Posted on 12/14/2006 5:07:03 PM PST by publana
My parents who are in their seventies, retired, and on Social Security stopped at Walmart on US Hwy 80 in Mesquite, TX to get gas. After paying at the pump with a Walmart Gift Card and retrieving the receipt, the woman in the booth comes over the speaker and asks him how he intends to pay.
My Dad tells her he has already paid and shows her the receipt through the window. They argue a bit, then she asks him to see the $500 Walmart Gift Card. Instead of telling her to buzz off, he hands her the card. She tells him the card isn't any good and she isn't returning it. He shows her the balance of $414.18 printed on the receipt and demands the return of the receipt. Another customer sees what is going on and calls the police.
The police come, run his license to see if they can arrest him for anything, takes the woman's side and does nothing other than to tell her to return the card. My parents leave. After driving about a mile, my mother says to go back and complain to the manager at Walmart.
The manager at Walmart looks at the card and checks it. It shows a zero balance. It also is a much older card than the card my Dad had recently purchase. It had a creation date of October. It dawns on my Dad that the woman switched the card. Although, the manager agrees with my Dad, he says there is nothing he can do. He suggests he calls the police for the woman's theft.
The police come back and do nothing. They say it's a matter for Small Claims Court and refuse to file a report. My Dad wants a report filed because he realizes this woman has a great scam going. Switch cards, keep the one with the money. The customer will not notice the money is gone until the next time he goes to Walmart to make a purchase with the card. By that time, the person will not even remember handing the card to the employee.
My parents, being retired and on social security, could not afford to lose $400 at Christmas time.
Be careful out there!
I agree, get the local paper or tv station involved. Make a public stink. Contact the elected official in charge of the police department and complain. Complain to regional Wal-Mart managers.
E-mail/fax O'Reilly, Ann Landers, etc. Any national consumer affairs organization. Complain to senior services, file an ADA complaint, complain to AARP.
The more places you complain and provide them with the local Wal-mart manager's name and phone number, the more enquiries will be made and the bigger problem you become, the faster they will fix it to shut you up.
The cop said it wasn't a theft because he didn't see it. My Dad asked him if he stuck a gun at somebody out here and took their money and he didn't see it, would that not be a theft. The cop said, "No, it would be armed robbery." My Dads said it was still a theft and the cop said it wasn't.
That women that works at wall mart makes very little money prolly has kids come on Its Christmas she needed the money I for one feel sorry for her
Thanks for the advice. You're right. I need to be making a big stink because Walmart does not want the publicity. The manager's name was James Bozard, btw. He was nice and helpful to my Dad, but said his hands were tied and couldn't do anything because it is Murphy Oil's responsibility and not theirs.
I don't feel a bit sorry for her. Stealing from people is not the way to get money for your kids at Christmas time.
My Dad uses the Walmart Card to buy groceries at Sams because the only credit card they take is Discover. He buys the card to pay for his gas and groceries. Basically, this woman just took food off a 72 year old man's table.
There is a record of the sale, and a record that the clerk was in possession of the card.
You have all of the evidence you need to get satisfaction from Murphy Oil and Walmart.
Thanks Valpal1. I wrote all those down to call/email tomorrow. I knew if I came here, Freepers would have some great ideas. :)
You're joking right? She works for Murphy USA, not Wal-Mart, BTW.
Thanks for relating your family's sad tale.
IF and ONLY IF you can't get satisfaction soon...read below.
My inexpert suggestion (and thus probably foolish) would be to really go over
your folks story. Make it short, sweet and direct.
Call the local newspapers and TV stations. At least one is likely to
have a "consumer affairs" or "scam" reporter that would salivate over
a story like this.
And a story about grinch behind plexiglas robbing an adorable
senior-citizen couple AT CHRISTMAS TIME...that's red meat for most journalists.
Be prepared for WalMart/Murphy Oil and the local police to fire back.
But sometimes, going public is the only way for the disinfectant
of exposure to the light of day to clean up these infective insults to
a daily civil life.
And prevent the scammer from getting away with it over and over again.
And I'm no lawyer, but I think your folks have been the victim of
a real crime, and a felony at that.
Thought an old NYCer like you might appreciate my insight on this! I admit, my bad attitude has served me well my whole life! ;-)
Either you are a sucker waiting for a scam artist to take away your life savings or you are very good at sarcasm.
Like using cash?
Katie Sandifer
Community Relations
P.O. Box 7000
El Dorado, AR 71731 (870) 881-6866
ksandifer@murphyoilcorp.com
If he has the receipt, there should be a computer trail back to the card id that he used. He should demand that Walmart freeze that card (probably too late but worth the shot) while things play out. He should also demand the card's transaction history and register video. It was a Walmart employee who perpetrated the fraud so Walmart should be the defendant in small claims court. And tell them never, ever get a debit card or a gift card, certainly not in large demoninations.
The whole event was probably videotaped by a security tape. Get that tape.
The lack of punctuation in your post makes it difficult to be completely sure of your meaning, but you appear to be condoning a theft. Please explain what you actually meant.
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