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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to push for more from this high street company that lied and humiliated me?

555 replies

redrugroffle · 30/05/2012 10:20

Sorry, name changing old timer to protect my RL identity on here (yawn, yes I know- please feel free to quiz me on MN howlers past and present)

I was shopping on a busy saturday in a chain. A lady approached me she was the manager.

She introduced herself and said she wondering if I would help her as she'd had no luck for the last hour and needed a candidate to take part in a radio phone in show- prizes/money going to charity and their staff and the chance to win an electrical appliance for myself???

I asked how long it would take and agreed as long as it would be swift as I felt a bit sorry for her Blush- I also asked what charity it would be for and whether it would be filmed? She was vague and said she wasn't fully briefed on the details. She then laughed and said that this was very much the "style" of their company. That they were very up on motivation for the staff, crazy competitions, incentives etc. I took this on trust and they are a very big company.

We went to her office and the phone rang on speaker phone- radio guy with jingles in background etc- asks me where I'm from, age, name etc.

It was then put on handset and I had to answer a few qs and agree whether or not to perform some silly tasks (think Chris Evans old style larking) some I did some I refused (every refusal got money for the charity)

Anyway- fast forward 20 mins and I cut ot off (as I wanted to go and was stretched for time. I'd won ££ for charity, 2 prizes for the staff and a prize for myself to be collected from the store on the following Tuesday and £3000 worth of stuff.

I was really pleased and as I fundraise for a local charity I asked if my prize could be donated to my chosen charity as well as thiers (I've got no need for another toaster of cake mixer Grin) I was told we will see on Tuesday.

I arrive on Tuesday (this place is a 55 mile round trip for me)

The manager looks solemn. She takes me to the office and tells me she's been stupid, it was a hoax, nobody was coming in.

She gave me a £20 voucher for my girl (it was her birthday) and asked me to leave. Sad

I've since called their customer services to demand an inquiry into her behaviour and to get some token for being humiliated, out of pocket and time.

They've not called me back.

They've said they're sorry but these things happen????

I've nobody except my close friend to asked and he advised me that he'd be going for the complete amount of things I was promised and to not compromise.

So your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
LentillyFart · 31/05/2012 18:39

Yes - thanks for the helpful hint bobbity. I have, in fact, read the entire thread at quite some cost to both my sanity and the loss of time which I will never get back. I saw some posters express an opinion that it may be a premium rate scam. I asked the OP what the Police and site Security had said about the scam. Do you see the slight difference there?

For what it's worth I do not disbelieve the OP. As you say, you really couldn't make it up!

crunchbag · 31/05/2012 18:42

Guess you feeling a bit foolish now for getting cross because they didn't pledge the £50 yesterday? The store came through in the end and your charity is the winner :) Hopefully you can laugh about it soon.

and Poundland? Imagine having to have to spend £3000 in there Shock

TheMonster · 31/05/2012 18:54

I still want to know what you had to do.

LineRunner · 31/05/2012 19:06

£3000 in Poundland. That's 60 thousand plastic clothes pegs.

UnRoyalCharter · 31/05/2012 19:27

redrugroffle Thu 31-May-12 17:13:42

All sorted.

£500 was offered to the charity. Nothing for me an dnothing asked for (before I'm asked thank you)

OM guy was brill. Slick. Etc.

The whole shopping centre were alerted today by the security & police this morning and warned of the scam.

so, the original reason you posted was to ask if YWBU to push for more compensation yet you have 'nothing' and although the police and shopping centre security staff are treating this as serious, you're not going to help any of MN and the general public by naming which store it is?

Original poster
redrugroffle · 31/05/2012 19:37

Correct Charter.

But all of oyu know about the scam now. I'd not have known last week.

OP posts:
UnRoyalCharter · 31/05/2012 19:42

fair enough

-still baffled--

BartletForAmerica · 31/05/2012 20:09

I am so very confused.

Original poster
redrugroffle · 31/05/2012 20:15

I just don't get what you are confused about.

OP posts:
LineRunner · 31/05/2012 20:21

Oh yeah hi OP this happened to me.

BillyBollyBandy · 31/05/2012 20:23

I think peopel are confused as to why anyone would set this hoax up when there is no realisable gain for the hoaxer.

MustControlFistOfDeath · 31/05/2012 20:25

Bartlet Don't worry we all are.

This thread is like accidentally wandering into a parallel universe or one of the matrix films or something Confused

wereofftoseethewizard · 31/05/2012 20:29

So your not going to name the store? Ok
Can you give us a reason why though because I just don't understand why you can't or won't

Original poster
redrugroffle · 31/05/2012 20:33

I was shopping in a major retail outlet with 5 children.
I was accosted by the shops manager to enter a radio competition to win (fab prizes)
She sold it to me in LOTS of ways
It was done in her office (over the phone)
I was asked to do stupid things
I was told money would go to charity also
Manager was jolly jolly "our company is nuts like this" isn't this surreal??etc
I get told on the phone that I had won XXX
The manager told me to come back to the store on X day to meet with the promo people to collect prize
On my return- no prizes.
I'm told by the manager there was no comp phone in.
I'm told by manager- this must be a hoax
I'm told by manager - I have been duped
I'm told by manager- "here has a gift token for £20, I don't go handing these out to eveveryone & anyone you know"
I tell her I'm not happy to have gone through all that and to be lied about having earnt money for charity. I tell her I want to know who was on the other end of the line. I tell her I have lost money on my 55 mile round trip
I tell her what do you intend to do?
Manager says "I dont know"
I assure her I will sort it.

I call customer services
I'm told several times they will call
They do not
I call them (several times)
They say finally £50 for you and £50 for you charity and we are sorry.

I say not happy who is in charge- how could this happen- blah blah
They tell me they don't know whats happened.
I ask them what kind of action they are taking and what lines of enquiries
I ask if the police have been informed
I get no answer
I e mail the radio station "involved"
They tell me no such broadcast or comp happened.
I email the company and tell them thi sand give them the contact details of the radio station
I insist on speaking to someone senior and refuse their offers of £50 for me and £50 for chairty.
Yesterday I am called by the operations manager
He is slick
He is apologetic
He tells me he will investigate and call me later that afternoon.
I tell him I want the police involved- he agrees
He asks me what I want. I tell him I'd like a more substantial donation to my charity.
He says he will have to take it to more senior managment to see if this is poss.
He calls me today
He tells me police have been informed and if I recall correctly its a 55
number so they have a incodent number (sorry to be vague I was wrangling 4 children into a car at the time)
He tells me they are deeply sorry and that they have checked out my nominated charity (kids hospice) and think it's a crilliant charity (it is)
He says they would like to donate £500 to my charity to apologise for the inconvenience the humilation and asked me to give them another chance to be a returning customer (ahem)
He tells me the cheque will go off this afternoon.
I tell him I accept his very generous offer.
We end our communication.

Can I have wine now?

PS I will not name them.

OP posts:
whenyouseeitwaveorcheer · 31/05/2012 20:36

DRINK THE WINE!!!

And well done, OP.

bibbitybobbitybunny · 31/05/2012 20:39

Seriously am roffling at the troll hunters on this thread!

Am pleased that you got a good outcome redrug Wine and more Wine.

Housemum · 31/05/2012 20:49

Enjoy the wine, can I just ask that if it does end up in the papers you stick a link on here to it so our store curiosity is truly satisfied!!

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 31/05/2012 20:57

Erm, I believe you 100%. Im just a bit confused about the hoax, its a stupid hoax isnt it, why on earth would they do it.

Was it other members of staff winding up the manager?

Really odd.

FartBlossom · 31/05/2012 20:59

Still dont see why it was worth as much as £500 Shock or why it was the shops fault. Well done for getting it though.

fluffiphlox · 31/05/2012 21:04

I believe the OP that this happened but I have asked three times what the scam is? Is it premium phone lines? Or what? Your sequence of events is merely reiterating what you told us. It does not explain the scam. Or is it just some saddo getting randoms to do daft things for some sort of pleasure? Why won't you answer what the actual con is?
I'm glad you got your donation for your charity, btw.

MrsKwazii · 31/05/2012 21:11

Hurray for £500 to your local hospice - sounds like it's been a right palaver

GetTheeToANunnery · 31/05/2012 21:19

Maybe she just doesn't know what the scam was fluffiphlox Hmm she's not a scam artist herself, how could she know?

Original poster
redrugroffle · 31/05/2012 21:23

OFGS

Not even the police know the "scam" yet for sure, why are you expecting me to know.

Just that there have been similar that are connected to premium rate lines.
Not ruling out a disgruntled ex employee either.

I do not know the outcome. Yet.

OP posts:
Original poster
redrugroffle · 31/05/2012 21:24

Fluffi, you say that but I think a poster earlier on suggested I was possibly part of some criminal gang.

OP posts:
fluffiphlox · 31/05/2012 21:26

I'm not suggesting the OP is a scam artist GetThee but Im sure she said the police had been involved and wouldn't they say? Also a couple of other posters mentioned it was about premium phone lines but then someone said that the scammer rang them. My point is I'm just really, really curious and frustrated about not knowing. It sounds like a hugely complicated and uncertain way of hoaxing people. I'm not suggesting it didn't happen, I just want to know WHY! Don't you?