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.

The security guard was overzealous incorrect in his approach as although you didn’t steal and in fact ended up paying twice no theft has been committed until you attempt to leave the shop with the goods. He should not have threatened your son outside the in store toilets. It is possible for the manager on duty to get a copy of a receipt from any till in the building including self scan though I understand that when in a stressful situation you may not think of that. Complain about the security guard and next time get a receipt from self scan.

This!!

Of course he had grounds to accuse them - they had no evidence of having paid. Or do you expect security guards to just go "ok then" when every shoplifter tells them they don't have any evidence of paying but they really, really did?

The OP offered up no evidence of paying, and agreed to pay. And we have their word for it that the security guard said any such thing. Just as he had her word that she'd paid. Neither is reliable.

How can you possibly think you overreacted? You underreacted if anything. I’d be furious and I would definitely make a complaint.

I never take a receipt because I don’t want a bit of paper that I’m going to then put in a bin, but I do pay with Apple Pay so the transaction is available on my phone immediately.

In my Lidl now you have to scan your receipt to leave the shop
they have security gates so you have to take the receipt otherwise you won’t get out

that’s the self service tills

I absolutely always get a receipt, because I have witnessed these unpleasant interactions with security guards several times. I hope you have contacted the national office.

I always get a receipt wherever I’m spending and I bank online so have a back up there too. Husband declines receipt despite me telling him to 🙈

You need to go back down there, proof of double purchase in hand, and demand to see the store manager. I would absolutely kick off over the security guard's treatment of you. Their machines imply you don't need a receipt and they want to save money not providing them by giving you the option ... they can't use there own policies to try to make out that you're stealing!

I used never to take the receipt at self service checkouts until a similar thing happened to me in my local supermarket. I scanned and paid for my items and left and suddenly a security guard behind me was shouting "you haven't paid". I ignored him, of course, because I had paid, and he was absolutely bellowing at me making a scene. We went back to the scanner and he picked up some random trash, a used gift card with not my name on it and started waving it in my face. I don't know what he was on, but I am a 60 year old lady, not some ned doing a runner with a basket full of steak. Someone from customer services calmed him down by saying that I had indeed paid and he melted away, but not before I'd called him an absurd little man which was no more than he deserved.

I take the receipt now.

By paying again you made yourself look guilty imo. I’d ask to see the cctv of the hundreds of times I’d been seen thieving.

You don’t like shopping at Boots do you?

I would also have done exactly this! Yes, please call the police, I can then mention to them how you are harassing me, while we are at it, please get me the store manager….

Paying again is no admittion of guilt. It is simply a temporary solution to save time and energy. The fact you are able to pay suggests you didn't steal as you can afford to pay. Most thieves don't have the funds to pay.

I just make sure I have my banking app on just in case, credit card and plenty of cash to indicate I have no money issues.

No you didn’t overreact.The security guard accusing you of stealing before and threatening to call the police if you didn’t pay again and that you were going to be banned from coming back! Not surprised you were upset and just wanted to get out of there.Op don’t let this go, you need your refund and an apology.
I’ve done it myself, paid at self checkout and not taken a receipt, l won’t be doing that again.I’ve never experienced anything like that op, the behaviour of the security guard was completely unprofessional and intimidating.

Haven't rtft so sorry if already been suggested, but have you checked that you haven't been incorrectly identified on the AI facial recognition???
There's multiple cases of this happening and people entering a shop to be told theyre banned without being told the reason why then it transpiring that it was due to AI failure! Just crazy

You shouldn’t have paid twice, given you stated that you’d paid already.
Re not having a banking app - did you know you can hide apps on iPhone now? From a security standpoint it just adds protection in case that’s your concern.

I would have recommended he contacts the police who could review the footage together, and whilst waiting, I’d have downloaded mobile banking.

I’d raise a case with your bank for duplicate payment, and a complaint with the store.

Stick up for yourself then. If someone accuses you of something groundless then tell them to prove it or fuck off instead of acting like you're guilty.

Sorry but this is incorrect.

We know as a fact that she did pay.

Therefore the security guard cannot have had any actual grounds for accusing her.

Not having a receipt is not a ground for being accused of theft. It that were so the shop should make them mandatory, or put up signs saying "if you do not take a receipt you may be stopped by security and it will be assumed you have stolen from the store" - which would be ridiculous.

What grounds do you suggest the security guard had for accusing her?

Well one did confront me in Sainsbury's when I had paid and had the receipt, which I showed him. Since supermarkets started making receipts optional I always say yes I want one apart from very small shops like Tesco Express.

This happened to me once but the security guard was able to look on the self service machine I'd used and see the transaction. Sounds like your security guard was on a bit of a power trip. I'd go back and ask for a refund as well as a complaint

Some weird responses on here.

If the OP was offered a receipt then the payment has gone through. The onus is on the store to prove you haven't paid. They can't prove that as you gave paid.

I work in a shop....ALWAYS get a receipt

Similar happened to me. I paid for a pack of batteries (nothing else) and didn’t get a receipt. I got stopped and I suggested that the guard check the CCTV to see me paying. Something about their payment system was frozen so they couldn’t see that I’d paid. I waited for 10 mins whilst they fannied about and then someone actually shoplifted and they told me to just go. I get the receipts now.

How did the security guard know the OP wasn't going to challenge him ? He didn't target her because of some psychic ability to know she wasn't going to stand up for herself

He was wrong and it sounds like a liar but I doubt he targeted her, how would he even know she didn't have a receipt or a banking app?

Apart from the fact that you are leaving yourself vulnerable to accusations of shoplifting if you don’t have a receipt, is it not much more difficult to sort things out of you find that you’ve been charged incorrectly for something? I’ve had many instances over the years when an individual item has scanned incorrectly, which I’ve not noticed at the time, and also a couple of instances when the total amount that was taken from my account was wrong.