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Original poster

Stolen Bottle of Champagne

183 replies

NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 15:30

A bottle of champagne, worth about £70, has been stolen from the office.

Our manager said that if it's not replaced then the four staff members will need to pay for it between us.

I've got an idea who may have taken it but I can't be 100% sure.

I'm simply not prepared to pay for it. Why should I? Everyone else thinks we should!

Apparently I may get a written warning for not contributing (whilst that thief walks free)!!!

OP posts:
surreygirl1987 · 10/08/2024 16:42

This is insane. OP, I'm with you. If I didn't desperately need the job, I'd be prepared to walk over this. Some things are worth drawing a line over and this is just abysmal.

OlympicBlue · 10/08/2024 16:41

Fuck no don’t pay, I don’t know but that doesn’t seem legal. So you pay to then drink a bottle of champagne in the office after work? That sounds like fun.

AllstarFacilier · 10/08/2024 16:39

No way would I pay. Someone is happily saying let’s all pay because they’re going to get a £70 champers for less than £20. It won’t deter them from doing it again, so how many times will you all have to pay?

Witchbitch20 · 10/08/2024 16:37

Fuck that!

And I’d also be asking why the manager isn’t contributing the cost of replacement?

parkrun500club · 10/08/2024 16:33

Tell the manager you didn't steal it, you are not at school where class punishments seem to be common and you won't be contributing anything.

The bottle could be mislaid, it could have been stolen. It's not for you (or your co-workers) to prove you didn't steal it, it's for your manager to prove it.

If an employer wants to give you a formal warning they have to follow due process and have evidence of wrongdoing. A manager deciding that someone has stolen a bottle of fizz but not knowing who does not meet those criteria.

Delphiniumandlupins · 10/08/2024 16:25

What was going to happen to the champagne? Shared between you at Christmas? It's rubbish if one of your colleagues is a thief but the manager can't make you all pay (you are already out of a quarter of a bottle of fizz).

MouseMama · 10/08/2024 16:20

Just ignore the whole thing it’s a complete non-issue. The fact it’s happened at work is irrelevant as they have no legal right to dock your wages so really no different to it happening with a bunch of friends. Someone nicked it but you don’t know who so just shrug your shoulders and get on with your job.

It might have been one of the four (or the manager) but probably there are other people with office access such as landlord, managing agent, cleaner, security, building manager - any of them are equally likely I think?

SevenMarshmallows · 10/08/2024 16:15

That would infuriate me, too. Why punish everyone for the bad behaviour of one person? Reminds me of teachers who would threaten the whole class with a punishment in an effort to make an unknown culprit confess. The kind of person who steals won't care if others pay for their bad choices.

If the job is easy to replace, a change might not be the worst thing.

DezTheMoaner · 10/08/2024 16:14

So in fact you are being asked to pay for something that , in fact, actually "belonged" to you in the first place (joint ownership), if it was a gift for all the staff, which adds insult to the injury of the bottle going missing.

The only grounds for anyone paying for it would be if they had been caught on CCTV taking it home.
Of course it's disappointing, but no one is going to miss a glass of champagne, whereas £17 from your disposible income could be significant for some people.

Whenwillitgetwarm · 10/08/2024 16:13

The manager’s on the rob.

DreamW3aver · 10/08/2024 16:13

How is he planning on getting the money from you all?

Id be making sure this was documented with exact and verbatim records of the conversations.

Whenwillitgetwarm · 10/08/2024 16:12

It was probably the manager who took it. Refuse to pay and look for a new job,

Hadalifeonce · 10/08/2024 16:10

If it was a gift, who will the money be going to? Nobody is out of pocket.

Original poster
NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 16:08

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 10/08/2024 16:01

@NameChangeAndLifeChange AND who do you suspect has taken it?? a co-worker or the boss?????

Realistically I don't know, but out of the co-workers and the boss, there's one co-worker who, to me, appears slightly more likely.

However, it's very unfair of me to guess as I've no idea and it's only based on the fact this co-worker likes a drink. This obviously doesn't mean they are guilty!

OP posts:
LivingDeadGirlUK · 10/08/2024 16:06

I'm with you OP plus im sure other people than the 4 of you have access to the office.

Hedgerow2 · 10/08/2024 16:04

If it was a gift then technically nobody is out of pocket. Your manager is an idiot.

Original poster
NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 16:04

Loopytiles · 10/08/2024 16:00

Don’t pay (boss can’t deduct wages) but it’d be silly to resign over it IMO unless you have a better job lined up.

I wouldn't resign as such, I'd just tell him where to stick the job and walk out of the door.

I've thought of doing it previously and would probably enjoy doing so!

OP posts:
TerfTalking · 10/08/2024 16:02

No way would I pay, I would tell the manager you aren’t paying for something you haven’t stolen and he needs to check cctv and call the police if he wants to persue it, you’re happy for him to do that as you are 💯 sure if your innocence.

MeandBobbyMcGoo · 10/08/2024 16:01

I wouldn't pay - the boss is ridiculous. Like a PP say, what if something else is stolen, are you all liable then.

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 10/08/2024 16:01

@NameChangeAndLifeChange AND who do you suspect has taken it?? a co-worker or the boss?????

Catza · 10/08/2024 16:00

NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 15:57

Oh and no HR either.

I'm prepared to walk away from the job it comes to it (just to prove I can)!

Well, there is still ACAS if there is no HR. So your boss can still very much be held accountable. Wish him luck at the employment tribunal if he decides to press on. I hear unfair dismissal cases usually pay very well. You can even swing for a bottle of bubbly for the office after you get your check.

Loopytiles · 10/08/2024 16:00

Don’t pay (boss can’t deduct wages) but it’d be silly to resign over it IMO unless you have a better job lined up.

Original poster
NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 15:57

Oh and no HR either.

I'm prepared to walk away from the job it comes to it (just to prove I can)!

OP posts:
Original poster
NameChangeAndLifeChange · 10/08/2024 15:55

It was a bottle that was brought in as a gift for us all from a client.

The boss can be a bit of a bully boy, so the other staff think I should just pay to keep the peace and so the matter goes away. I'm now the baddie for not agreeing to pay.

No union or anything but I refuse to contribute, out of principle.

Let's see what happens. I won't let it drop!

OP posts:
BreadInCaptivity · 10/08/2024 15:54

The manager has no right to do this.

I notice they are not offering to contribute.

I assume the champagne was theirs?

You can't take/demand money from staff in lieu of theft. That's what insurance is for (or you write it off).