Comments on: Would You Have Gone Back and Paid For It?

By: J. Money

J. Money — Wed, 06 May 2015 15:03:03 +0000

In reply to chez.

Unfortunately you’re on the hook for the $200 – regardless of whether you have the money or not :( I’m sure you can talk with their manager to see if something can be worked out since it was technically their problem, but at the end of the day you have an item that wasn’t paid for. Perhaps you could return it and wait until you have the $$$ again to re-purchase it? Most stores give you 30 days or whatever to do that, so I’d imagine that would be a fair option :)

I think the bigger issue here though is making sure you’re rockin’ your money well enough where this wouldn’t become a problem going forward. Having enough of a padding in your checking and not shopping paycheck-to-paycheck like. It’s not the easiest thing to do to get it all on track, but it’s possible! As evidence of all us blogging about it :)

So I’d take this as a nice wake up call to get on top of your $$ more so you never have to get stressed again. Good luck!

By: chez

chez — Sun, 03 May 2015 05:51:59 +0000

I purchased a vacuum almost 2 weeks ago, I paid (or was supposed to) $200 and got 600 on no interest finance through certigy. I gave the woman my credit card details,she even photocopied it! but called almost 2 weeks later asking for my credit card details claiming that she never processed the payment. I checked my bank and sure enough it hadn’t come out. Now I don’t even have the 200 to pay it as I assumed that the 200 had come out of my account weeks ago.
What should I do?

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:32:56 +0000

@Mercedes – Yeah, I’m sure there are cashiers that DEF do it on purpose too like with their friends or family or something. A quick way to get fired!
@Anne @ Unique Gifter – HAH! Really? I bet it was too much paperwork for them or something… some lucky thrifter will now come across it! :)

By: Anne @ Unique Gifter

Anne @ Unique Gifter — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:20:15 +0000

I once bought a lunch box thing for my spouse, my spouse didn’t want it and I went to return it. Turns out, they never charged me for it in the first place. The really weird part was they absolutely refused to take it back. I’m standing there telling them that it was missed when I paid, that I don’t want it, it’s missing from their inventory and they *will not* take it back! I’m sure the thrift store appreciated it, new with all the tags and whatnot!

By: Mercedes

Mercedes — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:47:04 +0000

I’m in the “if I make it home before realizing it, i probably wont go back” school of thought. Although I don’t think this has ever happened to me (and if it did, I didn’t notice it) I do know that I have gone back in a hand full of times after walking out the door and realizing in the parking lot that something wasn’t right. (although I usually catch it at the register because I always mentally tally my purchases as I’m walking through the store so I know what my final bill may be, which is how I’ve caught them a few times ringing something up incorrectly for a higher price)

I don’t think there is any way that a cashier would get in trouble/fired for this because there is no way that they would know how it happened. Most stores get audited once, maybe twice a year, and that is when they find out how much merchandise has been “lost”. (mostly by thieves, not through accidentally not scanning something) and they have that contingency built in to the store budget.

Of course, if this associate was known for not scanning things they may have loss prevention looking at them and watching video feeds of them ringing up merchandise and see that they didn’t scan your hoodie. But that wouldn’t be your fault for them losing their job, but their own doing by trying to scam the system.

In the end, good for your wife (and you) for being honest and going back in. I’m sure many other people may not have been quite as honest!

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 02:18:32 +0000

@Jim – HAH! I guarantee our little one will do the same in no time – he’s just learned to grab things and put ’em in his mouth! It’s all very exciting stuff :)
@slug | sunkcostsareirrelevant.com – Yes, that is another way of doing things, haha… but you’ve gotta check it just in case there are any mistakes! Like, NOT in your favor ;)
@Travis @DebtChronicles – That’s because you’re a gentlemen and a scholar :) I don’t doubt it for a second.
@Holly@ClubThrifty – You’re def. right that it’s *their* mistake in these cases. Makes you wonder how many OTHER times they did the same thing, right?
@David Hunter – Less than 4 years to go!
@Bonnie – Awww, that wasn’t by accident – you brough it up when you realized something was awry! Very very good job indeed, your 18 mo. old would approve if he/she could talk :) Pretty soon!
@Nate St. Pierre – Yes, but that was my BRAND NEW one and you laughed when it happened! Jerk :)
@Budget & the Beach – What? Really??? That is awesome!! I didn’t realize that stuff went into affect yet?
@Joe @ Retire By 40 – I know, I feel like that would be way too small for me to go back too. Maybe I’d donate money to kinda make up for it or something the next time I got a chance? Do you think that would make it better? Haha…
@savvyfinanciallatina – Huh. That’s interesting that your decision changes when it’s an object vs cash. I guess maybe cuz cash is more noticable when cashiers go to run the numbers so you don’t want anyone to get in trouble?
@Skint in the City – Haha, good for you my friend :) I’m surprised they actually didn’t try and chase you down or anything in the parking lot! Guess it took them a while to realize too.
@Financial Black Sheep – That’s a nice rule to have :)
@Christa – Yeah, mixing in a baby def. complicates certain things!
@Evan – Exactly, that’s what I’d feel the most horrible about too :(
@J C – Now THAT would have been something, haha… I don’t blame you at all :)
@jesse.anne.o – That DEF changes the dynamic for sure. When they’re rude and mess up like that, it makes it 10x harder to do the right thing. I probably wouldn’t have either in your case, but not cuz she was a B, but because you already brought it up once and she said it was all good… Unless it was a huge freakin’ number, I’d have kept on going too. (And YES! That was my fear too about not checking receipts – always smart to do so just so YOU’RE not screwed in any of these cases!)
@Cat – That is tough!! Pretty similar to Jesse Anne’s situation up there, only my rule of it being a “big” number would have kicked in and gotten me to speak up too there :) But after a 3rd time? I’d be too annoyed, haha…
@Donna Freedman – That is the truth!
@Phyllis – Awwww, good for you :) I thought you were gonna say you just walked it back in and put it back. But I guess you really needed it!
@CJ :) – I like the calling idea actually – that’s a nice way to do it. And then maybe you can rectify the next time you’re at the store at your convenience rather than coming back right away?
@C The Writer – Agreed! Only I still fail when put in the situations sometimes :(
@Eva Smith – Haha… yes, stealing hoodies is not so good ;) I do like the calling idea though like CJ above just mentioned too – hadn’t even thought of that route before.
@Debra K – That was nice of the store!

By: Debra K

Debra K — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 05:00:39 +0000

I want to set the example for my kids and be able to live with myself, so I would (and have) always gone back. There was one time I called about an error (the store was about 45 minutes away, so I wanted to pay over the phone if I could) and was told that I could keep the item because it was their mistake. It was a $10 item (or less). But that didn’t justify not doing anything in my mind.

By: Eva Smith

Eva Smith — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 22:43:58 +0000

I am fascinated that this is a debate at all. I don’t think there are any shades of grey for stealing. I TOTALLY understand having the baby throwing a wrench into everything, but I think the solution if you need to go, is to call the store and let them know. Then, bring it back another day.

Well, maybe the debate isn’t if it stealing or not, but when is it okay to steal? I can be swayed by bread for your starving children, but hoodies for well clothed grown ups……. Nah ;)

By: C The Writer

C The Writer — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:30:24 +0000

Yeah…this isn’t even a dilemma to me, it’s common decency to pay for something you took from a store, even if the cashier made a mistake.

By: CJ :)

CJ :) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:26:33 +0000

My dad is always sitting on my shoulder in cases like this. I go back if I’m still there and call if I’ve made it all the way home. On the few occasions I have just let it go I always felt so guilty – it isn’t worth it for me.