Somebody Help - Accused of Theft

[miss-sad]

The HBC states that they are interested in our shopping experience in their stores. They need to know - and want to know - how courteous and respectful their staff are.


Any outstanding service, will help them celebrate their success. Conversely, if you're disappointed in them, they like suggestions on how HBC can improve.


I hope someone can help me out on this :-


I have a terrible and frustrating experience in my entire life shopping at THE BAY today. The mall closes at 11pm for this special day, is 1 week before Christmas and it totally ruin my day and probably all week to Christmas.


I pick up a blouse which I like and find that the material will be too thin and will show what's inside. In order to make sure, if I wear a tank top inside will not be too uncomfortable, conveniently I took a tank top from another blouse and went into the fitting room. Everything is perfect, left the tank top inside the fitting room and paid my blouse at the cashier.


Finish with THE BAY walk out towards to the mall for more shopping, I was stopped by 2 securities and a woman behind me. She identify herself as a security with THE BAY and told me that I have stolen item in her store.


Without her asking, immediately I opened my BAY bag to show I have only a blouse inside. She looked at my bag and said is under my shirt. I lift up my shirt and confirmed there is nothing under my shirt. And she said she is looking for a tank top, I quickly lead her back to the fitting room I used and the room was empty with no clothes inside. ( I have to praise the staff at the fittingroom she had already prepared a clean room for the next customer.) I suspect the staff have taken that tank top back to the floor. I tried to explain but she refuses to listen.


The woman security ordered me to leave her store and she banned me for shopping at THE BAY for 2 years including Zellers and Outfitters. She uses her authority to kick me out, I felt so embarrass and ashamed, to add more to my bleeding situation the mall security wants to walk me to my car. I asked him why he is doing this, my dispute is with THE BAY, he said this is their policy I have to leave the mall too. I told him that I don't want him to follow me, you are going to embarrass me even more and I will get out right now. ( Thanks god he did not follow me ) I was so helpless and annoyed.


What have I done today to receive such punishment from people that take their job in such pride. They did not find what they think I have taken. In my opinion, the woman security at THE BAY failed her job as a security, she is not apologetic or embarrassed by her poor judgement.

To make the whole story short, I kept calling THE BAY and insisted an investigation to my case, I did not sleep all night, go to work on Sunday morning called again in the afternoon and was asked to talk to the Sucurity Manager, talking to him makes me sick, he backed up his staff for what she do is right and he will call me back later.

Finally, when he called he apologised to me that it was a mistake, he saw in his video, I took only the blouse I paid for out from the fitting room and there is nothing under my shirt. It was the fitting room staff moved that tank top and put it away. I asked if that woman security watched the video with him, he said " yes " and mentioned that she felt bad about it.
I felt like a big rock just fell out of me, I felt so relief.
He told me that I am no longer banned and ask if I would shop with THE BAY again, I told him I will banned myself for shopping with them.

That's all I got from THE BAY, no apology from that woman security that accused me, asked for her name, not allowed to give out.
I am still very angry and feel that they have taken away my dignity and put me out in the spot light with such embarrassment.

From today onwards I will think twice shopping at THE HBC again, they hired under trained and aggressive staff. Turning shoppers into
shop-lifters and we are the one who pay them their wages.

I want justice and be treated fairly, I like to ask for feed back and suggestions from you for what action should I take.

Thank you and Merry Christmas to all SHOPPERS !

[glenglen]

What a sad story,it truly makes me upset to read it,I'm not sure what recourse you can take,it will take some time before you can let it go,I know if it was me I would be sick about it.I hope the SC'ers on here can give you some good advice,I hope you can have a Merry Christmas despite what happened.

[docbosh]

Miss Sad,

Sorry to hear that this happened to you, I can imagine the embarrassment.

Rarely will you get an apology from people who are just trying to do their jobs, sadly there are many average looking shoppers who do shop lift. Just because you are not one of them doesn't mean much to the security. When you are on their property your rights are not the same as when out in public, so they can do this to you without much cause. I'm not sure what ramifications there are legally.

It is certainly your choice whether you shop with HBC again or not, they'd rather be wrong and lose you as a client, than to keep having people steal right out under their noses, and it happens all the time. Every time it does it only add to the cost of product, because these store have got to factor in lose, it's a double edged sword, if you want them to continue to offer products that you may want a reasonable price, then this will happen every once and a while.

May not be the answer you want, I'm not siding with HBC, just making a point as to why they have security. I'm sure being wrong happens less often than being right, but that won't go far towards making you feel better. Just take heart that you weren't shop lifting despite the inconvenience.

Doc Bosh

[Justine]

If they really thought that you had stolen something, wouldn't they have called the police and charged you with theft?

[Justine]

double post excuse me.

[docbosh]

If they really thought that you had stolen something, wouldn't they have called the police and charged you with theft?

Not necessarily, it is at their discretion what they chose to do, nothing says that they must call the cops. The fact that they couldn't find the tank top isn't an admission of anything either.

Again, not defending HBC, just making a point.

[Nice Sass]

Wondering which Province you're located in, as Trespass legislation is Provincial. In Ontario, the way that the Trespass to Property Act works, once you've been told that you're trespassing if you return somewhere, that order applies, whether it was in writing or not. From reading your story, it sounds like nothing was ever put in writing, but an oral order applies. Guaranteed that mall security recorded your license plate, which they compile and look for when doing scans of the parking lot.

Anyhow, it's all well and good that The Bay Security Manager told you that the Trespass order is rescinded, but if the mall security told you that you're trespassed from the mall as well, this is where it gets trickier, as you can't rely on security at The Bay to carry the message forward to the mall. If you were caught at the mall without the trespass order having been lifted officially, you could be subject to a $50 fine if convicted (you would never be convicted if you could prove that The Bay erred...more on that later). And it's not an arrestable offense unless you fail to identify yourself, or fail to leave when told to do so.

So....where to go from here. First, get a written apology from The Bay security, and ensure that they forward it to Mall Security. Secondly, get written assurance from Mall Security that you are not trespassed from the mall. If The Bay Security refuses to put this in writing, or doesn't do so in a reasonable period of time (I would give them no more than five business days to do this), then ask to speak with the District Manager and request this of them. They should be well aware that the embarassment suffered by you could lead to lawsuits (however unlikely).

This sucks. I feel for you. It's horrible to be accused of doing something that you didn't do. If The Bay security had an ounce of proper training they would know that when a person is that insistant that they didn't do something and attempts to prove so, they almost always didn't do it. Generally speaking, a guilty party asks what evidence you have on them; an innocent party volunteers everything in an attempt to prove that they are not quilty....which is what you did.

[Sunraven]

I'd be sending head office a VERY STERN letter if this had happened to me.

[c0nfluence]

I'd be making phone calls to head office and sending letters to the top people in the company. Go over everyone's heads. This story is appalling, I'm sorry they embarrassed you so badly. That is disgusting. Make sure you have everyone's names and don't be afraid to NAME them in your letters.

[Justine]

Did they take your name down? they can't ban you from the store if they don't have your name.

[miss-sad]

I tried to explain to the woman security, she is not interested to listen, she ordered me to leave + the banning. The mall security asked for my ID and he walkie talkie his office. And you think everything will end soon, while handing back my ID, security wants to walk me to my car, everything happened so fast, When you have a chance to think and put yourself together, that is when I am in my car. It took me awhile before I can turn the car on and drive away.

While driving home, I told myself I have to do something to clear things up, when I got home I phone the Mall security and THE BAY.

Got to speak with another mall security he remember me he told me that he watched me getting out from THE BAY into the parking lot, took a couple of minutes before he sees me drive out of the parking lot, then he is satisfy. According to my ID, he told me that I have no past records in their computer system. I can come to shop in their mall, the banned is only at THE HBC. I am still in tears puting words and typing this out. Thanks to glenglen, docbosh, , NICE SASS

[daisybear]

Wow, I fell so sorry you had to deal with that. Some people let their jobs go straight to their heads!

My advice to anyone who ever finds themselves accused by security for shoplifting; if you didn't steal anything but are being accused call the police! You are being harrassed and you have rights.

[Justine]

It's Christmas, shoplifting happens a lot during this time, it sounds like they are being extra cautious. it sucks that it happens to those who are doing nothing wrong. If it were me, I would avoid the store.

[Minou]

I'm sorry you had to go through this. It's awful!

I was pretty surprised at Wal-Mart the other day. You know how the alarms at the doors are ALWAYS going off, and they rarely seem to stop anyone to check? Well, I was right behind a woman as we were leaving the store, and the alarm went off. Both of us had bags, but the greeter stopped the woman ahead of me and moved her off toward customer service. The customer was aboriginal, and I wonder what role that may have played in the greeter's decision to swoop in and pull her aside. Based on the fact that both of us were at the exit at the same time, I would think that both of us should have been stopped.

[Sally888]

Hmmn, I do know that Walmart has to be POSITIVE that the person stole before accusing them, I would assume HBC should be doing that as well.

I think its horrible they accused you of this and you def need a written apology.