Manager called security on me in Primark!

[spanieleyes22]

So what happened is I bought 2 tops the same a couple of weeks ago in primark: one size large and one size xl. Paid on different receipts as I bought large then walking out I saw they had an xl so went back and bought that too.

Decided to keep xl.

Went to return large today. Presented receipt and top. Girl calls manager. She says that's the the receipt for that top: that's a receipt for an xl.

Explained that I had bought 2 tops and must have brought the wrong receipt with me.
I tried to argue and said look it's the same top same price please can you give me refund: nope nope nope.
She starts saying that they have cameras in the store. And then she calls security!! At that point I just left. I left the top and receipt there I was so scared. She thought I had picked up the top in store and tried to return it using an old receipt. I thought I was going to be arrested. So now I'm down 12 pound and don't have the top. Maybe I should have stayed and argued but I felt I couldn't prove I had bought it. Don't think I will be buying anything there for a very long time. I will be scared to show my face there. And I haven't done anything wrong! Very shaken by it

@Marseillaise I bought these tops a few weeks ago would they keep cctv that long. I will try and go back. It's a 2 hour round trip so will have to plan it. I don't think they will give me a refund though as they have the top for the receipt I have🤣

You need to if an item is faulty btw. A bank statement showing proof of payment is specifically mentioned in the consumer rights guidance on the consumer rights act. So, if someone buys something and brings it back due to a fault but doesn’t have the reciept, it doesn’t matter. You need to accept the payment showing in a bank statement.

Argh - that sounds awful, @spanieleyes22. A decade ago, I might have scoffed at you but then a few years back, I bought a load of treats for people at work for my birthday in a Tesco nearby alongside some shopping. It included some loose pastries fir the morning meeting from the bakery section. The whole shop came to around £40. I was packing in a hurry because I was running late for work and had just stepped away from the self-checkout when the manager and a security guard loudly stopped me.

They made me unpack my whole bag of shopping and put it through again bit by bit. When looking frantically at my receipt, I realised that I had put through a chocolate croissant as a plain croissant by mistake. I pointed it out to them and said I’d give them the difference right there and then but they continued to loudly tell me that I had to put it through one item at a time to ‘prove’ I’d paid for everything and that they’d be prosecuting me for shoplifting if there were any differences. I just remember feeling so panicky and utterly humiliated in front of all the other shoppers, especially with how loudly they were talking.

When they finished, they made me hand over the 20p difference and solemnly told me, again in front of all the other shoppers, that I was extremely lucky that they weren’t going to press charges. I mean, why would I try and scam 20p off a £40 shop?! I’ve never stepped foot in that branch again.

So I totally understand why you might run and leave the top and receipt there with them. I always thought I’d be totally cool in that kind of situation but I melted down in something similar and that was just for 20p.

The main thing to have done would be to have stayed to talk to them and discuss how you could get the correct receipt to them so they could refund you. The bank transaction would have been something consistent with your explanation about having two separate transactions on the same day and just bringing in the wrong receipt. It doesn’t prove anything beyond doubt (neither does a receipt), but it helps show your story isn’t just made up.

Correct.

Leaving the top and receipt just makes th op look suspicious!

The assistant was right.

By running off you look guilty of what the shop assistant accused you of.

You should have stayed there to explain to security, told them you'd go home and get the other receipt and the other top and returned.

A whole load of drama other nothing which you completely worked yourself up over.

Oh my gosh @LaughingCat that's horrific. Yeh I just panicked stupidly. Big queue behind me all listening in and the other assistants all looking over. I'd say I'm banned from that shop now. Tbh I don't feel like going back . I

They probably have camera records

I was once charged twice by accident in a store they got the footage off thd timestamp from the receipt to check it was genuine.

What would be the point in going back? You said you left the top and the receipt? Plus surely driving 4hours in total would cost more than the 12quid

In general, I hate the term Karen but for this I'd make an exception...

I had a similar thing happen to me in Zara. I'd bought a jacket which I didn't have time to try on in store and when I got home didn't like it so went with the correct receipt to return it. After queuing for ages like you always have to there the assistant scanned my receipt and the jacket and said the jacket wasn't the same size as the one on the receipt. There was obviously something wrong with their system as it was the only thing I had from there and 100% the receipt they'd given me. It wasn't cheap either it was about £70 so I explained that was the receipt I was given and I needed a refund. The assistant looked at me like I was shoplifting scum and kept implying over and over again how it couldn't be the case. I ended up demanding to speak to a manager and the assistant backed down and refunded me whilst giving me the side eye the entire time. It was a horribly unpleasant experience and I haven't been back since.

@Sleepydoor why? The OP deserves an apology. It sounds as though staff were not prepared to listen to her and incredibly heavy handed.

It's not an outrageous suggestion. Many shops do accept bank statements as proof. I've done this in M&S. In Next they don't even need your reciept they just scan the tag and the whole transaction comes up.

I was suggesting the bank statement more to back up the story once op had got to the point of being accused of stealing the t shirt to be honest...as a better strategy than running off.

No I mean if I was the assistant I’d think that based on how you behaved. Ie not bringing both reciepts, asking for the refund anyway when told you’d the wrong the receipt then leaving the top and receipt. As everyone else said it’s the behaviour of a guilty person and that’s why the staff thought that. I don’t think uou stole it. If you did you’re a really bad thief.

Why do you say the staff were not prepared to listen to her? They told her they needed to see a receipt for the item and she persisted in arguing that they should process the return without a receipt. Incredibly heavy handed because a manager was called and when she then continued arguing with the manager, security was called? We're hearing one side of this story and I still don't see what heavy handed action was taken.

A reasonable person hears that they need the receipt for the item, maybe asks once politely for an exception to be made and then leaves.

I must have an innocent looking face. Years ago I bought a pair of jeans (no idea from what store). They didn’t fit when I tried them on at home. That’s when I noticed on the receipt that I’d been charged for two pair mistakenly (they were on sale so the price difference wasn’t super obvious).

I returned the pair that I had and told the customer service lady “look I know you have no reason to believe me, but I didn’t notice at the time that I was charged twice”. I feel like I was being scanned by a lie detector (she was older and I imagine lots of her kids and grandkids had been subjected to that same look over the years 🤣 )

Not only did she return the pair I physically had but she refunded me the other pair as well.

@spanieleyes22 I’ve taken a zen approach to being over and under charged. After a lifetime I figure it will work out more or less even. So even when I was at my brokest (yeah I know not a word) I never let it get to me that bad. Agree with the others if you had said “shit… grabbed the wrong receipt, never mind I’ll run home and grab it.” you’d have been fine and had another chance.

Honestly, I think it was alot easier to return things a good few years ago, than it is now. It is alot stricter in most places I find, sign of the times. I remember always getting "the look" as a teenager, but the refund was given. The difference is that they seemed to be allowed a bit more discretion then, than they are now. It is a very different world.

That's because people (I don't mean OP) took advantage of the relaxed approach - 'buying' stuff to wear once and return, with no intention of keeping it. As so often happens in life, the piss-takers spoil things for everyone else.

That’s been going on for ages. It’s nothing new.

Yes, I was replying to a post talking about how it was easier to return things 'years ago'.

to be honest I think you overreacted here

I had the same - went to Zara to return a blazer once, handed over the receipt and the sales assistant was confused by it. She said “this item isn’t on the receipt, do you have another receipt?” I checked the bag and realised I brought in the wrong receipt and apologised. I took the blazer home and returned it the next time. It’s no big deal and possibly happens more than you think.

Also another occasion in Zara - I returned an item with the correct receipt, only for Zara to say my item didn’t match the receipt. I was confused this time! I literally pulled up their app to show the item I purchased was the same as on the receipt. Apparently the line number was slightly different. I had no idea how the item I had purchased had a different number than what was on the receipt. I actually asked them to check CCTV cause it’s definitely the right receipt and it’s a problem with their system. They even reverse searched the item on the receipt and saw it looked exactly the same as the item I had returned.

I generally opt for digital receipts now, but I used to work in retail and there were loads of issues like this with paper receipts.

I think you need to take a deep breath and relax. Who cares if she called security? She likely just wanted back up on the till, because as a till assistant she can’t leave the till alone to check for receipts or camera footage. Security can. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be arrested.

That why I thought the bank statement idea was good - a better strategy than running off and leaving the top - even if they still decided that they couldn't refund without the actual receipt - though the manager might have more discretion than staff member on the till.

Way the OP behaved does make her look like a thief trying it on and running of at mention of CTTV and security.

A reasonable person hears that they need the receipt for the item, maybe asks once politely for an exception to be made and then leaves.

Exactly. People make mistakes and shop systems can have errors in them - so you explain.

But I agree with OP best idea now is to just not go to that store anymore.

Re-read and see it was manager who called security on you - so more nerve racking but I still have stood my ground and explained the situation and asked for CTTV to be checked.

This is what I thought, if I was the manager or the assistant I would have assumed you decided to do a runner and leave the top you had stolen rather than risk being questioned further/ detained.