Friday 17 August 2018

Caveat Emptor.



Some time ago, a friend of mine bought himself a new pocket camera from a Leclerc Supermarket.

When he got home he discovered that the box was empty, it was one of many that had been used as part of a display.

He returned to the supermarket, and laughed as he explained their silly mistake, and he asked that they exchange it for a box with an actual camera inside.

Well, nothing of this sort is easy in France. Regardless of normal EU rules and regulations, they refused to give him the camera he'd paid for, or even refund his money. As you can imagine, my friend wasn't happy. He'd bought a camera, and they'd given him an empty box.

He told them he wasn't moving until they gave him what he'd paid for, he grabbed a chair, and refused to budge; of course they became irate. I'm not sure if they didn't even threaten to call the Gendarmes.

At one stage in the proceedings he took a box of cereal from a shelf, and spread the contents all over the floor.

Eventually they got fed-up with him, and gave him his camera.

Amazing the lengths you have to go to sometimes, just to be given what you've actually paid for.



26 comments:

  1. That is almost unbelievable. Did they think he had removed the camera and claimed the box was empty?

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    1. I imagine so, I can't think of any other excuse they would have had; not that they said so!

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  2. Oops! Bet he always checks the boxes now when he buys something.

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  3. We once bought a cassette (remember them?😀) in a department store in sainted. We got back to our holiday gite, put said tape into machine, nothing. Absolute silence. Back we went and with appalling French explained that the cassette was "sans musique"
    The girl laughed and exchanged it gladly!

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  4. Sorry. Auto correct says sainted, I said Saintes!

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    Replies
    1. They used to place one blank tape in with every ten; just for fun!

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  5. The same thing happened to me in NZ once. An empty box, can't remember what was supposed to be inside. I was ready for disappointment but was amazed when they simply gave me another box, full this time. I must have looked honest. But I have been surprised many times by the courteousness of NZ retailers. Wouldn't happen here!

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    1. I once bought a cable for my computer, having been advised by the salesman that it was definitely the one I needed. Of course it wasn't, and trying to get my money back was impossible. I ended up with two enameled colanders, as a replacement.

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  6. I think I am a bit too cowardly to spread stuff on the floor - wish I wasn't but there it is.

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  7. One element to add is that sometimes a product is returned as faulty and is exchanged but the faulty one finds it's way back onto the shelf. If possible 'factory sealed box' please.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. Never buy anything that looks as if it's been opened.

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  8. There is a fresh sign in Waitrose by the kettles and toasters they sell saying that the boxes are empty and customers will need to find an assistant to get the contents before going to the till or zapping. I assumed from that that people must have been zapping and going home with an empty box. Seems mad to me that the weight of the box wouldn't tell you it was empty.

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    Replies
    1. I think it was just a tiny mini camera, it probably didn't weigh more than a couple of house flies.

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    2. I was thinking more in terms of the Waitrose customers and the kettles and toaster type things where there had obviously been people at the self-service zappers scanning and taking home an empty box.

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  9. It must have been a very small camera for him not to realise the box was too light!!

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  10. Some time ago, a friend of mine bought a carton of 200 Benson & Hedges cigarettes from someone in the street, for about half the retail price. The seller unwrapped one end of the cellophane, pulled out the first packet and opened it, exposing twenty fresh cigarettes. He parted with the money and when he opened the rest of them, they were professionally packed with neat little blocks of polystyrene, obviously in the same factory as B & H used. There was no redress in this case.

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    Replies
    1. That's even worse than just plain fakes. At least you can smoke the fakes.

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    2. But probably with similar detrimental effects to your health as smoking polystyrene.

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    3. I've tried smoking a lot of different things, but not Polystyrene.

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  11. When there were movie rental stores, they used to have empty boxes on the shelf to be filled when the movie was returned. I found it very annoying and had to shake each box to make sure that I was getting what I paid for.

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    1. Too many thieves about; a sad reflection on today's world.

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  12. I will now make sure to check everything that I buy ..... life is getting SO complicated !!! XXXX

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    Replies
    1. I'm sure it was a genuine mistake; but even so....

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