Posted on 09/19/2008 6:40:50 AM PDT by scan59
Federal prosecutors have charged a North Idahoan with 2 offenses after a dispute over the price of a pop at the Boise VA hospital.
-- SNIP --
Natalie Walters, now facing two counts that each carry a maximum sentence of six months in federal prison, thinks the case is a waste of taxpayer money and plans to fight the charges.
-- SNIP --
The 39-year-old North Idaho resident periodically drives her father, a disabled Vietnam veteran, to Boise's VA Medical Center for doctor visits. She brings her own mug and fills it with soda in the hospital's cafeteria. The cafeteria does not have a posted price for refills, and typically the cashier charges her $1 or $1.50, Walters said.
But on Aug. 20, when Walters filled her mug with Diet Coke, the clerk charged $3.80.
"I told her that cannot be right and asked to talk to the manager," Walters said.
The manager told Walters the price is correct.
Walters decided she didn't want to pay that much and offered to return the soda, she said. But the manager told her there was no way to accept the returned soda and Walters had to pay. Walters refused, and she said she was angry by this point, and she poured the soda onto the counter.
The manager banned Walters from the cafeteria. Walters left but remained in the hospital for a couple of hours waiting for her father to finish his appointments. No one came to talk to her, so she assumed the soda ordeal was over.
What happened the next day upsets Walters most...
(Excerpt) Read more at idahostatesman.com ...
As to your When she reasonably offered to return the pop they refused. They are at fault.
The soda was in her personal container. It would've been against the law to 'return it' - hygiene laws. However, the matter should've been handled then and there or forgoten.
I agree.
“You are correct, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that there was no posted price and before they had only charged her a buck to a buck fifty. When she reasonably offered to return the pop they refused. They are at fault.”
The point was that she poured the drink out on the counter. How do you return a drink from a soda fountain? We all have had to deal with a price that we weren’t aware of. It’s only $3.80, it wasn’t her life savings.
None of the people acted reasonably or responsibly.
What would they have done if she, expecting to be charged only a buck-fifty, didn’t have the other two dollars they demanded?
This does not excuse her pouring the drink on the counter.
Stories such as this serve better to illustrate the disconnect that has been occurring and the widening gap between authority and civility.
Manners are so passe.
Yes, she did something REALLY stupid. And is trying to blame others. Maybe George Bush did it.
No posted price? I wouldn’t pay over double what they normally charged either.
Pouring it on the counter? Immature and petty. She deserved to be banned from the cafeteria.
Charging her with petty larceny and creating a disturbance at a Federal facility? Gigantic over-reaction and overreach by the Government.
If she can prove that they accessed her Father’s medical records to find her, that cafeteria manager will be out on the street for escalating this incident.
“They happily filled my vat-o-coffee at the discount price. LOL”
The only problem with that is going to the restroom more often!
I agree, pouring the pop on the counter was totally uncalled for. And yes $3.80 is less than a Latte at Starbucks.
This was a stupid dispute that wasn't handled well. It is not a criminal matter. Now we have a women facing felony charges and officials who may have violated HIPAA Statutes. Do you really think that the authorities handled this matter properly?
FYI, the paper cup is the most expensive part of any drink from a fountain. The syrup is dirt-cheap, and the water is carbonated at the time it is dispensed. Aside from the cup, the electricity used to make the ice might be the most expensive part.
Fountain drinks are almost pure profit, and they allow vendors to charge lower prices for the food, with the expectation that you'll buy a drink with it.
I think they are, beacuse we had a friend who needed us to take her to a dr's appt. When I called to make sure that the time/place were correct ( she's sometimes a little confused) they would not tell me, due to HIPPA.
Same friend, had an emergency operation, and afterward was released to a rest home for recovery. We heard about it at church, and called one she had been at before to see if she was there so we could visit her. They would not tell us whether or nor she was there, due to HIPPA.
It covers ALL aspects of a patient's records.
“Once the soda leaves the dispenser machine, it’s pretty damn hard to return it to a re-dispensabe position.”
She could still return it. Here is how it works: She gives them the cup. They go to the sink and dump the soda down the drain. They give her cup back. That is how you return soda. (Don’t try to talk about the cost of the soda unless you want to look like a fool.)
It is the correct solution: She did not get the soda below what the manager wanted to charge, and the manager was not allowed to make up a new price and force her to pay it without forewarning.
And it is just getting worse : (
The product is no longer saleable, hence it's not returned. Dont' try to refute this point, or you will be a total fool. It wasn't returned, she didn't pay for it, she broke the law. She also made a big mess. Id' say they were nice to let her leave, they could have had her arrested. Should the price have been posted? Yes. Should she be allowed to get away without paying for it? No.
That pretty much sums up this case.
This was all over difference of about $2.30.
I have a feeling when this woman asked to see the manager, she was less than calm and collected (especially in light of the fact that she ended up poring her drink out all over the countet). Odds are, she acted like a jerk and the manager decided not to cut her any slack. In most situations, people who remain calm and rational in customer service situations tend to get better results.
I agree with you, if I sat on the jury, she’d walk. The stupid manager could have defused the situation by charging only $1.50 after a warning and still made a good profit. BTW, a paper soda glass probably costs more than the ingredients of the soda - it is just carbonated water and a squirt of syrup — almost pure profit.
Bingo! That would hold up in a civil case. Too bad she acted like a child and made a mess.
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