Asda security guard problems...

[freeman101]

Hi, I hope I'm posting in the right part!

 

My husband & I have had an ongoing problem with a security guard in our local Asda store.

 

My husband worked there when it opened in 2005 for a brief period,

the security guard and my husband never had t work together

but had a mutual, distant dislike of one another.

Nothing was ever said.

 

Cut to last June,

we were going camping & my husband was buying gas for the stove,

he was alone & chatting to the young girl behind the counter,

looks up to see the security guard glaring at him for no reason.

 

on his way out of the store my husband winked at him, patted his stomach

and said something like "alright big boy" so the guy rounds on him and tells him hes banned.

 

my husband left with no further exchanges.

 

End of July,

my husband, myself & our children, aged 4 & 6 go in, do a bit of shopping,

only to be confronted by the same man shouting 'youre banned, you cant come in here get out i told you you were banned'

 

he squared up to my husband,

who had a child in each hand and was very aggressive,

which upset my children a lot as you can imagine.

 

we left after a few more heated words and we didnt go back until november

(this store is literally round the corner from our house

so its convenient for quick emergency dashes, i usually shop in sainsburys)

 

When we entered the store on 4th november,

we got about 20/30 yards into the store only to be confronted by a young,

but very tall and aggressive looking, new security guard

(the original one is standing behind his podium thing with his arms folded looking quite smug)

 

so this lad, standing right over my husband says "he says youre banned, get out"

so my husband tries to give me the basket and i refuse it,

 

I'm not shopping in a store where im treated like a criminal,

by a silly little boy so this lad squares up to me instead,

presumably because i called him a little boy,

despite the fact i was clearly pregnant at the time.

 

I told him we were leaving,

he walked so close behind us

he almost took my husbands shoe off,

the police were called and we left.

 

i tried contacting the manager who couldnt be tracked down for almost a week.

when we did pin him down he was evasive & hung up when i said i was recording the call for future reference.

no further contact.

 

this morning,

my husband needs to buy his sisters birthday present (he forgot)

he took our now 5 year old son,

gets the cd,

goes to chose a card & the original security guy comes over AGAIN with a female colleague and tells him hes banned,

 

he is once again very imposing and agressive and once again upsets my son.

 

As far as im aware to ban you for more than 2 weeks they need a notice of ban or something?

 

I dont intend on ever going back

but I wholeheartedly intend on getting an apology for being made to feel like a criminal

when i want to buy some apples, and for my children being upset by a grown man whos on a power trip.

 

I'd understand if I was shop lifting or something but we havent done anything wrong.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Conniff

[renegadeimp]

Sounds like you need to get head office involved here. That security guard has overstepped his authority.

[freeman101]

I am drafting a letter, I'm thinking I should sent it recorded to head office, and the store manager? if I send it recorded they can't claim they didnt receive it, right?

[Haven]

I am drafting a letter, I'm thinking I should sent it recorded to head office, and the store manager? if I send it recorded they can't claim they didnt receive it, right?

 

Correct, you will then be able to view who signed for it.

 

Make sure you give them a date to respond by,

what you want them to do about the situation etc.

 

I would avoid Asda until the problem is sorted

no point in aggravating the situation more.

 

Give somebody a security guard outfit and they suddenly did into Hitler.

[Mr.P]

Mark the envelope "private and confidential", use a pink envelope, add a dash of perfume along with a dab of lipstick to seal it. The post room will think it is a birthday card or "lover's note" and send it up to his office unopened. Keep the local store manager out of the loop, he has already had the opportunity to resolve the issue and has failed. Take it to the chief exec:

 

Andy Wilson

Asda Stores Limited

Asda House

South Bank

Great Wilson Street

Leeds

LS11 5AD

[freeman101]

thank you.

[Conniff]

You can email the ceo a copy - andy.clarke@asda.co.uk

 

 

I wouldn't let this drop.

[renegadeimp]

Make sure you state clearly that the store manager is allowing this guard to do what he feels like

and is ignoring your complaints.

 

Dont put anything more, just keep it short and sweet.

 

Asda seem to have a policy where head office doesnt get involved in store affairs,

but if you cause enough noise an show that you wont go away,

they back right down and deal with the issue.

[BazzaS]

Alternative viewpoint, given we have only heard one side of the story:

Person is banned from the store (maybe without good reason). Rather than ensuring the ban is lifted they return to the store and are reminded that they are banned & escorted off the premises.

 

I have no idea if the original ban was unreasonable. Whether it was or not, returning while still banned only makes your position worse. Surely the best way forward is to get the ban lifted as unreasonable?.

 

However, returning before the ban had been lifted just makes your husband look like the unreasonable party, playing into the hands of the security chap ?

[renegadeimp]

The point in all this is the guard banned without cause. Whether they are allowed to do this or not is up to asda. Which is why we're saying to go right to the top.

[ericsbrother]

Under what circumstances would a third party employee (unlikely to be in house co) have the authority to tell you that you are banned? none whatsoever. The bloke had no right o tell you that you were barred in the first place so careful questioning of ASDA rather than outright complaint way get further