I arrived from a long haul flight to Terminal 5. I will be staying at the Sofitel in Terminal 5 for a few days. As I usually do, I purchased some dinner at the M&S near to the Sofitel Hotel in the Terminal. I paid with 8 x one pound coins. The charge was 7.20 GBP. I did not have any 20 pences in my purse. I was handed the bag of goods without the change. When I asked for the change, she told me that I had only given her 7.20 pence. I know that there was no 20 pence coin in my purse. I am also British and understand the currency very well. I asked for the manager. Someone who claimed to be the manager came out and said he would check the till. The cashier and the manager went to the back. I waited for 10 to 15 minutes. They came out and claimed that the till was correct. The person that now said she was the manager came out and said she would again check the till. I insisted that I had given the cashier 8 x pound coins, and expected 80 pence back. What is clear to me is that this is a very dishonest store. The cashier would be able to pocket the 80 pence at the close of the business. This is a very well known way of stealing from the till. I would warn people to check their change very carefully and also to check the debit card receipts. I am still waiting for a call back to give me my correct change. I will take this as high as I need to, because stealing is wrong. What happens in London is that anyone that looks like a tourist is considered fair game.
Fortunately, they did this to the right person on this occasion. I also suspect that the cashier and the first manager are both dishonest.
0 comments