Score one for Walmart

[simple girl]

Had an interesting/annoying experience recently. I realized Sunday that we were missing a few small (but expensive) cosmetic items I had purchased on Saturday at Walmart. Called Walmart, they said come on up, if we don't have it, you can go get it.

Well, not so easy pal. We get up there, and after waiting for one rude customer service to talk to us, call the manager, take forever to tell us the manager is "looking into it", the manager FINALLY comes up. Meanwhile this entailed at least 30-40 minutes of our prime Sunday relaxation time (including driving up there and back). The manager actually says they have videotapes of people checking out, and in the tape she can see the items being bagged and us putting them in the cart. So she tells us to hunt in the car (which we already have done).

On the way home I am really wishing we had just forgotten about it. $10 was REALLY not worth it. Then, I get home, and go to get the bread from the top of the cupboard. DH had put it away but failed to remove it from the bag. Guess what was in the bag with the bread? Uh-huh. The cosmetics.

Doghouse for DH!!!

Ah well, I wasn't really mad, it was all too funny in the end!

LOL, score one for Walmart, they were right, and we were stupid idiots!

[Dawg52]

One thing I don't like is how they bag everything in those small bags and leave it on that round table. I sort through trying to get all my bags but never fails that I miss one. This is when buying groceries. But I've done the same thing at other stores too.

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg54 One thing I don't like is how they bag everything in those small bags and leave it on that round table. I sort through trying to get all my bags but never fails that I miss one. This is when buying groceries. But I've done the same thing at other stores too.

This is exactly why I thought we left it there. I really have to make myself get in the habit of turning that thing myself to look, even if the cashier doesn't like it.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl Doghouse for DH!!!

He probably feels so bad that he'll never regain the self-esteem to ever help with the groceries again...

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords He probably feels so bad that he'll never regain the self-esteem to ever help with the groceries again...

That ploy doesn't work around my house....

[Purron]

Wow. Wal-mart has video tapes of what people buy? Let's hope this doesn't fall into the wrong hands! Reminds me of when I worked in banking years ago. We had cameras on the ATMs and could retrieve tapes when people disputed ATM withdrawals. More often than not, when we found the tape there was the customer's daughter, son or other loved one performing the unauthorized transaction. When we explained refunding the money would result in the bank pursuing criminal charges, most decided to skip it.

There was one man I will never forget. I sat with him as we viewed the tape of his son taking money from his account at the ATM. He looked at me with the saddest expression you could ever imagine, explained how his son had a drug problem and has stolen from him before, as said this was it. He decided to have us go after is son for the theft. It was heart breaking.

[Westernskies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords He probably feels so bad that he'll never regain the self-esteem to ever help with the groceries again...

Absolutely! I am still so emotionally scarred from the browbeating I received after mowing the flowers groundcover beach towels sprinkler heads yard art lawn that I can no longer operate the lawnmower.

[Payin-the-Toll]

What---you were treated rudely by Walmart customer service??--can this be true??

[Sarah in SC]

That is embarrassing, SG--I would kill DH! And I had no idea they had videotapes. Eeek!

Gawd Purron, that story is very depressing. The guy must have been really desperate to see his son turn around if he was willing to press charges.

[Westernskies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Payin-the-Toll What---you were treated rudely by Walmart customer service??--can this be true??

It must be true- I read it here on FIRE.

[Janet H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC That is embarrassing, SG--I would kill DH! And I had no idea they had videotapes. Eeek!

Walmart video story:


Several years ago I got a call from the police department of a nearby town. They had stopped a car for speeding and found it was knee deep in opened stolen mail - some of it mine. I had mailed a bunch of xmas cards and a check to my credit card company and they had the empty envelopes. I called my bank and the check had not yet cleared so I stopped payment. The check was for several hundred dollars. Next I called my credit card company (sent them more $$) and reported the theft of info. They issued a new card. Nice - easy.


Not.


About 10 days later I got a letter from corp walmart about owing them several hundred bucks and that it was illegal to write a check and then stop payment on it..yada, yada. Pay up!

It turned out that the mail thief had altered my check to Chase Bank to say Chase Banks and then gone to walmart and paid for a small number of items using my check as a second party payment. They received the differnece between the purchase amount (under $50) in cash. Neat huh?

Walmarts policy is that they don't accept 2 party checks. But they said that they may at their descretion...More letters from walmart followed despite having sent copies of the police report to them. Then I learned about the video taping and requested that the video of the cashier and purchase be pulled (to prove it wasn't me). But no video... They reused (at least at this store) their video tapes and cycled them monthly. More than 30 days had gone by and my tape had been recorded over.

More paperwork - more letters, certified copies fo the PD report and finally a certified letter from the postmaster put a stop for walmarts string of pay up now letters.

Not a fan.

[Sarah in SC]

Gee, Janet, that is a nightmare story. I guess if nothing else, this is why I've been trying to convince my dad that it is actually safer to pay bills online.
I bet it was close to impossible to find any sort of reasonable person to deal with at Walmart.
I still remember going to do a sales call at corporate years ago, and the vendor waiting room looked and smelled like a circa 1955 lunchroom, even the chairs. I stole my vendor ID tag as a souvenir. LOL!

[Rustward]

The default behavoir is for the retailer (or financial institution) to treat you like a crook until proven otherwise.

And those cameras -- they are watching the employees and the merchandise as well as the store "guests".

[happy2bretired]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC And I had no idea they had videotapes. Eeek!

I live a couple of miles away from a new Walmart. I also signed up for an email service from our Police Dept. to receive an email every time there is a crime within a two mile radius of my home. Now I know how they catch all of those shoplifters....I get lots of emails regarding shoplifting at Walmart...lots.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Payin-the-Toll What---you were treated rudely by Walmart customer service??--can this be true??

Walmart has customer service? Can this be true?

[Westernskies]

[quote=Sarah in SC;835846] the vendor waiting room looked and smelled like a circa 1955 lunchroom, even the chairs. [quote]

Could you be more specific; those of us born post-1955 are having a hard time visualizing the tuna and noodle casserole/stale gym socks...

[FinanceDude]

[quote=Westernskies;835912][quote=Sarah in SC;835846] the vendor waiting room looked and smelled like a circa 1955 lunchroom, even the chairs.

Quote:

Could you be more specific; those of us born post-1955 are having a hard time visualizing the tuna and noodle casserole/stale gym socks...

Probably more like Brillcream and Vitalis, with a hint of tobacco pipe........and the smell of bacon grease........

[bbbamI]

Probably more like Brillcream and Vitalis, with a hint of tobacco pipe........and the smell of bacon grease


That sounds kind of appealing to me...

[Sarah in SC]

Yeah, not anything as good as bacon grease!

It was bubblegum colored chairs (you know, after all the color leaked out) and that old linoleum flooring, chipped around the bases of the chairs--which were bolted together in rows of 10 (think bus station of the same era).

Born in 1970, I'm only guessing about the vintage, but I can assure you that they hadn't spent a dime in there since Sam was a boy.

Oh, and I got to see the Sam Walton museum in Bentonville AR that had his pickup truck and (Oh lord I hope not real) stuffed replica of Old Roy, is favorite hound, perched on the seat next to a (Oh lord I hope not real) figure of Sam himself in dungarees and a flannel shirt.

Then we got to go to the Hooters in Little Rock. This was after a trade show in Branson, MO--did you know that it was dry? Horrors! The Hooters may well have been the best part of the trip.

I got some employment tips while I was there, FD. Pssst...push up bra.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Probably more like Brillcream and Vitalis, with a hint of tobacco pipe........and the smell of bacon grease........

That's "Brylcreem", and a little dab'll glue do ya...

And there's something about an Aqua Velva man...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28-Y4tc6nCo