An upset woman was left “embarrassed and humiliated” after being branded a thief by supermarket staff–then handed just a £5 gift voucher as compensation.
Felisa Sanchez, 43, was approaching the checkout at the Aldi store when she was stopped by two staff members who said she had been caught on CCTV trying to steal goods. She said the accusation was made in front of other customers as she was told to leave her groceries in a wire basket behind and leave the premises.
Sanchez was also told she was banned from the store in Gillingham, England, in the U.K. where she had been a regular customer for several years. The mother-of-one then returned with partner Chris Harris to complain to the manager and when she got home she sent an email to the chief executive of the supermarket giant. But she said the letter of apology and a £5 voucher as a goodwill gesture to spend at any branch was “an insult.”
“It really doesn’t cut it. I have been using the shop for years and now I was being accused of shoplifting with no proof. I have never been in trouble before. We normally spend about £20 a week, so we’ll be stocking up the freezer.
“I’m pleased this has proved I was right all along and they had made a mistake. To call me a thief has had an impact on me. I go there because it’s cheap, but after that I won’t be going back again,” Sanchez said.
The customer services department, which investigated the matter, subsequently tried to contact her and has now offered her a £100 voucher and lifted the ban. The store said it was very sorry and even offered a face-to-face apology.
Sanchez received an email on Thursday, August 25, stating: “The area manager has investigated this incident and we understand that an error was made by the store. I am very sorry for this and for any inconvenience this has caused.
“I can also confirm no ban is in place and we really hope you will continue shopping with us. Please be assured we take all incidents of this nature extremely seriously and we will take action to ensure this never happens again. The area manager will deal with this incident accordingly.
“We hope you will accept our sincere apology on behalf of the store, however, a face-to-face apology can also be arranged if you would find this more suitable to ensure your shopping experience in store is more comfortable going forward.
“We would like you to visit our store again, and therefore hope you will accept a £100 Aldi store voucher as a gesture of goodwill for any inconvenience caused.” We have apologized to Ms. Sanchez for this misunderstanding and hope to see her at one of our stores in future,” said a response from Aldi.
Produced in association with SWNS.
