Sainsburys have taken money from me illegally

Fruball

Hi - Sorry I wasn't sure where to post this so I expect the mods will move it somewhere more appropriate

I was going through my bank statements the other day and found that Sainsburys have taken a payment from my account TWICE !

Its for just over £50 and appears twice on my statement on the same day at the same store.

I called the local store and was told to come down and my money would be refunded - which I did - then when I got there I was told that they couldn't find records of it so it would have to go through Head Office and that they would call me the following day.

They Didn't.

I am really cross about this - I need the money and don't know what to do next.

ALso, can I claim compensation from them - the money was taken back in JUNE !

Many thanks in advance for any replies

Cheers
Frugal

rigsby1967

HI Frugal
I have worked in shops, though the smaller ones and not one like sainsburys.
I dont quiet understand what record they are looking for TBH (perhaps the till reciepts) but that would be alm
ost like looking for a needle in a haystack and seeing as you have it there in black and white on your statement i would be inclined to go back and DEMAND my money back, if that fails tell the store manager you will take the matter further.
As for compensation i can't answer that but you could certainly try somewhere like cab to find out.

duchy

I wouldn't bother with the store. As they didn't get back to you I would call customer services and tell them the store said they would get back to you and haven't. I'd also inform the bank.

Fruball

I spoke to the bank first and they told me to take it up with the store - reason being the pin number was put in twice - basically they told me that the first transaction didn't go through when it obviously did.

frogga

Hi Frugal

This happened to me in Sainsburys in Ipswich not less than 3 months ago.

The store were less than helpful and when I phoned the bank they told me to go back to the store and phone them on my mobile and demand that the store manager spoke to the Abbey on the phone in front of me.

I really made a fuss and phoned the Abbey ( had a direct number for the chap who had been dealing with it) in front of the manager who spoke to them.

They gave me a full refund there and then and £100 voucher as it had actually meant that a DD had bounced too as I had less money than I thought!!!!

Also the Abbey refunded the charge and so I was quids in eventually.

Stand your ground and make a fuss. It's your money and their mistake!

DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER

Frogga xx

tallyhoh

I worked for Sainsburys for a long time. There is absolutely no reason why you cannot be refunded from the store. They are fobbing you off. Stand your ground.

Did you speak to the manager or an assistant?

emmie1234

This happened to me too at Asda. I was charged £43 twice - I only entered my pin once(?). I only noticed when I rang the bank the next day to get a balance and couldn't understand why my account was less than it should have been. They refunded the payment back into my account two days later.

mrbadexample

I appreciate you need the cash, but if you can hang on a bit, write to the biggest cheese you can find, company director or whatnot, and politely explain what has happened.

Say that it wasn't sorted out by the store, and CS haven't called you back as promised. Ask for an immediate refund, and explain that you have been inconvenienced by not having sufficient funds available to you as a result of their error. Ask them to explain why CS didn't have the courtesty to contact you.

I wouldn't directly ask for compensation, but there's a pretty good chance you'll get a refund post haste, and something for your trouble.

Oh yeah...send it recorded delivery, of course.

floss2

The best thing to do may be to wait until tomorrow morning if you can, and see if the extra payment reappears into your bank.

I've had this happen 3 times with New Look - it does come back, but usually takes 24hrs.

However, I would also write to their head of CS & complain bitterly - did you get name & make a note of the time you called CS?

tallyhoh

And I don't see any reason why you should not seek compensation. Some years ago if a faulty item was returned to the store it was policy to refund travelling expenses for a start!

Not to mention the fact that you have had to make phone calls etc for something THEY DID WRONG, not to mention inconvenience.

Complain bitterly and at the top of the tree.

daisyroots_2

All the above advice is good and you'll probably get your money back, as well as compensation for your fruitless visit to the store. However, just in case you still have no joy - write or email Tony Levene at Capital Letters (Guardian, Saturday Money Section) He seems to be able to wring compensation out of the most scrooge-like of corporations.