to be raging at being accused of thievery by Tesco?

[BlessYouToo]

Rushed round Tesco yesterday after school as DD was not feeling well and I had left her sitting in the car. Found a self service till empty and quickly scanned my items. Made the payment by debit card and stood waiting for my receipt to come out of the till.

It did'nt, then the till screen went blank. So I called over a till assistant and said I needed a receipt. She checked her computer and said that the payment could not have gone through as it was not showing on her machine. I insisted that the payment on the chip and pin went through fine but she would not have it. She called over the checkout manager who went out to the back office to check the 'mainframe' computer.

I was stood there at the tills for over 20 minutes at this point. Whilst waiting for the checkout manager to come back, I said to the till supervisor that I needed to get going because my DD was in the car and could they please leave my receipt at customer services and I would pick it up later. She puts a hand on my trolley to prevent me from leaving with it (cue blood boiling) and says that I would have to wait!

Anyway the checkout manager comes back and says that I could not have put the items through the till as it is not showing and I would have to put them through again and pay for them this time .

I was rather irate at this point and dumped the trolley there and walked out. I get home and ring my bank and yes, the amount of money has been taken out of my bank but will not show on my statement until Monday. So I came out of Tesco accused of trying to walk out with items I had not put through the till and had not paid for although I have paid for them after all and not got them!

There was a massive queue all listening in to this and I was mortified. I have shopped there for over 6 years week in, week out. I am bloody furious. OK there was a problem with their computers which can't be helped but don't treat your bloody customers like scum!

AIBU to go apeshit in there on Monday (when I can print out my bank statement)?

Sam100 - that is exactly what they should have done. That would be good customer service and would retain a loyal customer.

I understand why you're motified, but surely you understand they couldn't just let you leave the store with your shopping without waiting for confirmation you'd actually paid?

Academic now I know, but you could have just gone and got your DD and come back in. You could have called your bank while waiting for their system to update as others have said.

As it is, you've now paid for the goods that you didn't actually receive yes? So you are within your rights to complain and at least get your money back. They'll probably give you some vouchers for the inconvenience, which I think would be fair

Thinking about this what if the OP had desperately needed that shopping and hadn't been able to risk paying twice as didn't have the money. I think this is very poor. Plus it's not as if you could have manufactured the system breaking down in order to shoplift (not unless you're Danny Ocean or something).

And controlled fury won't achieve more, it will simply get their backs up and they will be less amenable. Behaving like an adult and acknowledging why they did what they did is far more likely to achieve some sort of "result". Although why you would need some sort of compensation for the store dealing in a perfectly understandable way with someone that was presenting shoplifter-like behaviour beats me

Are you being reasonable to be annoyed? Yes. It's annoying when things go wrong.

Would it be reasonable to go in there, all guns blazing, shout at people for something that is not their fault, and get all righteous about it in an attempt to get something for free? No.

It is not the fault of the checkout assistants that their computer system didn't work. Believe me, they hate that EVEN MORE than you do. The people you will be shouting at are NOT at fault. You may say 'Yes, but they work for the company, therefore they are ambassadors for the brand, etc' but in reality these are people who work for minimum wage for a faceless corporation that doesn't give a stuff about them. Taking abuse from irate customers is NOT part of their job.

If you wish to complain, talk to the manager nicely, and see whether he/she can resolve it to your satisfaction. If he/she can't, then escalate your complaint through the proper channels.

Would it be reasonable of them to let someone leave the store with items that might not have been paid for? No. Should they alter their rules because someone has left their child in the car? No.

YANBU at all.

Supermarkets like the self-service checkouts because it means they need fewer staff because they can get customers to do the job themselves for free. So they should have systems that work, and if they don't they should respect their customers and not treat them like thieves.

I would be livid, OP. I would be demanding to speak to the store manager today and expecting a free home delivery of the shopping they refused to let me leave with if I were in your shoes.

In addition to your bank records, (If Tesco's investigate this properly) they will surely have CCTV film showing you scanning through the goods.

Tesco are not a charity, ghouls. If the OP had "desperately needed the shopping" it's not their problem.
I really can't understand why people have a problem understanding that Tesco is a business wanting to maximise their profits, not a philanthropic organisation. If you don't like the way they carry out their business don't shop there, it's quite simple. I don't like Tesco's business practices, ergo I rarely shop there

Of course they are a business. BUT OP had in fact paid and it was a fault on their system that meant it was not showing. If she genuinely hadn't had more money for shopping that could have meant OP's DD not eating because of Tesco's computer error. They should feel responsible for that - it's a big organisation but it's run by human beings.

A Sam100 said it was their fault (system problem) so they should have made it theirs to deal with. Go home, take the good, leave your details so we can send you receipt / contact you for payment if necessary once system updates.

The real issue is leaving a child in the car while you go shopping.

(I never shop at Tescos as a matter of principle).

Indeed the irony of Tescos accusing anyone of thievery is breathtaking.

Yes Ghouls, but Tesco didn't know that she had paid, did they ? With no proof on either side whether payment had been paid or not paid, what do you expect them to do ?

What Worra said....everyone could claim this....they have to check up.

HAving said that....we had a problem with a gift card in M&S one year when we went to pay with it, the card had not yet been credited for the amount...though MILs account had been charged....so we were going to be left without a lot of things for Christmas....little extras that MIL had given the gift card for...the manager sent us home with all the shopping and said they'd sort it all out after Christmas. That's good customer service.

Ghouls It still wouldn't be Tesco's fault if the OP had left her shopping to such a last minute that her DD had nothing to eat. It's also not Tesco's fault that the OP chose the self service til.

If your child was likely to go without food, I'm sure you'd queue up and pay cash in order to prevent the situation.

This really is no-one's fault imo.

To be perfectly frank, I think you were in the wrong OP. You should have done as Tesco asked and put the goods back through again, made a written statement in store and taken the names of the duty manager and the initial member of staff you were dealing with and have them sign it. There are usually photocopiers/ scanners in the offices of big stores, so got them to photocopy that statement, and then returned with your bank statement to claim a refund for the initial transaction when you were able to print out your statement.

Instead you appear to have been extremely shirty at people who are doing their job, all because you left your child unattended in the car and didn't want to wait any longer?

It would be interesting to see the store's side of this debacle

With no proof because their system failed they should have let her take the goods leaving her contact details to get payment if needed. It was their error so op should not be the one who suffers.

Yes, because theives always leave the right contact details [bangs head against wall].

YABU

The staff had evidence (OK wrong but they did not know that) that you were trying to take the goods without paying.

Supermarkets rely on computers otherwise they would not be able to operate and we would not get the benefit of thousands of goods being available in one place.

I sympathise with you of course but it's just one of those situtions that could not have had a happy outcome.

The issue for Tesco's now is that they are holding onto money for items they haven't delivered, having prevented the OP from leaving with goods which were legally hers, because their systems weren't up to snuff.

OP, give the branch of Tesco's a ring now. Explain that you have spoken to your bank and the money has been taken. If it's showing in your bank, then the transaction must be showing somewhere in their systems, or they've got a far bigger problem than just your shopping!!

Also, insist to them that they need to check the CCTV footage for that till, which will show you scanning and paying. If they won't, ask for a copy of the footage (you have a legal right to this).

Explain that you understand that they are only doing their jobs but their system error has put you in a horrible position and, as a loyal customer for six years, what are they going to do about it?

Um, the OP wasn't acting like a thief - unless of course she managed to put her shopping through and manufacture the computer breakdown......but Tesco are crap, I'll give you that. When I did shop at Tesco my card was regularly declined and I would have to go outside and withdraw the money from the ATM to pay. No idea why, the Tesco petrol station next to it never had a problem with the card.

So they should have systems that work, and if they don't they should respect their customers and not treat them like thieves.

I'm not sure the OP was treated like a thief, ie: detained whilst the police were called. She was treated in the way you would expect if there was uncertainty over whether the goods were paid for, ie: she wasn't allowed to take her goods with her until it was sorted out.

The OP seems cross that her integrity was questioned, as if Tesco's implied that she was trying to abscond without paying. In practice, this isn't how she was treated, - until she called her bank, she could not be sure whether the payment had gone through. Until Tesco's knew, the staff couldn't allow her to leave WITH THE GOODS.

No one actually has a RIGHT to buy goods from a shop, - just because you are spending money doesn't mean that the company has to dance around you and treat you like royalty. This is where the element of free choice comes in, - if you don't like a particular company, just don't shop there.