A Walmart Horror Story.

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shawn622

Lifer
Jul 22, 2012
1,081
2
Mount Sterling, Ohio
A couple of weeks ago I had an experience at Walmart that nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. I went to walmart to get a bunch of school clothes and supplies for my kids. I went and checked out. It was close to 200 bucks. i slid my card and something went wrong. The cashier said everything was ok, so I grabbed the bags and started out the door. I looked at the receipt and I was charged double. I turned around, went back to the cashier and showed her my receipt. She called the manager. The manager took my receipt and the card and punched a bunch of stuff into the register and says she took care of it. On my way out, I called the bank automated system to check my balance and almost 800 bucks was gone. I went to the manager and she claimed I was trying to scam them. I was furious. I used my phone to log on to my banks site and showed the manager that 5 transactions had went through. 3 debits and 2 credits. Each debit was double the prior debit. She got really snappy with me and got the store manager who fixed everything, but he was not even that polite. He barely apologized and it seemed forced. I get paid once a month. If this would have went without me catching it, I would have been screwed. I had not paid my bills when this went down. I love Walmart because the prices are good and you don't have to bounce from store to store to get what you want, but that whole thing was jacked up. Anyone else have a Walmart horror story?

 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
Oh crap, that would suck. Its a shame they don't pay their people that well, otherwise you might have a had a bit of better customer service.
Not to their defense, but they are constantly being hit with fraudsters. I stood behind someone who was purchasing gift cards and kept using credit card after credit card. I noticed they were from different banks and most were getting declined. You could tell the clerk thought something was up but the way the rules are written, if a card is present at the point of sale, the merchant will get paid regardless if the card is stolen or not. When I worked in debit card fraud prevention, Wally's was a very common merchant used.
It's good you stood your ground. Just keep an eye on your account to make sure it pans out OK.

 

hunter

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2012
121
0
Canada
That is disgusting, I would put in calls to the Better Business Bureau and their regional manager. It is good you didn't take it lying down. I shop at Walmart every now and again but the worst I ever have to deal with is when folks decided that parenting isn't for them and let their kids run wild, but that is all places.

 

grizzly86

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 5, 2012
692
1
Yes, Wal-Mart prices are low, but it comes at another price. In my experience Wal-Mart customer service is SHIT!

Before anyone gets on me, this is a general statement. I have run into individuals who work at Wal-Mart that are polite and actually try to help; most of them though, managers especially, couldn't give a damn.

 

cajunguy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 22, 2012
756
1
Metairie, LA
My negative experiences at Wal-Mart are too many to name.
Let's just say that, if I were in a financial position to shop elsewhere, I wouldn't miss that damned place.

 

hawk60ce

Lifer
Jun 11, 2012
1,401
2
I refuse to go to walmart. period. i will say there prices are lower, but irregardlessly (yes that was a joke) if the wife needs or wants to look at something there, i wait in the car or have her drop me at a different store.

 

sparroa

Lifer
Dec 8, 2010
1,466
4
I don't fault anybody for shopping at Walmart as I have done it many times myself in the past.
I personally try to avoid them, though, because I think they are a big part of what's ruining the North American economy. Shopping at Walmart encourages outsourcing and a disposable culture, IMHO.
Honestly, I try my best to shop elsewhere or do without unnecessary items.
I tend to support local businesses where possible but often times their prices are too crazy and I opt for an online retailer who has the selection I want for a price I can afford...

 

ocpsdan

Can't Leave
May 7, 2012
411
3
Michigan
I don't shop there. Sure, they have nice prices, but I've noticed that the small business won't screw you like Wal-Mart does.

 

lonestar

Lifer
Mar 22, 2011
2,854
161
Edgewood Texas
I hate to inform everyone, but Wal-Mart is not that cheap any more. Sure some things cheaper there than anywhere else, but if you are filling a cart up you're not saving much.

I dont spend much money with them.

For groceries Aldi is much cheaper but they have a business model that actually saves money without cutting throats.

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
5
Dallas
I typically avoid Wal-Mart. Yeah, you might save $20 on a week's worth of groceries, but the produce is never very good, the meat and dairy will probably be bad because it was left in a shopping cart for 2 days and then put back on the shelf and the lines are ridiculous because there are never enough cashiers and the ones that are there are in no hurry. I go in sometimes if there's a specific thing I need and they are the only place open or has it in stock. A week ago I went in there because they had a TV wall mount and Best Buy was double the price for the same product. I opened the box and inspected it before I bought it, though, because their stuff hets manhandled pretty bad. I usually use the self-check, too.

 

roudoudou

Might Stick Around
Aug 24, 2012
81
1
Montreal
You should contact customer service and explain what happened ($$ and bad service). The debit thing is very unacceptable. Geez, it's fraud!

I'm not familiar with US regulations but something like Consumer Protection (Better Business Bureau as hunter was saying) should be aware of that too.
Hope it'll never happen to anyone of us.

 

typical98

Might Stick Around
Jul 31, 2012
90
0
Toronto
That sucks. Luckly you caught it though. What happened to my mom is that when she went to no frills she got her card copied and the code stolen and the next morning they took out her daily limit then the next day did it again which emptied my moms account. We knew it was the grociery store because it was the only place she used her debit in over a week.
We brought it up to the store manager and showed them the person who did it. (who i might add when the manager spoke to them they were acting very weird.) but the manager basically told us to eff off and never come back. So we didnt but we also went over his head to the franchise manager or whatever there calls. They came down found the person with a different debit machine then the others and the store manager and her were fired and the police were called in to investigate.
There is a way if you switch the debit machine in a store, it will make a copy of the card data and store it, when you put in your debit code it will store that to. so later they can make fake cards.

 

shawn622

Lifer
Jul 22, 2012
1,081
2
Mount Sterling, Ohio
I agree with everyone. I do Aldi for food religiously. I get a full shopping cart at Aldi for 150 bucks where the local IGA I get 4 bags. I agree with everyone about Walmart. They do have great employees on the floor, but the management is just lame. Why I was charged double on the first check out was the woman ran my card as debit when I wanted it ran credit because of fees my bank charges for running it as debit, which is ridiculous. The cashier explanation to her boss was this: "Somehow I thought I voided the sale and then credited his account the amount so I ran the credit transaction as double to equal things out." Sounds fishy huh??? We all make mistakes, but I think that woman was padding her drawer so she could pull the $197 bucks out before her shift was over and wouldn't get caught.

 

steelman

Might Stick Around
Jun 17, 2012
67
2
I do my best to support my small local businesses. I pay a bit extra because their service is top notch.
That being said, there is an expression in my neighborhood....
"The people working at Wal-Mart are the people that Target rejected."

 

numbersix

Lifer
Jul 27, 2012
5,449
53
Sorry to hear it Shawn - glad you were alert! I also try to avoid Walmart when possible - gives me the heebie-jeebies x10. 8O

 

zanthal

Lifer
Dec 3, 2011
1,835
1
Pleasanton, CA
Yeah, here's my Walmart horror story:
I walked into Walmart ... 8O :lol:
I go there somewhat often, but I totally know what you mean by it being a giant house of bizarre vibes.

 

dochudson

Lifer
May 11, 2012
1,635
12
I know I'm odd man out on this but cash only.. I got rid of debit and cc cards a few years back. I keep an Amex card for online buying and travel. I keep a small slush fund in PayPal to forum purchases.

 
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