To only pay for one?

[curiousgeorgie]

I just went into a shop, quite cheap, like Home Bargains.

They had mirrors, about 10inches high with filigree around them, lots were scratched and coming away from the metal and all in a big jumble on a shelf.

I thought my DD would like it so picked one a few in that looked unscathed and lifted it out, and as I stepped away, all the mirrors fell down. I checked, I put them back (much more neatly!!) and none were smashed.

When I got to the till (just a few steps away) and put it down I said 'At least I know they're indestructible!' And smiled...

The sales assistant said 'how many did you break?'

I was a bit taken aback and said none, she went over and looked at scratched ones and said she'd let me off with paying for 4!!!

I said no because they were badly piled, I didn't break any, and while you were standing there watching, you didn't even come over when they fell.

She said 'okay, 3. You can pay for 3.'

I said 'I'll pay for this one, or none. I'm not paying for stuff I didn't even break.'

She refused so I left, mirror less.

I'm totally pissed off about it. Was I unreasonable? They were only £5.99 but I honestly didn't break any of them and they were piled in a massive jumble.

Sorry, my OP should read, to Want to pay for only one!

Surely they'd have insurance to cover accidental breakage even if you had broken the mirrors?

Good on you OP, providing you didn't cause the damage then why should you pay?

Plus, they will be insured for damage to stock. In law a retailer cannot charge you the retail price anyway, just the cost to them of the item.

No way. When they stack things badly in shops that's their look out. Things that slide off shelves, jump off hangers, topple from displays at the slightest provocation...not our problem.
It annoys me.

I would have said the same as you, and asked to speak to the manager.

Cheeky sod! I bet they were watching for the next person to touch those mirrors then claiming they'd done it.

Yanbu...what a cheek and the arbitrary number changing makes me think she had no conviction in what she was saying.

I wouldn't pay either.
Im not usually a complaining sort but id try to email the head office if its a chain, a less confident person than you may have felt intimidated into paying for them.

In the Summer I fancied some of the alcoholic ginger beer they were always advertising. I was getting a few bits from Tesco and saw them, in a pack of 4. I picked the pack from the shelf and the whole thing collapsed. Ginger beer everywhere. Mortifying. A lovely young man came along and told me not to worry, that the very thin cardboard was pretty useless and that it wasn't my fault. In fact it really was not fit for purpose. It never occurred to me to offer to pay for it (I wouldn't have done so anyway), nor did they ask. Obnoxious sales assistant.

if you do break anything in a shop you only have to pay trade price not retail as a maximum mostly you pay nothing

I'd have looked her dead in the eye and said 'I feel PTSD coming on, do you know what the average claim is?'

And walked off.

Sounds like she just wanted a bit of cash for her pocket.

I'll bet anything if you had paid she'd have said it was cash only.

I hope you told her that it's lucky that they didn't fall on someone.

By the way if you break something in a store they can only charge you cost price.

They cannot charge you RRP.

Good on you op! I would have walked out when she first said you had to pay! I wouldn't want them to have my business after trying to con me.

Absolutely not! I imagine they were piled that way due to previous customers looking through for a non-scratched one too! Our Home Bargains is similar - more than once I have had to leave something I liked because the only ones left on the shelf are damaged in some way.

Usually, their items are fairly poorly packaged and it does stand to reason that cheap but delicate items in flimsy packaging are going to get damaged on the shop floor . In the same way that anyone selling easter eggs knows that some will get broken.

She was trying it on for sure.

A case of San Miguel once fell open as I put it on the conveyor at Tesco's and nearly all broke. No one suggested I pay. They just got me another case.

Cheeky mare.

Thanks, I felt quite shitty about it when I left!

Glad I was in the right.

She left the (already) damaged ones on the shelf for other customers to buy but tried to charge you as well? No, YANBU - sounds like she would have pocketed any money you paid for them. If they were so badly damaged they couldn't be sold then they would have been removed from the shelf.