unpleasant incident with security guard

[rasputinsghost]

I would just like your opinions with respect to whether or not I was reasonable to e-mail a complaint regarding the incident below.

I was shopping with my adult son at our local large supermarket, in the late afternoon in the middle of the week. We chose items worth just under five pounds, and I paid for these at the self-service checkout, using the contactless app. on my debit card. I declined a receipt and I do not have a banking app. on my phone.

After purchasing the goods, I handed them to my son and went to the loo. When I came out of the loo, I found my son in conversation with the security guard. The guard asked me if the shopping was mine. I said it was. He asked me if I had the receipt. I said I had declined the receipt. He asked my if I had any proof of purchase. I said that I did not have a banking app, but I waited until I heard 'payment confirmed' before I left the checkout. The guard replied that he has reason to believe we were attempting to leave the store without purchasing the goods.

I assured him that I had purchased the goods, and perhaps we could check the till roll at the checkout.

The guard then told us to come to his desk. We followed him. He looked at the CCTV footage and told us that not only did it confirm that we had not paid, but there was footage of me 'doing this hundreds of times'. He said he would call the police unless we paid for the goods, left the store and never returned because we were 'banned'.

I was getting a little upset, so my son suggested we paid for the goods again (even though we knew we had already paid). We did this, then showed the guard the receipt and I asked why he had said he had footage of me stealing 'hundreds of times'. He denied saying this. I asked if we were banned. He said no. I asked for his name and said I would lodge a complaint because he had handled this situation very unprofessionally.

When I got home, I checked my bank account. I had paid twice, so there is no way there would be any footage of me not paying. I have lodged a complaint online with the store.

I am just wondering if perhaps I have overreacted.

I wouldn’t have paid twice, I would have insisted they check the till payments. And I would have asked to see the supposed CCTV evidence.

Why on earth did you pay again? Either the till records or your banking app would have showed you paid! By agreeing to pay again you’ve confirmed to them you weren’t sure you’d paid the first time.

You can easily check the wallet on your phone to see the transactions, you don’t need a banking app

I’m guessing there’s more to this…

I think you were very foolish to have paid again if you’re certain that the payment had gone through, but if you had taken a receipt this wouldn’t have happened.

Well the moral of the story is always get a receipt on the self service checkouts.
I think I’d have wanted to see his evidence of me ‘not paying’ and doing so hundreds of times before I paid for the goods again.
in your shoes, I’d definitely complain. You at least want a refund surely!

YANBU OP or overreacting. I would absolutely complain and expect a refund and apology based on what you describe. I can understand why you didn't challenge it more at the time though, sometimes these things are better left and dealt with later, when you're calm and have had a chance to think it through without being under pressure from a twatty bloke

Genuinely ... are you sure your son hadn't slipped something into his pocket?

It's such an odd encounter. Security guards in supermarkets rarely confront anyone, they're there as a presence but told not to chase etc in case they get hurt

I always take the receipt if using self checkout. Purely to avoid what just happens to you. No way would I have paid again as it is an admission of guilt in a way.

Seems odd that your first reaction would be to pay again.
The PP who says there's more to this probably isn't wrong...

Why did you pay again? What a lesson to teach your son and what a stupid way to handle it.

Did he show you on the screen you didn't pay. If you were 100% sure it went through I would have asked for the manager. I work in a supermarket.

I think you handled this badly. Why pay again? Insist you speak to the manager, get a refund and an apology from the store.

I’d have told him to call the police

You have completely underreacted. I wouldn't pay again. I would ask for the manager and they could call the police if they wished, nothing to hide.

If I didn't have a banking app on my phone I'd definitely be getting a receipt. The whole story seems a bit bizarre tbh

That sounds stressful.

PPs are right to say the till records would have shown you’d paid, although I guess that when you’re put on the spot like that it can be harder to think through solutions to problems.

This scenario is the main reason why I always take the receipt at self service tills. I do have a banking app on my phone, but it’s a lot easier to have the physical receipt there to show the security guard if you get stopped.

And FWIW checking the wallet on your phone instead of a banking app would only work if you’ve already got the wallet app all set up, and not everyone has done that.

Than you for the replies. I used the contactless app on my debit card, not my phone. I do not have the banking app on my phone. Therefore, perhaps I was foolish not to take a receipt. However, the guard said he had footage of me not paying for the goods, and said he had footage of me doing this 'hundreds of times'. This is obviously not true.

I paid again because I was nearly in tears. I do not react well to confrontation.

Absolute madness to have paid again! You should have stood your ground and had the manager view the footage.

When you’re in the right, you kick up a stink you don’t feebly give in and pay twice!

Being assertive is not the same as being aggressive and you were within your rights to demand to see the manager.

It’s also a very stupid idea to not get a receipt.

Always get a receipt. Always.

You either have the banking app or you get a receipt. But the security guard was doing his job!

I’ve been accused before of shoplifting at the supermarket and I ALWAYS now request the receipt from the self service til

The security guard handled it badly, but so did you. I cant believe you paid again!

I agree. I was stupid to have paid again, and stupid not to have taken a receipt. However, I feel the security guard lied and acted unprofessionally.

My son did not steal anything. There is no additional context to this incident.

You were unreasonable to pay again and not to get a receipt when you did self checkout.