10/25/06
About 1 month ago I began receiving letters from a law firm demanding that I pay them 400 and some odd dollars as compensation for an "incident" that supposedly occurred at my local K-Mart on 8/29/06. After some effort, I managed to learn that they were accusing me of shoplifting $159.00 worth of something or other. I wasn't even in the store on that day, much less stealing anything. My father went to the store first and the management denied any knowledge of anything.
My girlfriend called the law firm and learned from a snotty woman that I was caught on video stealing something, and to contact loss and prevention at the store where this is supposed to have happened. She went to the store 2 times and could get no answers, as the Loss and Prevention department, a girl named Kristan, was on vacation, supposed to return on Thursday.
I went to the store on Thursday, and Kristan still wasn't there. 5 trips later, I finally was able to have an employee get her on the phone and ask her to come out and speak with me so we could resolve this. She sent another employee out to lie to me and say that she "wasn't in the building". I told him that I knew she was there and hiding from me for some reason. Then the first employee came back and said that she was there, reviewing the case and couldn't come out for security reasons. Then the second employee came out and told me that Kristan said that someone else had been caught shoplifting and had used my name. I said that I knew that and wanted to see the tape so I could see who was doing this, as I probably knew them. He said he didn't have access to the tape, and Kristan wasn't coming out, ever. Whatever.
Everyone that has heard about it thinks I'm guilty. Funny thing what people believe to be true just because it was said by a law firm. Whatever.
10/27/06
I thought that they might drop the charges until I received a summons today (Thursday, 10/27). I assume if they had dropped the charges, I wouldn, t have been served..? I did learn that no one actually "used my name", though. What happened is that someone (actually I know who, now)
Quote from summons "... A white male was at return desk and caught my (security's) attention because they were acting nervous"
She then reviewed the tapes and noted that this guy...
"... Walked into the store... Without the items later returned. Pulled a grill off of a store shelf and took it to the service desk... Exchanged item for $154 cash, (K-Mart card, I guess) and left the store on foot."
They did not get this guys name or contact information, (which I'm pretty sure is strict store policy to do).
Then, and this is where it gets very stupid, security girl magically associated this incident with a return I had made (without a receipt) of a tent a month earlier. I had paid $180 some dollars in cash for the tent. Went camping and a windy storm cracked the plastic couplings at the roof causing the tent ("Vacation Cottage" lol) to completly fall on top of me, my girlfriend, and two other friends, one of which is a parapalegic in a wheelchair.
Needless to say, this really put a damper (pun:) on our vacation. 3:30 am and everything and everyone was soaken wet. I have pictures. Not cool. So, I felt I had every right to return the piece of crap. I wheeled it, full of sand and in peices into the store in a cart and gave it back to them. Of course it was on sale, and I only received $159 on a K-Mart card, losing about $20, but whatever.
SOMEHOW, she linked that tent return, with this guy and his grill and is CHARGING ME WITH THEFT OF THE TENT ALSO!!! Unbelievable!!! She and two other employees PICKED ME OUT OF A PHOTO LINEUP!!! Funny thing is, they described the grill guy as 5'1 (I am 6'0) and brown hair (I have blonde). There is no tape of me taking the tent off of any shelf and returning it. Lol.'Cause IT NEVER HAPPENED!
I guess I'm going to have to miss work to go to court and make these people look as stupid as they are, and I think someone should pay me for it, at least.
Anybody have any insight or advice for me? I feel the need to be compensated somehow for this amazingly inept situation, and once I am aquitted of these charges, I will certainly persue it.
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