Big Television Man
I can assure you that Gary deliberately did what he did because he told me so. My former office was about one block away and so for the last three years I have been considered a "regular".
He told me that he saw the sofa the same day I bought it and also saw the sold tags on it. What he was also aware of was the special arrangements I had made with the management to pick it up.
The store has a two day : "pick up your stuff or it goes back on sale policy" I had arranged to pick it up on the forth day of sale and he knew that from the assistant manager. I have reason to believe that he "greased" the assistant manager $50 to look the other way while he peeled the "sold" tags off of it. I know this because he literally told me how he did it and claimed it was legit because the "management was complicent with it.
the reason I feel he bribed the assistant manager $50 because a one point he suggested that I go back to the thrift store and see if I could get my $ XYZ back , which happened to be exactly $50 more that what I paid for it.
The fact of the matter was that he played the assistent manager against the general manager to pull this off during different work shifts. He knew exactly what he was doing.
By the way I approched the manager with whom I initially made the arrangements, and she is more interested in sweeping the whole thing under the rug so that she doesnt have to actually be a manager/ desicion maker/ problem solver.
The whole thing is very frustrating.
i hate to get screwed an...
i hate to get screwed and hate to see any one get screwed!!! I took a lot of heat 2 months ago on this forum cause i defended good reproduction stores that sell good honest stuff vs Crap. People said why would i defend them them if they sell repoductions they must be on the dishonest side also.... and I went ballistic with some one,
But you have out and out gotten
screwed !!!!!! I sure as hell would not forget about it .... I would raise hell every way i could!!!
The fact that the (thrift...
The fact that the (thrift store) management permitted that doesn't make it legally acceptable. It just makes the thrift store an accessory (I'm not a lawyer, but this seems logical). At that point it wasn't there's to sell. They were simply entrusted with looking after it until you could pick it up. So the assistant manager, conspiring with Gary, stole this sofa from you (for varying levels of financial gain). I'd file a police report. Unfortunately, your eyewitnesses are the defendants. It's unfortunate that you didn't record your conversations.
I really hope you're going to pursue this matter. This guy can't be permitted to get away with this. He'll do it again and again.
Record
One trick I have used in the recent is recording conversations with a little Sony voice recorder. It's legal to just stick it in your pocket and tape anything you want. I debated using a recorder for a long time, but it payed off by catching a longtime liar. You could picket out in front of the store for a day. How much is he asking for the sofa in his store?
"The store has a two day :...
"The store has a two day : "pick up your stuff or it goes back on sale policy" I had arranged to pick it up on the forth day of sale and he knew that from the assistant manager"
As unfair as it is am I mistaken that this would mean that this "theft" is totally warranted by the store's policy?
Goodlines add my name to the chorus!
Do everything in your power to make this clown Gary's life a living hell. Clearly he committed theft and deserves all manner of scorn to be rained down upon him. I would even consider filing a claim in small claims court if he doesn't cough up the sofa. You may not not ultimately get any satisfaction other then maybe making his life a living hell. The more you can show him that you will not go quietly, he , hopefully, will decide it is not worth keeping. I would also bring down the heavens on the Thrift store. My friend, "It's time to loose the dogs of war" Good luck! and keep us posted.
Fight 'Em
I would definitely involve the police in this matter.
In addition, i would also contact your state's Attorney General office. They probably have a Consumer's Affairs/Fraud office.
I have twice contacted my state's (Illinois) office and they were able to favorably resolve each of both matters within weeks.
This is essentially what the Better Business Bureau does, but without the delays and additional paperwork.
Trust me, a call from The State makes any state-licensed business owner crap themselves in fear.
Also, i don't know if the thrift store was a charity shop or a for-profit business, but if it is indeed a charity, you might want to be cautious about how hard you lean upon them, despite what sounds like an unscrupulous employee.
Suing and/or accusing charities might get you frowned upon, regardless of how you have been wronged.
In addition, you might want to keep this thread for documentation of the dates and sequence of events.
Good luck! Fight the good fight!
hmm.
it seems to me as though there is no "theft" and everyone is getting worked up about nothing.
the store policy is that you must pick up within two days. you told them 4.. no matter who told you that was ok, you are always at the mercy of the actual policy no?
as for the scandalous dealer.. he was well within legal and moral rights to take the sign off after two days as the piece , according to policy, is again available for sale.
these things happen in life and one simply cannot dwell on such trivial matters. it was a chicklet sofa not an original noguchi cloud sofa anyways.
get your money back from the store, tell the dealer that you find his practices sketchy and get on with your life.
i am actually amazed at the amount of "string him up" mentally and venom that is being spewed by such a large amount of people. the dealed is just trying to make a living and did nothing illegal or even amoral if he was going by the store's actual policy. the talk of getting police involved or even higher powers in a matter of such irrelevance is so far-fetched is is becoming humourous. get over it, keep searching and move on is my simple advice.
i respectfully disagree
Obviously everyone needs to gauge the value of their own time to pursue people that have done them wrong.
modernisbetter, i would have to disagree with some of your last post.
Regardless of written store policy, an exception was made to accommodate goodlines, and the store should be expected to live up to that exception.
The unscrupulous dealer was not "well within legal and moral rights" to remove the sold sign and purchase the sofa for himself, especially knowing that a special exception had been arranged. In fact, he may have even bribed the thrift store employee to comply. How is it possible that this situation could be considered "legal and moral"? It wasn't even remotely AMORAL, as you indicated.
Last time i checked, retail fraud and bribery were not legal.
While this wasn't murder or a crime of violence, i see nothing wrong with using police or state resources (especially departments devoted to consumer protection) to right an obviously unscrupulous business practice.
Again, i respect the fact that everyone must decide for themselves as to what to do about the various slights we experience in life.
It appears that many on this board would prefer to hold dishonest business people to account for their actions.
Absolutely right crankyd
Besides what's a good forum without some righteous indignation, to say nothing of the fact that if we just roll over and accept, lousy service, unscrupulous merchants, crooks, and thieves, that's all we will get. Besides it appears that everyone is rallying to goodlines with a little thing called "moral support", either that or it's a slow newsday, other than the fact that the AG tendered his resignation, yahooeey! See there it is, you let the little guy, this individual Gary act reprehensibly and the next thing you know, the top cop in the land thinks the Geneva conventions are quaint constructs, and then what? The Barbarians are at the gate, okay, so sorry, way off topic, got me Irish up I guess.
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