Big Retail Chains Dun
Mere Suspects in Theft
Demands for Money
Can Leave Targets
With Little Defense
By ANN ZIMMERMAN
February 20, 2008; Page A1
After Miami handyman Glenn Rudge was accused of shoplifting an $8 set of drill bits at Home Depot, he thought he'd settled the matter when he showed his receipt to prosecutors and they dropped the charge.
But a few weeks later, a law firm hired by Home Depot began sending him letters demanding first $3,000, then a total of $6,000, implying he'd be sued if he didn't pay it.
In an escalating battle against theft, retailers are going after anyone suspected of shoplifting, turning over their names to lawyers and collection firms, who pursue the suspects for stiff penalties and split the take with the retailer. ...
From the Wall Street Journal (link, and H/T Froomkin). I mean, we can stipulate that this is crude, vulgar goon-squad tactics and I certainly hope it violates a half a dozen laws.
But who authorized this? Back when I (thought I) knew anything about this stuff, the fact of life was that you knew you had to tolerate a certain level of shoplifting. Getting to zero was not cost justified: too many cops and too many patdowns and too many pissed-off customers. And now we are on the front page of the WSJ, as the poster child godzilla of bully-boys. Aren't there any grownups at Home Depot any more?
2 comments:
Letters to the then-CEO of Home Depot went unanswered. One installer walked off the job saying Home Depot had delivered windows that didn't fit. Customer service didn't service. Screaming and yelling didn't help. It took more than a year to get the job finished.
Home Depot and other giant chains can get away with this because in most places they're the only game in town. They don't need no steenking happy customers. Say, "I'll never shop here again," and they'll tell you to go shop someplace else -- if you can find someplace else.
Which brings me around to the thought that come the Democratic Party's next administration (am I kidding myself that it's gonna happen+) we need an Attorney General who can bring a bit of focus back to the anti-trust laws.
And we also need an overwhelmingly -- as in tidal wave overwhelmingly - Democratic Congress that'll make anti-trust laws stronger, in everything from hardware retailing to banking.
Very, very crankily yours,
The New York Crank
Somehow, I managed to clip the first paragraph or three from the above post. It went to this effect:
There is nobody at Home Depot. Some years ago, a lady of my acquaintance hired Home Depot to install some windows in her home.
Home Depot billed for completion before the job was completed. Fortunately she inspected before whipping out her checkbook and refused to pay.
Some weeks later she got another call (to her city home) demanding payment because the job was now complete. She drove out to the country. The new windows had been delivered, but were leaning against the side of the house, uninstalled.
Now pick up the letter above.
Crankily again,
The New York Crank
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