DWF £150 Sainsbury’s

[Freeswift25]

I just had a letter from DWF saying I owe £150 for shoplifting .
I was asked back into the store but an undercover security guard with non photo ID . I did this as i had nothing to hide .
I was taken to the rear of the store in the warehouse and was met by the manager. I was told that I had stolen items and was being followed by the security guard . I was using the self scan option as I always do , whilst shopping I had a few issues with the self scanner , when I got to the checkout I told the staff that the scanner was playing up and the said they would need to to a random check of 10 items , all was clear and I paid and left the store .

when I was at the back of the store with the manager & security guard they rummaged through my paid items and pulled out item that had not been scanned . Total of £27 . I explained the issues I had and had offed a check of my bags .
the manager was very understanding but the security guard was a right D**k . I gave my name and an address and then given a life time ban from all Sainsburys stores inc petrol station and Argos stores . I raised my concerns about this and thought I was extreme harsh . No police was involved and they recovered all item not paid from and I offered to pay for the such items as I need them but they would not let me and asked me to leave .

this morning I got a letter asking for £150 for security Costs .

what shall I do .

[des8]

Ignore it.

DWF and Sainsbury are entitled to nothing.
They lost nothing
Their security costs are already covered as employees are only doing their job.

You will get a series of ever more threatening letters, which you may disregard.

The only papers never to ignore are actual court claims, and you won't see one of those for this incident

[Freeswift25]

Thanks for your fast response .

So your advice is to ignore and this will go away .

Why do they send out these letters if they cannot take it any further .

it did shock me as I asked staff to check my bag as I was having issues and then was happy to go back into the store with the plain dressed security guard .

What I did have a problem with was the fact the security guard was rummaging in my shopping bags touching all the products that now belonged to me as I had paid for the items and left the store . I was confused on what rights I had as I was so shocked at the situation I was in .

also the letter I was given telling me I was banned from all Sainsburys stores had a customer care telephone number on that the manager advised me was incorrect so if I had an issues to just Google it . After looking back at this and reading a few post with similar issues , I was wanting to take this further with how I was treated .

should I pursue or just leave it and shop elsewhere . I feel like I have been labelled a shoplifter due to technical issues that Sainsburys had with the scan & shop scanner .

[des8]

They send these scary letters out in the hope that some will pay their extortionate demands.
The problem is that some do, so overall it becomes profitable for companies like DWF who retain a proportion of whatever they obtain.
It is not illegal!

It seems the security goon overstepped the mark, but complaining won't get you anywhere.

You have been banned from Sainsbury, so this means if you enter their stores you will be trespassing.
If caught all they can do is ask you to leave, and if necessary use sufficient force to eject you.
If you happen to be shoplifting (and I am not suggesting you do such things) you could face a charge of burglary, which is more serious than theft

I would suggest not going into that particular store foe a few months

[MIKE770]

cheaper elsewhere shop around

[Freeswift25]

Thanks for the advice. I’m 100% not a shoplifter & will happily not go into Sainsburys again . Plenty or Tesco & Asda to do my weekly shop .

[Freeswift25]

So just to confirm DWF can only send out scary letters demanding £150 for security costs, if ignored they will give up , only Sainsburys can order a charge on me personally . No baylifts will knock on my door wanting £150 . No police record as the police were not involved .

[des8]

DWF Law LLP do happen to be a firm of solicitors, so technically they could act on behalf of Sainsbury and initiate a court claim.
However we have not heard of them doing this.
If you look at the forum https://legalbeagles.info/forums/for...oss-prevention you'll see lots of examples from different companies and none of them ever seem to end in court.
Certainly no bailiffs or police at the door, though occasionally we have reports of telephone calls (but the phone should always be put down)

[Freeswift25]

Thanks for all the reply’s on my matter .

I’ll keep this post updated as and when I hear anything .

[Freeswift25]

Got my second letter today , again asking for £150 .

[paulajayne]

Continue to ignore

[Freeswift25]

So today I got my 3rd letter of £150 . Upping the threat to increased fine and threat of this effecting my credit score for up to 6 years , also saying that a bailiff May visit my property .

is this still the case of ignore . I’m not liking the 3rd letter with increased credit score and bailiff .

[PallasAthena]

It's all bluff, they are just trying to frighten you into paying them money they are not entitled to. That's how these people work, taking advantage of people's ignorance of the law.

The reason it is bluff is that both of the things they mention - getting an adverse credit record and baliffs coming to your house - could ONLY happen IF Sainsbury's took you to court AND you lost in court. Neither of those things will happen so nothing will go on your credit record and baliffs can only enforce a court judgement, not a speculative letter from DWF.

You only need to take action if you receive a formal "letter of claim under the pre action protocols" from Sainsburys/DWF or any document issued by the court itself.

If you would like reassurance upload to here the letter you have received (after covering up anything that you could identify you, including any DWF reference numbers or bar codes).

[Freeswift25]

Th am you for your promt reply on this matter .