We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Boots - Instore Customer Service

Options
Just needed to get this off my chest -
Went instore to Boots yesterday and saw a promotion advertised "No7 Buy 2 get 1 Free", only condition is not applicable to reduced items. Fair enough.
I saw 2 shelves with No7 gift packs marked on shelf at £3 - just plain £3 ticket, no mention that they were reduced - no "was £*.** / Now £*.**" tickets.
(coinsidently on the top shelf were some reduced No7 products, and on their ticket labels it said 3 for 2 - how confusing is that?)

So I took 3 gift boxes to the till and was advised that the total to pay was £9 - discount wasn't applied.
I advised to the cashier the promotion, who went off to the display and promtly came back with the manager who advised that the product was orignally £15 something and that's why the discount doesn't apply, and promtly said "Do you want them or not?"
I tried to explain the product wasn't advertised as a sale item - so how am i to know the didn't apply.
"Well i'm telling you now" she replied.
The conversation went down the lines of a breach of trading standards regulations, and i must point out i didn't raise my voice, nor swear. It just seemed the manager wasn't listening to me, and she was talking off a script.
I think it was when i mention, with a smile that she didn't seem to understand what i was saying was when to my horror she called security, and the security guard actually grabbed me by the arm and directed me to the door!!!

I do want to reiterate that i'm not a confrontational person - have never been escorted off any shop before and certainly didn't raise my voice or swear - the reason i didn't accept her explaniation is that she wasn't listening to my complaint.

I've had a terriable night sleep, concerned if anyone i knew saw me being escorted out of the shop and sincerely feel humilated, at what at the end of the day is a £3 descrepency.

Surely, put myself in the managers shoes the repoonse i would have given would have been down the lines "I can see the product hasn't been advertised as a reduced item, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will get the shelf tickets amended and honor the promotion this time as a gesture of good will?"

I certainly will never tread foot in boots again, and to ashamed to go to the retail park it is situated at, for fear of being recognised.

Comments

  • Write to head office and complain:

    Boots Customer Care
    PO Box 5300
    Nottingham
    NG90 1AA

    You would also be able to go to the police and have the security guard arrested for assault if you so wish, don't worry, there will be cctv. Nobody is allowed to touch you without your permission.
    I think this would be a good course of action, if nothing else it would teach the security guard a lesson that he can't do whatever he likes.
  • Poppy9
    Poppy9 Posts: 18,833 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Make a complaint to the police asap about the assault so they can cease the CCTV. The manager is as guilty as the security guard as she instructed them to assault you. Don't let this go.

    Always remember that no shop, security or not has a right to use unreasonable force to remove you from their premises. If she had asked you to leave and you refused then they can use reasonable force to remove you. Shops or their security staff do not have the right to search your bags etc even if they suspect theft. Only the Police have the right to search you.
    :) ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I am in a bit of a hurry-so i will answer quickly.I am afraid this is not the case.A shop is a public place,but it is private property.They are perfectly entitled to escort you from the premesis, using force if necessary (think about doormen in nightclubs) and a hand on the arm would conceivably be warranted if they saw you as some kind of threat.I was not there,but personally would have thought it would have been sufficient to ASk you to leave,then call the guard if you refused.So if this didnt happen I think it was possibly heavy handed,and not good practice.Even more so if you were female.Your reference to Trading Standards was irrelevant,as they are not in the wrong.You may get somewhere by complaining to head office,but you may not.Sorry though for your bad experience.
  • Your reference to Trading Standards was irrelevant

    Not strictly true. They are refusing to honour a promotion, they are not correctly advertising a discount (eg Was price). I fail to see where you are coming from.

    Also, by your logic, I am legally allowed to beat the living c**p out of someone who has broken into my house if it is the only way to remove them? Then why are so many burglars etc claiming compensation?
  • Poppy9 wrote:
    Make a complaint to the police asap about the assault so they can cease the CCTV. The manager is as guilty as the security guard as she instructed them to assault you. Don't let this go.

    Always remember that no shop, security or not has a right to use unreasonable force to remove you from their premises. If she had asked you to leave and you refused then they can use reasonable force to remove you. Shops or their security staff do not have the right to search your bags etc even if they suspect theft. Only the Police have the right to search you.

    Many Thanks to all for your replies.
    That was another thing that i couldn't understand...... the manager never asked me to leave, but instead called the security guard and said "Escort this lady off the premises".
    I will write to head office and complain, but that will be it. Informing the police is not something I want to persue as no physical harm was inflicted, and it all seems very silly for what was a £3 descrepency.
    I just hope I get some kind of formal apology from boots with an admittance that they handled my complaint incorrectly, and this manager needs some re-training on customer service.
    I did take the managers name, so hopefully my complaint will ensure no-one else recieves this kind of service from this manager.

    thank you all once again for your replies, just gives me some assurity that it wasn't me making a meal of things and that i deserved this humilating experience.

    My husband made me feel better, although I pleaded with him not to go to the store to confront this manager, this morning he took me to another store and we took advantage of the No7 glitch.... makes me feel better in some way, as petty as it may sound.
  • andyrules
    andyrules Posts: 3,558 Forumite
    I think Hollydays is correct about the pricing, but it is a grey area. This might be of interest -
    http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/general/advertising/fs_p01.shtml

    Also, by your logic, I am legally allowed to beat the living c**p out of someone who has broken into my house if it is the only way to remove them? Then why are so many burglars etc claiming compensation? by woohoo

    This doesn't really have any relevance to Hollydays' post, she/he did indicate they thought the whole security thing was over the top. I totally agree, it must have been a nightmare for the op who was only querying the shop's error. I would definitely follow the whole thing as 'bad practice' with head office.

    boots are especially bad at this kind of advertising error - I had exactly the same recently with the offer advertised on a huge cardboard stand in front of the goods - only to find it had expired the day before! The assistant was snotty too. Makes you wonder if they are deliberately slow at taking it down or just plain incompetent.

    op - not shopping at Boots is no great loss imo.
  • andyrules wrote:
    op - not shopping at Boots is no great loss imo.

    Agreed, voting with your feet is the best way of getting your own back. I find Boots very expenive anyway and definitely not an MSE way to shop.
  • gyzmo
    gyzmo Posts: 624 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    The provisions of price indications and comparisons are to be found in subordinate legislation to s. 20 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, specifically the Consumer Protection (Code of Practice for Traders on Price Indications) Approval Order 2005. This order states that where a price has been lowered or discounted, the previous price should be displayed or made known. Furthermore, it could be arued that the prices have been misleading after they have been given - another offence.

    The law is clear as to what constitute an offence. Where the problem arises is to do with defences and due diligence.

    Repor them to Trading Standards. It seems obvious to me that they have not taken care in advertising their prices at all.
    Don't bother trying to sue me - I've got no money!
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Your reference to Trading Standards was irrelevant

    Not strictly true. They are refusing to honour a promotion, they are not correctly advertising a discount (eg Was price). I fail to see where you are coming from.

    Also, by your logic, I am legally allowed to beat the living c**p out of someone who has broken into my house if it is the only way to remove them? Then why are so many burglars etc claiming compensation?

    Well that is burglary,this issue is trespass-so no comparison.A home is NOT a public place,so the law is different,the householder didnt "invite " them in,whereas the shop did.
    No you are not allowed to beat them-the law states "reasonable force" .but there Is a difference between arresting someone and ejecting them,and attacking someone and defending yourself--and there is a difference between how you deal with trespass or burglarly-two entirely different things (trespass is not dealt with in the criminal courts). Re your comment dont worry there will be cctv-this depends entirely on where the relevant camera was pointing,and if anyone even bothered to switch it to "record" that day,or have ahem accidentally recorded over it.Most cameras can only record in one direction,its a misconception they can cover every square inch.

    Poppy,the Manager did not instruct the guard to assault her,she told him to "escort her from the premesis",this usually would mean just walking someone out.While the Manager may have been impatient,rude and unprofessional,(from what you say,your version,it seems she was)I think the guard made a (poor) descision to do this, by himself.If gyzmo says they were acting in breach of statute on pricing this would definitely be in your favour should you choose to complain,though its not unreasonable to put your arm on someone to propel them towards the door.Not nice ever,but not unreasonable.Dragging them out by their hair is unreasonable,or kicking them. Police wont involve themselves in trespass issues.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.