably in charge of laptop bags comes bounding up like Lassie on acid...

"Can I help Sir?"
"Are you the store manager?"
"Well, no but I am the mana..."
"well in that case, the ONLY way you can be of any use whatsoever is for YOU to do, what this lady could not and get THE STORE MANAGER"
"Yes Sir...."

He scuttles off....

Store Manager rocks up and does the classic "Shall we go somewhere quiet to discuss this?"
"Nope, I am sure all the people listening to this conversation already , would like to know why I have been accused of being a thief?"
"Um er oh um er......there must be a misunderstanding"
"nope perfectly clear to me, but lets think about it. If I was going to steal anything in this store would I go for a £15 SD card, and then queue up to pay for the cardboard packaging?"

End of the day he gave me a 8 Gb class 10 samsung by way of apology, however, not finished with this one so far.......


:bat::bat:

John Browett will have a very interesting email to read on Monday morning...
 
The Greek said:
So did you nick it? Lol
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Normally that's what you'd say if he walked out the door an 8Gb class 10 Samsung SD card withoiut paying for it.. but I think he had an accomplice, the manager definitely looks guilty of something.. :lol:
 
Can you get me one too. ;)

Seriously though...
Cashier was a twerp, you got an apology from manager and accepted a (free?) 8 gig card.
If you weren't happy should have refused...What else do you want from this Browett fella?
 
The Greek said:
So did you nick it? Lol
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No.


NigelPaul said:
Can you get me one too. ;)

Seriously though...
Cashier was a twerp, you got an apology from manager and accepted a (free?) 8 gig card.
If you weren't happy should have refused...What else do you want from this Browett fella?
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How about him getting his head out of his arse and his arse out of his ivory tower and seeing how crappily his shops are run on a day to day basis? Seriously, I hope PC world goes the way of many others and goes bust - it certainly deserves to the way it is being run.
 
lol, cool story.
Unbelievable any cashier can accuse you of this when you've been queueing to pay.
 
Lynton said:
No.

How about him getting his head out of his arse and his arse out of his ivory tower and seeing how crappily his shops are run on a day to day basis? Seriously, I hope PC world goes the way of many others and goes bust - it certainly deserves to the way it is being run.
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I am sorry about what happened to you, but to wish unemployment on 1000' s of people is wrong. Having worked in retail for many years, you will be supprissed at what people do to nick stuff, buy one nick one get refund on one pay nothing for the one they keep.had bar codes switched on products, had products cut down before bringing them back for refunding the list goes on and on.
 
Lynton said:
I hope PC world goes the way of many others and goes bust - it certainly deserves to the way it is being run.
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Bit harsh, plenty of decent folk rely on them for a living

but I'm sure you dont mean it now you've calmed down ;)
 
Just don't. Go in PC World again.... As you said you should have gone to WEX. I bought a hard drive in pc world after walking around the store price matching everything with my iPad. Everything was way off the mark and over priced, except a 2TB hard drive, it was cheaper by a good £10..

I for one hope they survive, they serve a purpose.... My family for one as they refuse to buy ANYTHING online fr fear of fraud. Lol nutters.....
 
Davec223 said:
I am sorry about what happened to you, but to wish unemployment on 1000' s of people is wrong. Having worked in retail for many years, you will be supprissed at what people do to nick stuff, buy one nick one get refund on one pay nothing for the one they keep.had bar codes switched on products, had products cut down before bringing them back for refunding the list goes on and on.
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No to run a company in such a way and to manage it like so, is wrong.



Think about it. All that I said above.

Assume I had "relieved them" of £15 of SD card. How likely is it I would stand in a queue, and pay £15 for a bit of cardboard box?

Also, should you be a bit AWT, would you go for a £15 SD card or the £99 one?
 
Lynton said:
No to run a company in such a way and to manage it like so, is wrong.



Think about it. All that I said above.

Assume I had "relieved them" of £15 of SD card. How likely is it I would stand in a queue, and pay £15 for a bit of cardboard box?

Also, should you be a bit AWT, would you go for a £15 SD card or the £99 one?
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Suppose someone wants 2 memory cards. They walk into store and find a box not in it's security tagged box. Being abit fly and a quick thinker, they pocket the card from the box and take the empty box to the till. They hope the person on the till, once shown the empty box doesn't question the empty box will get an assistant to get another. Person pays for one card but walks out with two. Simple. Nothing to say a shoplifter will go in for something more expensive, probably just a chancer taking advantage of a situation.
You were just the unfortunate one who presented an empty box. No treally PC Worlds fault nor yours.
 
Happened to me in the now defunct Borders, set the alarm off when walking out and got accosted by a security chap.

Said he was going to search my bag and held me by the arm. Refused the search and advised him that he was guilty of common assault and I may have to act in self defence whereupon he released his grip.

Then suggested if he was confident i had stolen something to call the police, in fact i insisted he did knowing full well I had only gone through the shop as a short cut

Also mentioned if the police came and found nothing I would be taking legal action against his employers.

In the end he wasn't that sure and wouldn't call the police so I just left the shop, not keen on being accused of stealing or having him detain me by force
 
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nilagin said:
Suppose someone wants 2 memory cards. They walk into store and find a box not in it's security tagged box. Being abit fly and a quick thinker, they pocket the card from the box and take the empty box to the till. They hope the person on the till, once shown the empty box doesn't question the empty box will get an assistant to get another. Person pays for one card but walks out with two. Simple. Nothing to say a shoplifter will go in for something more expensive, probably just a chancer taking advantage of a situation.
You were just the unfortunate one who presented an empty box. No treally PC Worlds fault nor yours.
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hmm accusation without proof........ i would have happily turned my pockets out to prove it.


tijuana taxi said:
Happened to me in the now defunct Borders, set the alarm off when walking out and got accosted by a security chap.

Said he was going to search my bag and held me by the arm. Refused the search and advised him that he was guilty of common assault and I may have to act in self defence whereupon he released his grip.

Then suggested if he was confident i had stolen something to call the police, in fact i insisted he did knowing full well I had only gone through the shop as a short cut

Also mentioned if the police came and found nothing I would be taking legal action against his employers.

In the end he wasn't that sure and wouldn't call the police so I just left the shop, not keen on being accused of stealing or having him detain me by force
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:thumbs:
 
I worked for DSG for 12 years until being made redundant and I was treated very shabbily over that. I have no love for that organisation and what they did to me was way worse than being questioned over possible shoplifting but I would never want them to go bust. They employ tens of thousands of people and I'm still in touch with a number of good people who still work there.

neil_g said:
Large retail chain in poor service shocker..
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Corrected for you. :thumbs:
 
tijuana taxi said:
Happened to me in the now defunct Borders, set the alarm off when walking out and got accosted by a security chap.

Said he was going to search my bag and held me by the arm. Refused the search and advised him that he was guilty of common assault and I may have to act in self defence whereupon he released his grip.

Then suggested if he was confident i had stolen something to call the police, in fact i insisted he did knowing full well I had only gone through the shop as a short cut

Also mentioned if the police came and found nothing I would be taking legal action against his employers.

In the end he wasn't that sure and wouldn't call the police so I just left the shop, not keen on being accused of stealing or having him detain me by force
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Why refuse the search if you have done nothing wrong, did he hurt you when he grabbed your arm, I doubt it. The alarm goes off as they sometimes can, it takes a few seconds to let someone look through your bag and prove nothing was taken. Alarms have been set off several times in the past when I've passed through them and I've had no problem in showing someone the contents of my bag, often waved on with not even a cursery glance in my bag. It's no big deal, so why make it one.
Lynton said:
hmm accusation without proof........ i would have happily turned my pockets out to prove it.

:thumbs:
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So you'd have happily have turned your pockets out to prove your innocence, yet you want to make a song and dance over a mistake and would have thousands of people added to the unemployment list. You were innocent, no harm done. Next person may not be innocent and may get caught. At the end of the day, the person on the till is only doing their job.
 
nilagin said:
Why refuse the search if you have done nothing wrong, did he hurt you when he grabbed your arm, I doubt it. The alarm goes off as they sometimes can, it takes a few seconds to let someone look through your bag and prove nothing was taken. Alarms have been set off several times in the past when I've passed through them and I've had no problem in showing someone the contents of my bag, often waved on with not even a cursery glance in my bag. It's no big deal, so why make it one.

So you'd have happily have turned your pockets out to prove your innocence, yet you want to make a song and dance over a mistake and would have thousands of people added to the unemployment list. You were innocent, no harm done. Next person may not be innocent and may get caught. At the end of the day, the person on the till is only doing their job.
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Spot on:thumbs:
 
nilagin said:
Why refuse the search if you have done nothing wrong, did he hurt you when he grabbed your arm, I doubt it. ...
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Hurt or not it's COMMON ASSAULT and a CRIMINAL OFFENCE. The only time a security guard can physically attempt to detain is if he is performing a citizen's arrest, but in order to do that he must have actually SEEN the suspect steal, not just have "a hunch".
 
Oh well seems we disagree, wasn't asked very politely and was always told as a kid that you never lay your hands on someone else
 
nilagin said:
So you'd have happily have turned your pockets out to prove your innocence, yet you want to make a song and dance over a mistake and would have thousands of people added to the unemployment list.
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Neil. Yes I would have quite happily done. Unfortunately whilst people have the attitude of "I don't see what the problem is"......then customers will continue to get treated this way. :shrug:

Maybe my earlier comment was worded incorrectly, I guess what I really meant is a company that treats customers in such a way doesn't deserve a position in the market...
 
boliston said:
Hurt or not it's COMMON ASSAULT and a CRIMINAL OFFENCE. The only time a security guard can physically attempt to detain is if he is performing a citizen's arrest, but in order to do that he must have actually SEEN the suspect steal, not just have "a hunch".
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If you are going to shout about it, would you mind learning the law first, before making up your own confused interpretation of it? Thanks.
 
boliston said:
Hurt or not it's COMMON ASSAULT and a CRIMINAL OFFENCE. The only time a security guard can physically attempt to detain is if he is performing a citizen's arrest, but in order to do that he must have actually SEEN the suspect steal, not just have "a hunch".
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Common assault belongs with blame culture claims in my opinion. :thumbsdown:
For an alarm to go off it's a little more than just a hunch.
Lynton said:
Neil. Yes I would have quite happily done. Unfortunately whilst people have the attitude of "I don't see what the problem is"......then customers will continue to get treated this way. :shrug:
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But if you look at the evidence, to what the poor till person probably experiences every week, they've no real way of knowing whether you are or not a shoplifter and therefore not exactly likely to turn a blind eye in the hope you weren't. You were challenged, they believed your innocence. To be honest, I could imagine a con artist/shoplifter doing the exact same thing except he'd have walked away with both cards, the one he'd nicked from the box in the first place and the one presented by the manager for his troubles.
 
boliston said:
Hurt or not it's COMMON ASSAULT and a CRIMINAL OFFENCE. The only time a security guard can physically attempt to detain is if he is performing a citizen's arrest, but in order to do that he must have actually SEEN the suspect steal, not just have "a hunch".
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Kinnell, a Kavannagh QC wannabee.............:D
 
so let me get this straight, i can go into PCW, accuse a member of staff of accusing me of theft, speak to the STORE MANAGER and get a free memory card?

i'm off out for a bit :D
 
Lynton said:
How about him getting his head out of his arse and his arse out of his ivory tower and seeing how crappily his shops are run on a day to day basis? Seriously, I hope PC world goes the way of many others and goes bust - it certainly deserves to the way it is being run.
Click to expand...

Most large chain stores that serves thousands of people each week/day, will always make mistakes, or at least a member of staff will. My local PC World isn't too bad. I find the staff very helpful. It's biggest fault is at the till. Never enough tills open, and always a scanner problem with a barcode with the person in front, or an item what you buy has to be retrieved from a secure store, as you have just picked up an empty box with the barcode, but the (e.g) software disc is secured elsehere... and there's a problem finding it.
Now I know your problem is different, but you criticise PCW as if you have been and have an experience in each and every one of their stores. :shrug:

Your reaction, although I can sympathise with the situation you experienced, is what I call Daily-Mail-type-syndrome/knee-jerk-reaction. Not what I expected from a fine Norfolk lad like yourself. :D:p
 
Nigel,

I fully apologise for being a tad upset at being accused of being a thief.
 
Lynton

The major issue here is that you have been accussed of theft and the cashier didn't follow the rules of (i) Selection (ii) Concealment (iii) Failure to pay.

The fact she accused you of theft is simply not acceptable. The manager went someway to recompense you for the wrongful accusation but I would be expecting him to have been very sympathetic and ensuring that you left happy (in the circumstances) rather than offering goods as way of compensation (unless of course he asked you if you would accept these as a way of apology?)

I'm also sure the colleague will be being retrained on correct process as she clearly didn't apply them (who know why but that doesn't matter as it is after the fact!)

I can understand you being incensed by this and I think a calmly written email/letter to the top guy at PC World may lead to further action being taken which hopefully is a clear reminder to all colleagues that they need to take more care in how they identify and deal with these situations!



PS Yes, I used to work in retail and have been involved in dealing with the above type of issue - not nice for all concerned :(
 
Cheers Adrian...........

A very calm, balanced and nicely worded email was sent.

It has been acknowledged from the CEO's office and I will have a reply in 72 hours. Obviously the head honcho is unlikely to see it............

As to the SD card, he offered me the 8 Gb samsung with his compliments for the "unsatisfactory experience in his store today".... I guess that can be interpreted as apology etc....

Not sure what the rules of selection, concealment and failure to pay are (would be interested)
 
What is it you're hoping to achieve?
The clerk made a mistake and the manager rectified it. Do you go online everytime a waitress gets your order wrong or the fedex guy turns up half an hour late?
Or are you just trying to live up to your bio?
Move on, ignore pc world and get on with life before we all get obsessed with complaining like our friends from over the pond.
 
Lynton said:
Nigel,

I fully apologise for being a tad upset at being accused of being a thief.
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No need to apologise to me mate, as I said I sympathise with the situation you experienced.
 
Without knowing EXACTLY what was said it is difficult to asses the situation but calling for the collapse of the company because of a cashier's bad day is a little OTT, no?

Personally, I'd be thankfull for the manager's goodwill gesture, forget about it and move on.
 
Don't think John browett will care, he's just started working for Apple
 
pooley said:
What is it you're hoping to achieve?
The clerk made a mistake and the manager rectified it. Do you go online everytime a waitress gets your order wrong or the fedex guy turns up half an hour late?
Or are you just trying to live up to your bio?
Move on, ignore pc world and get on with life before we all get obsessed with complaining like our friends from over the pond.
Click to expand...

Hell of a mistake to call someone a thief. Not exactly the same as getting a delivery/order wrong.
 
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