Incident at the Pick n Pay Pavillion Branch (Durban)

On the morning of the 07th of November, I walked into the store to purchase two loaves of bread and rush back to my office, which is directly across the Pavillion Shopping Centre (Westway Office Park) I had purchased a bottle of Panado a few days earlier from Pick n Pay ASAP but I did not open it, therefore there was a security tag still attached to the item which I was unaware of. I rushed into the store, picked up the bread and walked towards the cashier to pay, only to realise that I had forgotten my wallet in the front compartment of my car. I left the bread with the cashier and told her that I would be right back because I just need to get my wallet from my car. Upon walking out of the store, the security alarm went off and I stopped in my tracks to find out why. The security guard stopped me, checked my bag and found the bottle of Panado. He then asked me if I had ****** it and I explained to him that I did not. He tried forcing me to admit that the item was ******, however this was not the case. I myself was completely flabbergasted because I did not understand where this was going. He then threatened to take me to the back office so we could watch the security tapes, which I willingly agreed to but they in fact did not view any footage. At the time of this occurrence, I could not recall where the Panado was purchased from but all I was sure of was that it was not taken from the store. I tried explaining this to the guard, as well as the manager on duty but they did not care to listen to me and treated me in a very demeaning and disgraceful way. I was so embarrassed because I had never been in this situation before. I begged them to look at the camera footage so they could see that I only went to one section of the store and walked out but they refused to listen to me. Instead they made fun of me and called the police.

I am a very petite woman and I do not look my 37 years of age. I fully believe that this contributed to the way in which the security guard and staff treated me, which to me is **************. If I happened to look my age and was bigger in size, I doubt I would have been treated in such a disgusting manner. I have heard from several of my friends that these incidents have occurred but they have never been disgraced to such an extent by any store.

I was then escorted to a holding cell in the shopping complex, where I waited for the police to arrive. I was in tears the entire time and I could not believe what was happening to me. Prior to me being forced into the cell, I contacted my boss for some assistance because he was closest to me. He arrived about 20 minutes later and also spoke to the manager on duty, explaining to him that there must be some sort of mistake. The manager refused to listen and advised my boss that the store is going to proceed to have me arrested. I was devastated.

After about four hours of standing in that cell crying my eyes out, the police arrived. I thought the nightmare was over but instead they escorted me out of the shopping centre and into the back of a police van. I was being taken to Westville SAPS. I could not believe what was happening because I had never been arrested in all my life. I begged and cried for them not to force me into the back of the van because I was innocent, this in front of so many people. I was traumatized. Eventually I had no choice but to jump in and hold onto the sides of the van for dear life. I thought I was going to die !!

When I reached the police station, I contacted my boss for assistance again because they told me that if nobody comes through to bail me out of jail, I was going to spend the night there. I am a mother of two small children and a wife. I could not fathom spending a night in prison.

Eventually my boss arrived and bailed me out of jail and took me back home in tears.

The next day I had to appear in court. It was only after that ordeal that I realised where I had purchased the Panado from. It was purchased from Pick N Pay ASAP and it so happened to also be delivered from the very same store. When I arrived at court I was then able to supply them with my proof of purchase and I explained everything that had happened to me. They postponed the case for further investigation and requested the video footage from the store. I re-appeared in court on the 29th of November and the case was dismissed because I was obviously proven innocent based on the evidence.

I have taken this up with Pick n Pay Customer Care several times as explained, only for them to come back to me saying there is nothing further they can do and I am welcome to pursue this matter in court if I so choose to. A lady by the name of Elisha, apparently from Head Office, contacted me. She told me that there is nothing they can say or do from their side in relation to this incident. I cannot believe that Pick n Pay was not even able to issue me with a formal apology for what I had gone through on that day. Furthermore, the Panado which I in fact purchased, was taken away from me and was never returned. How does that seem fair to a consumer?

I am a regular customer of Pick n Pay and Pick n Pay ASAP and I am disgusted at how I have been treated by my favourite grocery store. I fully intend to counter-sue for this incident but in the meantime I would like everyone to know how Pick n Pay treats their loyal customers. I am deeply upset and saddened that after so many years of being loyal to Pick n Pay, I was not even apologised to.

I was forced to endure an entire day of being treated like a *****, my reputation was dragged through the mud, I was forced to take days off work to attend court and not to mention the bail that my boss had to pay on my behalf. My entire family was traumatized after this incident. Who is supposed to be held accountable for all of that when none of this was a fault of mine?

I know that this may not be your area of expertise but I would sincerely appreciate it if everyone at your organisation is made aware of this incident. I do believe that this incident is being covered up by the Durban region. My main aim is for all staff from the other regions to be made aware of such occurrences in their other stores. It is incidences like these that bring the Pick n Pay name down.

If you have read through this entire email, I thank you sincerely.