-San Antonio Walmart shoppers might want to think twice about paying with cash on their next shopping trip.The Walmart at 8500 Jones Maltsberger Road is being sued for allegedly ripping up a customer's money when she tried to pay using a $100 bill while Christmas shopping back in December 2010.
According to court documents filed this month, the plaintiff Julia Garcia had attempted to pay for her purchases using a $100 bill and a $50 bill.
Courthouse News reports the cashier thought the $100 bill was fake.
"The cashier inspected the $100 bill, turned to another cashier and had a brief discussion, and returned to her register telling the plaintiff her money was 'fake,'" the complaint states. "The cashier proceeded to rip the $100 bill in half without performing any counterfeit detection tests. The metallic strip in the $100 bill was clearly visible."
After Garcia objected, the cashier marked the $100 bill with a yellow counterfeit detection pen. The pen left a yellow mark on the bill, which is what happens when a bill is legitimate.
A bitter argument apparently ensued between Garcia, the cashier, and eventually store management, who ultimately called the police and detained the customer until they arrived two hours later.
The police inspected the $100 bill, found it to be legitimate, and told the Walmart manager on duty he had to replace the customer's money.
Garcia is now seeking damages for false imprisonment, claiming the Walmart loss prevention team refused to let her leave the store until the police got on scene.
The court documents for the case are really interesting reading, and show just how badly a customer service situation can spin out of control with improperly trained employees and/or managers.
What would you do if your money was refused or torn up at a store? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Want more freebies and deals? Follow me on Twitter, check out my boards on Pinterest, or keep up with all the action on Facebook.
I wouldn't be filing a lawsuit this late in the game, sounds like someone wanting to sue Walmart to get a big payday. I'd just let lie and move on with my life...she got her money back.
ReplyDeleteThat its my wakmart and I feel scared to go shop there
ReplyDeleteI would probably sued for more money.The cashier and the manager seem like they would be from the ghetto.
ReplyDeleteHolly Crap I would probably go the F off on someone. I'm all for kill them with kindness, but that is crazy.
ReplyDeleteI've worked in a Thriftstore,and we always used a counterfeit pen to check bills over twenty dollars.Though now,I am aware that some counterfeiters use five dollar bills and print over them.
ReplyDeleteI would actually sue Walmart, I would do it now, and I would get it the publicity it deserves, because I won't shop at Walmart, I might be a little skewed in my view, but to be treated as a criminal, it is wrong, I have had my coupons turned down ( printable) because the cashier was uninformed, that is embarrassing enough, knowing that I did not counterfeit anything doesn't help as I work with the cashier to get them to understand , and being told " I won't help you be a thief, just get a better job" said the cashier at Walmart...... so sure I would sue them, then donate the money ..
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly the reason I very seldom shop at Walmart. It isn't worth the hassle.
DeleteIt was absolutely wrong to do that to a customer, I would be pissed off. I'm so upset that stores treat their customers like criminals and I would sue for as much as I could. Stores have to learn that whether we are cuponing or paying with cash, we as the general public are making their business stay alive. Without customers there is no business
ReplyDeleteIsn't destroying currency a federal offense?
ReplyDeleteyep
DeleteI would have beat them to the punch with calling the local police. I have the non emergency numbers for our local police deparments programmed in my cell. If they called 911 the could have also been arrested for making a false 911 call. I would have turned them in to the Department of the treasury.
ReplyDeleteThen I would have filed a lawsuit to get restituton. I woud have been willing to settle if all involved parties were fired. Plus if they instituted a chainwide program to eductate cashiers, clerks, csm and management.