AIBU for refusing to sign a letter of improvement at work? Retail customer service related

[Welshlady60]

Recently at work I was made aware by my manager that a customer had complained about me to HR for my apparent poor customer service towards him.
In a nutshell, the customer had used the self service till, but his payment of around £35 hadn't gone through.
I went outside and asked him to come back into the store, explaining why. He wasn't happy as he was just about to get into his car, and he insisted that he'd paid as he 'heard the machine beeping'.

Once again, I explained that the payment hadn't been taken, and so he came back into the store, angrily tapped his card on the pad and stormed off saying that he 'wasn't trying to steal'.
I hadn't accused him of anything, and was polite at all times.

He's now made a complaint against me, which I wouldn't normally be bothered about. However, I was asked to make a statement to give my version of events, and was told that HR may most likely decide to issue me with a letter of improvement.
I've been at the store for ten years and have never had any issues, but I'm annoyed that a customer's unjustified complaint can result in me being reprimanded for doing my job, especially as I wasn't rude, he was.
Should I refuse to sign it, given that I feel it's an unfair complaint?

An improvement letter should set out specifically what improvements you're required to make, in order to perform your job satisfactorily.

I'd be interested to see what it says. If it's "don't follow customers out of the shop to ask them to pay" then fine, now you know. If it's "be polite to customers", that's a very general thing and from what you've said, your politeness hasn't been questioned on any previous occasion.

Another thing to check here is what your job description says; If it says anything like “To oversee the self service checkouts and ensure payments are properly received” or “To protect revenue by minimising customers leaving without paying” explain to the manager who sees you that this is what you were doing.

that's the problem...there are no guidelines, no policy. According to the OP, NO ONE with the authority to do so has ever told staff what they should be doing, whether they should be leaving the store, what they should say/not say to customers in this circumstance, what they should do if the customer refused to return, when they should or should not leave their till to pursue a customer and apparently there is nothing written down either. It seems that the staff as a group have in some way decided what they should be doing and just done it!

godmum56

I guess it's called using your initiative, if someone hasn't paid then you ask them to! Politely of course.
You seem fixated on making it appear that I've done wrong by 'daring' to speak to the customer outside, regardless of whether or not it's store policy.

You wrote that it's more likely to trigger a complaint telling the customer their payment has failed outside rather than inside. Why? As long as I've been courteous, then why is it such an issue asking the customer to please come back inside? I didn't shout "oi get back in here you thief" , so what's the problem?

After all, they are the ones who decided to leave the store without waiting to check if they've properly paid. I also pointed out that there's often a delay before the screen tells me the payment has failed, in the meantime the customer could've walked out with tons of unpaid goods.
I would put money on it that if you go to ANY store and use their self check out and the payment doesn't go through, then you WILL be called back. Try it and see.

Lord…the great British jobsworth. “Not my job!”

It can be reasonably inferred that the person supervising the tills is responsible for asking customers where they have made a mistake to correct that mistake. It does seem like there should be company guidance on this as this is a reasonably foreseeable occurrence and there is a foreseeable risk.

HOWEVER- none of this goes to answering OPs question which is: REFUSING TO SIGN THE PAPERWORK MEANS NOTHING AND MAKES YOU LOOK TRUCULENT.

It doesn’t mean your manager can’t use it against you in further disciplinary procedures, nor does it mean that the disciplinary action is not valid. If you want your objection noted request that your objection be added to the paperwork and then appeal it following the appeals process. See previous posts for advice on what to say to defend your position.

ok final answer. I am not saying you have done anything wrong or right. What I am saying is that staff can and should protect themselves from this kind of shit by NOT unilaterally deciding what they should be doing. My comments were about how you might approach the situation that you are in, that might be more productive than latching onto "I wasn't rude" I am speaking from my personal experience of being at both ends of this kind of situation, both the manager and the staff member. Have it your own way, go to battle if you choose to. I am done.

Tbh I'm glad you're 'done', your posts have been most unhelpful

I wouldn't sign and in future I wouldn't bother asking the customers to come back either.

They don't seem like supportive employers, but ultimately, I suppose it's all based on their procedures.

The customer was probably miffed at being tackled and wanted a little revenge.

If you were in a restaurant and your payment didn't go through and an employee accused you of theft, you would be well within your rights to say they were rude and complain because at that point no theft has been committed. Indeed, in that situation I might well be demanding compensation for libel if they made the accusation publicly.

If, in that situation, you got up and left, at that point you would have committed theft, because you would have shown the intention of depriving the restaurant owner of payment for what you've ordered.

This customer didn't like being confronted in the car park but he came in and paid. So, again, no theft.

As I read it, the improvement notice relates to the way OP handled this, not the fact that she went after the customer. If she's absolutely sure that she is right in believing that she was polite throughout, she is also right not to accept it.

That's nonsense that she's saying she's not allowed to say what you are accused of saying. Of course she is, if she expects you to sign an improvement notice based on it. You have a right to know what the allegation is to give you a fair opportunity to defend yourself. It might be, to take just one possibility, that he misheard you. Plus, if they won't tell you what you are supposed to have said, what are they going to put in the improvement notice? How are you supposed to know what sort of language it is you have to avoid in future?

If they insist on doing this without telling you, it could be time for a formal grievance procedure.

I didn't accuse him at any point of theft, or even imply it.

That's what I thought too, I said to her that I should be told exactly what it is I'm accused of saying, but she said that she couldn't unfortunately. I was just to give my version of events, which I did.

I shall take it further if I'm issued with any kind of letter, and will raise a grievance if necessary, as I won't be walked over.

I’m with you op . He’s just an arrogant arsehole because he got pulled back and he had to pay. And he’s trying to turn the table. Don’t sign anything.

Could be that they wanted your version handed in first, so that they could see where there's were discrepancies (if at all). They have that now, and any next steps should include telling you what the accusation is.

Say if he says "she accused me of trying to get away without paying" and you agree you said something accusatory like "It is theft to leave the store without paying" then they would say it was too easily misinterpreted and problematic. If you said nothing like that at all, then it's more complicated for them because the stories are too far apart. (And they then need other evidence of they think they ought to discipline you.)

Thank you, the replies on here have helped, as when I said to the manager that I didn't feel as if I should sign any letter if it came to it (depending on the decision from HR) , that's when she tried to make out it's 'nothing', but of course it's not nothing.

You might be right that they'll tell me afterwards, but it's going to be a case of my word against the customer's.

Yea , if it’s nothing then why would you need to sign anything . Good luck .

Exactly! and thank you

The customer's reaction is telling, perhaps he was trying to steal the goods. Most people would be apologetic.

Well at least it's Monday now, call ACAS when they open at 8am: 0300 123 1100.

Good luck!!

Well when he saw me outside he didn't look very happy!

Thanks, I'll be at work then, and I'm just going to see how things pan out first, as it may come to nothing after all.

Ok. If you are taken into a meeting and feel anything other than supported, say: "I would like to adjourn this meeting to seek some advice please, as I do not understand these procedures." You can also ask them to write down any specific points they have raised so far.
Then you call ACAS.

Ask for a letter to confirm that it’s okay to let people walk out of the store knowing full well that their payment has failed (ie not shoplifters, just normal customers). Mention it to other staff and say they should get it writing too to protect themselves.