notice of suspension help

angelstar25

Hi Hope somebody can help and let me know whats what, and what to expect and give me advice

On the 6th june 2009 I took an electrical item back to the company that I work for, however I paid for them before xmas using the points acquired on a loyalty card, but I took them back as they were not working correctly. The girl who done the refund is a very close friend of mine, I told her at the time I bought them before xmas for half price, whether she never heard me or what they didn't go through at half price. I never realised at the time it was only on the thursday I realised when I bought some more goods, so I knew I had to say something.
I never found the right moment as the place I work in is small not enough staff, so it wasn't until tuesday the 13th june that I managed to mention it to my manager, I explained what had happened and how I ended up with double back on my card, and that I was more than happy for the extra points to come off, which by this point it was too late she says as head office were investigating it. So I half expected something to happen.

Then yesterday I get a full interview lasting four hours long on this, at the same time my friend was getting interviewed too, and basically she can't remember me telling her they were half price, but to be fair to her it was like 4 weeks ago.

So they are saying because our statements don't match and because how long it took me to tell my store manager, they issued me with a notice of suspension.

It states you arer suspended from your employment following am investigation into a refund on the 6th june 2009, you are suspended pending further investigation to give you time away from the business and the company to investigate the matter further.

you are suspended with pay from the 8th july til tuesday 14th july

So not sure what to think really this has never happened to me before some advice would be great, been in touch with the union, but to be perfectly honest my union ain't fantastic.

Is it right for them 4 weeks later to interview someone does it not have to be done straight away?

my manager doesn't get on with me, I had a grievance in against her not long ago, I feel like its the final nail in the coffin as she wants me sacked

I was due to start my new job within the company on monday so dear knows what they will think of me now

I've worked for this company for twelve years and never had any problem up until I started working in the branch i'm in now.

please help

mrcow

So in a nutshell - you were refunded more points than you realised.

You later realised and so you informed the company.

You have subsequently been put on a disciplinary.

One question........are you 100% sure that you brought this to the attention of the company? They didn't find out first and then confront you about it? If so, then I can't see what the problem is. If you brought it to their attention then how can they possibly imply that there was any fraudulent or criminal intent.

Are you a member of a union? Or have you called ACAS?

What exactly are they accusing you of? The other thing is do you have legal protection on your house insurance? If so, you may want to consider using it.

SomeBozo

Sorry, but from your own words you had at least 3 times to bring this up.

You could have been clear BEFORE the points were refunded.
You could have checked AFTER the points were refunded back to your card.
Then you had 7 days to raise this with your manager.

Indeed even your "close" friend can't remember you saying "Hey, be careful I got this item half price, make sure I only get half points".

Now you are trying to pull holes in the suspenstion process.

Sorry, your story is full of holes and you missed too many opportunities to put this right,

Bozo

angelstar25

I did definitely tell my friend I purchased the item at half price, and I thought she had put it through the till at half price, she is 6 months pregnant and she can't remember me saying that, but i did. You are right I did have time to bring it up I realised on the thursday lunch time how many points had went on my card when I purchased something else, I was going to tell my manager, but being a busy small shop I didn't get the right time, so after the thursday I had the fri where there is not any staff at all, 2 members off staff, so we were busy so I couldn't and she wasn't in on the monday so it was the tuesday when i told her., but that was over three weeks ago when I told her and I got interviewed yesterday, quite a long time to go before being interviewed.
I am 100% telling the truth where i did bring it to the attention of management it was a few weeks ago though, I definitely wouldn't do anything fraudulent against the company as I am a loyal member of staff, I had every intention of telling my manager it just took a while to do so, and i regret that now. I am waiting for a phonecall back off my union, and i will ring acas. Is it normal for this length of time to investigate?

SomeBozo

Ok, I won't poke holes anymore in your story, it certainly sounds like your employer will though. Just one point

but being a busy small shop I didn't get the right time

This is so important that "now" is important. What is so important at work that over-rides a issue that on a personal level could lead to the sack!?

Also they can take "reasonable" time to investigate it.

Bozo

angelstar25

Cheers for the information bozo some other things that I feel are important to mention is the fact it has taken so long to investigate, why?
the time lapse of 30 days is a long time or people to remember crucial bits of information is this fair?
the incident happened on the 8/6/2009, i realised on thursday 11/6/2009 when i bought some goods, I then told my manager what had happened the following tuesday the 16/6/2009, so reasonably speaking that was only 1 and a half days of working time when i actually realised, so is 1 and a half days classed as long ?
Another aspect is the fact I don't know what the manager has said as she is now on a 3 week holiday, but I

angelstar25

it didn't let me finish my paragraph for some reason there, so here is what i was saying:-
Another aspect is the fact I don't know what the manager has said as she is now on a 3 week holiday, but I don't have a very good working relationship with her, when I realised I did tell her, as I knew there needed to be adjustments made to my loyalty card and to let the company know of the error. I never thought it would end up like this, with me being suspended, worse things have happened in store and nothings happened. I believe my manager wants rid of me , but for the fact of me approaching her about this situation it has to count for something.

angelstar25

Hi I had the next part of my "discussing the investigation further" yesterday and I now have to attend a disciplinary interview tomorrow, the disciplinary interview is in order to discuss the receipt of points on my card in which I was not entitled to, this is in relation to a refund I recieved on the 8th june where i was given 97.89 in points and that I failed to notify anyone of this until the 16th june despite admitting I was aware of the error on the 11th june 2009, again I am suspended with pay.
On the bottom of the letter it states please be aware a potential outcome of this disciplinary hearing may be that you recieve a final written warning, are dismissed from our emplyment or are summarily dismissed from our employment

The incident happened on monday 8/6/2009, I did not recieve a receipt, which I have proved as it was put in the till drawer and it was in the audit parcel for that week, I realised on the 11/6/2009 which was the thursday lunch time, when I realised I had to double check my receipt and double check it again, so I never said anything on the thursday afternoon, On the friday I had a doctors appointment in the morning and an interview in another store in the afternoon so it slipped my mind on the friday, sat and sun i was off, the monday the store manager was off so I told her on the tuesday, so reasonably speaking it was 1 and a half days of working time when i realised to when i told her.

I got a copy of the girl who done the refunds interview and found many loops in that statement would I be right in thinking that I could bring this up tomorrow?
Also she has got away with it all with no further action taken on her

SOME LOOPS I THINK BELOW BUT ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE!

angelstar - me
moon - girl who done the refund
sun - interviewer

Did angelstar say anything?
No she was at the till and went upstairs, she put the recipt up in her bag

- i did not get a reciept as proven as it was put in a till drawer
- I told moon I had bought them for half price before xmas

No she was at the till and went upstairs, she put the receipt up on her bag, I got a call from the manager to say the straighteners were half price and she got the full price back, I think she mentioned it to the manager

- This is not the turn of events as the manager was not in on the 8/6/2009, the way it is wrote is as if moon got a call there and then and that was not the case.

did you tell the manager who the customer was?
yes angelstar

- when i approached the manager about the points on my card on tuesday the 16th june and explain what had happened the manager had said she had already spoken to moon with regards to it and moon never knew who the customer was

what part of the day did the manager ring you?
1pm

- This cannot be the case as I spoke to the manager before 12 probably around 11am and the manager had already spoken to moon

Can you remember buy a razor?
yes
9.19
i bought it for my husband, he didn't want it, a fellow employee done the refund
did you have a receipt
yes
you bought it on the 11th, took it back 6 days later paid 9.99, and you got a refund 23.19
i don't know
would you agree
i didn't notice at the time
is there anything you need to tell me
i will give you the difference
i didn't know
the break 12:10
moon starts to cry
break for a cup of tea

- i readed through moons notes and she has made the same mistake as i did and why is she no longer suspended?
- moon failed to notify anybody of this issue, however I notified the store manager why am I being treated different?
- percent wise she gained more money back then myself
- plus moons was a cash refund, so she would've known
- how come this wasn't flagged up on reports as according to the manager anything above 10 pounds flags up and therefore why was this not investigated?

while I was doing the transaction we talked about a patient, I didn't mention straighteners, I know I should have
- I explained to moon they were half price and had bought them on the internet before xmas and to do the refund for half price
- no talk of patient

I just scanned the item and gave her the points angelstar rang me to me she had more points, I said to see the manager
- I rang moon on the tuesday after I had spoken to the manager, but not beforehand, she never mentioned to see the manager

did she tell you at the till point she had paid half price originally
no i don't remember that there were lots of xmas offers she might have told me

- i did tell moon I purchased them for half price

If she didn't have a receipt how do you know she redeemed the item
she got lots of xmas goods
why did this show as a redemption
i don't know, i've no idea, the points refund went on, I was told it was bought with points by angelstar

- on one part of the statement it states i said nothing, how did moon know it was a refund
- on another part it states no mention of the straighteners how come she knew it was a points refund

any advice would be great, I think the length of tome it took is irrelevent, as I did tell my manager

I havbe spoken to my union and they will be with me tomorrow so fingers crossed