I recently wanted to test out a new super duper cool device and now I’ve been fined what looks like a 100 euro fruit payment.
I walk into a big Rewe on Saturday, and I see mobile scanners hanging at the entrance, so I decided to test them out. They work like this – you choose a product, scan it and put it in your basket, then pay for everything at the self-service checkout. I did my best – I weighed the tomatoes (usually everything is weighed at the checkout), tipped that I had exactly two bunches of radishes and so on. But then I made a fatal mistake – I went to the cash desk and remembered that I needed something else, biscuits and bread. Apparently, when I went back I got back the reflex “put the goods in the basket and pay at the checkout”, because I forgot to scan exactly those three goods – two packages of biscuits and bread.
At the self-service checkout I read the QR code from the scanner at self-checkout and got a spot check (I didn’t see the shopping list at the checkout, I didn’t try to pay, it’s important). The checkout lady saw a discrepancy in the number of goods in the scanner and in the basket, said it was theft and took me to a small hot room without windows to draw up a fine. I asked what would happen now – she said it would be a fine of 100 euros and a LIFETIME ban in all Rewe and Penny shops, and then I got scared, that sounds very serious. I tried to explain that I had no intention of stealing – the three items were all on top of the basket, I wasn’t trying to take them away, everything else including the alcohol was scanned but she didn’t care. Her colleague came in, took my documents and started processing the offence.
I’m trying to explain again that it’s not theft but some misunderstanding and I don’t want a lifetime ban because I love this shop. The shop staff looked at me and said – hmm, maybe there is a way to handle the problem differently. Why don’t you run out and withdraw 100 euros in cash and bring it to us. I’m shocked, cash in hand – it looks like a bribe. I ask if it will be written down somewhere that I paid the fine. They looked at me again and suggested to pay the fine by card, then my card number would be visible and took me to the cash desk, where I paid….. Fruits/vegetables to the amount of 100 euros!!!! Here is a picture of my receipt: https://imgur.com/4UneFzt
After payment the shop staff evaporated.
I walked out of the shop in shock. It all seemed wrong and I went to the police to find out if I had paid a bribe right away. The police assured me that the shop staff had the right to remove fines as they pleased because of their Hausrecht.
I came home and I am still in shock from what happened and now I think I am afraid to go to any shops at all. I have emailed Rewe with a full description of the situation but no reply yet.
Do you think such actions are legitimate? And in general, the whole system with self-scanning of products – people make mistakes, the device itself could fail and not read the barcode – is it really necessary to fine everyone and not just help?
by a_dobryn
7 comments
The problem is that real thieves normally tell the same story that they just forgot to scan/pay these three small items. So it’s quite hard for the staff to differentiate between an accident and real theft. Paying some fine (“Fangprämie”) is quite usual, paying it cash in the hand sounds a bit fishy. And yes, at least from my knowledge, it is legal to ban you from all REWE stores for something like this.
What is in your favor: no criminal would go to the police and ask about their “crime” or even mail REWE about the incident. I think this was the best you can do. Now wait how they answer and maybe they understand your situation. I don’t think you can do much more at the moment. Please let us know what they answer, would be quite interesting.
Is it this easy to be labeled as a criminal here? Oh you forgot to scan yo veggies, here no more jobs for you because your criminal record is now dirty.
Or would this not end up on your cr?
Lesson to learn here: avoid the self-checkout and use the regular cash-desks instead. This way, it is the cashier’s fault if some product was not scanned…
It’s bizarre.
I used those self-service scanners often in another country and it worked like that: every few visits, you’d get a random check. The staff member would come over and scan 5 or so things from your cart to check if all of them were on your scanner. If they were, all good. If not, you were redirected to a normal checkout line, where the person would scan the whole content of your cart.
i tried to use the scanners in Netto here and they were constantly beeping, protesting me putting things into the cart and just too annoying to use, so I gave up.
Yeah, this is very illegal. Either you stole, and the police should be involved, or you didn’t. Extrajudicial shit like this should not happen and the staff are idiots and about to be in a lot of trouble. I would complain to REWE and ask for a refund, and charge it back through your bank if that doesn’t work. Last option is to sue.
I guess they should name those scanners “Scam & Go”.
Totally bizarre. Never using them again. Sorry it happened to you.
This is actually insane.