Latest news with #AndrewKennedy
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Tesco customer 'humiliated' after supermarket staff accused him of shoplifting
The Tesco customer, Andrew Kennedy, shared their experience at the supermarket store in Surrey over the weekend on X. The post - which has since went viral - has been seen by 6.8million people Tesco has been forced to apologise after a customer was left "humiliated" after a technical glitch led multiple shop workers to accuse him of shoplifting. The Tesco customer, Andrew Kennedy, shared their experience at the supermarket store in Surrey over the weekend on X. In summary, he said, the supermarket chain "accused me of shoplifting, humiliated me in front of other people, wasted my time and forced me to be late for a reunion, your incompetence led to my card being blocked, [and] you took £75.92 from my bank account." The series of posts has since gone viral, with many sharing sympathy for Andrew's experience. Andrew opened the thread by sharing that he had gone to a Tesco store on Good Friday to pick up food for a weekend with friends. He used the supermarket's Scan as You Go option, and after completing his shop, he paid £75.92 for his groceries using Apple Pay. Andrew noted that the self-service option was his go-to way to shop at Tesco. However, as he was leaving the shop, Andrew said a Tesco staff member approached him to tell him he hadn't paid. Thinking it may have been an easy mistake, he followed the worker. In the post to X, he explained: "As I left the store, an assistant ran after me and said: 'I am afraid you haven't paid for your groceries, and I must ask you to accompany me back into the shop." She did this quietly and discreetly and thinking there was an error I happily went back inside. Andrew showed the staff member his banking app, which showed the pending payment for the supermarket shop. Another colleague was also called over, who, after Andrew's explanation, called out across the checkouts: "This guy hasn't paid for his groceries." Finally, a supervisor came over, but according to Andrew, they then accused him of attempting a scam, even though there was no evidence of this. The shop assistant told their colleague: "You need to watch out for this, quite often they do two identical shops, pay for one, then use the payment to avoid paying for the second." In his X post, Andrew said: "I don't know if this happens, but in this case, there was no evidence to suggest I had done such a thing and your assistant was openly inferring that I was a shop lifter." He was then told he needed to pay for the shop again. Andrew said he was "angry" and felt "humiliated" by the whole ordeal, but as he was "running out of time", he agreed to pay again so he could leave. However, his bank noticed the identical transaction and blocked the card. Tesco staff then said he would have to pay another way if he wanted his groceries. This was when Andrew decided to leave the supermarket. Despite him abandoning the shopping, the transaction went through after the weekend, leaving him £75.92 out of pocket. When he approached Tesco for help, they told him he needed to provide evidence that he hadn't taken the shopping and return to the store with his card to get a refund. However, as he was visiting friends that weekend, Andrew said this would involve a "120-mile round trip", "£35 worth of petrol" and "three hours of my time". "At every level on this Tesco, you and your staff have comprehensively failed," Kennedy said. "You should actually be ashamed of yourselves." In the X post, he added: "Had I been emotionally vulnerable or had some form of learning disability, or being old and confused, this appalling treatment could have resulted in trauma. You should actually be ashamed of yourselves. I am now giving you an opportunity to redeem yourselves as follows: "1. Immediately refund my money 2. Issue a comprehensive written apology for my treatment 3. Retrain your staff at Hurst Park on how to treat people with respect 4. Make a donation of £100 to Young Minds charity which supports young people dealing with mental health issues." In an update shared yesterday, Andrew confirmed that Tesco had reached out to him to apologise for what had happened and were refunding the payment. Alongside this, the supermarket chain also told Andrew it had donated money to the Young Minds Charity. Join Money Saving Club's specialist topics In a conclusion post, Andrew said: "Whenever something like this happens I ask myself how I would feel if it happened to my mum. She was of a generation who were deferential to authority and would have accepted what she was told, even when she knew she was in the right. "My mum is now sadly dead, but I fight petty authority like this for thousands like her and for those who don't have a voice. Thank you to the 1.3 million who read my Tweets and the thousands who liked my post and retweeted it." A statement has since been issued by Tesco on the incident, with the spokesperson saying: "Unfortunately, a fault with a scan as you shop handset at our West Moseley Superstore meant that it incorrectly indicated that Mr Kennedy's payment had not been completed. We are really sorry that this happened and have reached out to Mr Kennedy to apologise for how the matter was handled as it fell below the high standards that we would expect."
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Tesco customer 'humiliated' after staff 'accuse him of shoplifting at self-checkout and demand he pay twice' during routine visit
Tesco has apologised after a customer told of being humiliated when staff wrongly accused him of shoplifting and demanded he paid twice for his items. Political consultant Andrew Kennedy went viral online after sharing posts on X, formerly Twitter, shaming the retail giant for staff's actions at a branch in Surrey. Mr Kennedy described being called back by employees at a Tesco outlet in West Moseley who suggested he had not paid for his shopping at a self-checkout. This was despite his mobile phone banking app demonstrating a transaction worth £75.92 at the self-service till he had used. Mr Kennedy described how after the dispute with staff on Good Friday, in which he was urged to pay the bill again, he abandoned his trolley and left. He told how 6,000 X followers that he was then informed, five days later, he must make a 120-mile round trip to the branch from his Kent home for a refund. Mr Kennedy, who was previously field director for ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss's Conservative leadership campaign in 2022, has since asked for an apology from the supermarket firm. He also requested they make a goodwill donation of the £100 to the mental health charity Young Minds. And now the retailer has backed down, saying sorry to Mr Kennedy for his treatment and agreeing to donate. Mr Kennedy originally posted on the social media site, directly addressing Tesco: 'On Good Friday I experienced the most awful and humiliating experience in your Hurst Park (Surrey) store. 'I popped in to pick up groceries on my way to visit friends. I used "scan as you go" as I always do, and paid £75.92 for my groceries, using my Apple Pay 'As I left the store, an assistant ran after me and said "I am afraid you haven't paid for your groceries, and I must ask you to accompany me back into the shop". She did this quietly and discreetly and thinking there was an error I happily went back inside. 'My banking app which evidenced the payment had been made and I showed this to your assistant. She was apologetic and called her supervisor, who was busy. 'Another Assistant came over, and I again explained the situation and showed the payment. At this point things went wrong. 'The second Assistant than shouted across the self-checkouts, "This guy hasn't paid for his groceries." 'The supervisor came over, and for a third time I showed the payment on my phone. She then turned to the other Assistant and said, 'you need to watch out for this..... Political consultant Andrew Kennedy directly addressed Tesco in a thread that went viral Me Kennedy's complaints about Tesco on X, formerly Twitter, attracted sympathy and advice '...quite often they do two identical shops, pay for one then use the payment to avoid paying for the second." 'I don't know if this happens, but in this case, there was no evidence to suggest I had done such a thing and your assistant was openly inferring that I was a shop lifter.' Mr Kennedy went on to tell how he agreed to pay again because he was 'angry, humiliated and running out of time'. But his bank blocked his card, apparently suspicious about the attempted second transaction, and he was advised by Tesco staff he would have to pay another way. He added: 'At this point I was so angry at how I had been treated I just walked out, leaving my full trolley behind.' The money later went through via his card but he then urged the retailer for a refund, since he did not have the items he had bought - only to be told he must return to the store in Surrey to do so. Mr Kennedy wrote: 'So to summarise: (i) you accused me of shoplifting, (ii) you humiliated me in front of other people, (iii) you wasted my time and forced me to be late for a reunion, (iv) your incompetence led to me card being blocked, (v) you took £75.92 from my bank account... '...and now you are expecting me to travel three hours and spend £35 on petrol to get back the money you took from my account in the first place. At every level on this Tesco you and your staff have comprehensively failed. Andrew Kennedy later provided an update online about feedback he received from the retailer 'Had I been emotionally vulnerable or had some form of learning disability, or being old and confused, this appalling treatment could have resulted in trauma. You should actually be ashamed of yourselves.' He urged the company to 'redeem' themselves by refunding his money, writing to apologise for his treatment, retraining staff at Hurst Park on 'how to treat people with respect' and donating £100 to Young Minds. Mr Kennedy has since shared an update online with his followers, thanking people for their support and revealing Tesco had called to say sorry while also pledging the charity donation as well as providing him with a gift card. He wrote: 'So at 7.30pm the CEOs office emailed to apologise for what happened. It was a proper apology, not one of those "we are sorry if you were offended" apologies! 'Whenever something like this happens I ask myself how I would feel if it happened to my mum. 'She was of a generation who were deferential to authority and would have accepted what she was told, even when she knew she was in the right.' People responding Mr Kennedy's online posts included wildlife campaigner Dominic Dyer, who said: 'Always get a receipt even for online payments.' Sympathisers included one commenter who wrote: 'Terrible treatment by @Tesco. One of the many reasons I always use cash in supermarkets. "Use it or lose it" is the main reason I use cash, though.' Another said: 'I'm sure it has caused you emotional distress and defamation by shouting across the whole shop on top of many other reasons.' Mr Kennedy was also told: 'Shocking story. I do hope you get restitution, an apology and compensation.' A spokesman for Tesco said: 'Unfortunately, a fault with a scan as you shop handset at our West Moseley Superstore meant that it incorrectly indicated that Mr Kennedy's payment had not been completed. 'We are really sorry that this happened and have reached out to Mr Kennedy to apologise for how the matter was handled as it fell below the high standards that we would expect.'
Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Tesco ‘humiliated' political campaigner staff accused of shoplifting
A shopper who claims Tesco staff wrongly accused him of not paying for his groceries says the supermarket left him 'humiliated'. Andrew Kennedy says he was told by staff at a branch of the supermarket giant that he had not paid for his shopping, despite his phone banking app showing a transaction of £75.92 at the self-service till. After arguing with staff, including an assistant manager, at the Hurst Park store in Molesey, Surrey, Mr Kennedy abandoned his shopping trolley and left. He says he was then told five days after the Good Friday incident that he would have to make a 120-mile round trip to the store from his home in Kent if he wanted to claim a refund. Mr Kennedy, a political consultant who was field director for Liz Truss's Conservative leadership campaign, said he was left 'humiliated' by the experience and has demanded an apology. He said that as he left the store after paying for his groceries using his Apple Pay, an assistant came after him to tell him he had not paid. Mr Kennedy, 58, said: 'She did this quietly and discreetly and thinking there was an error, I happily went back inside.' But Mr Kennedy says once he was back inside, a supervisor told a colleague: 'You need to watch out for this. Quite often they do two identical shops, pay for one then use the payment to avoid paying for the second.' In a social media thread, he claimed: 'The supervisor then dismissively said to me, 'It's a pending transaction, it won't go through. If you want your groceries you'll have to pay again.' 'At this point I was angry, humiliated and running out of time, so I agreed to pay again as I just wanted to leave.' But when he tried to pay again, the transaction was declined, and he left without the shopping. On Wednesday, he rang Hurst Park Tesco to ask for a refund, only to be told he would 'need to provide evidence that he hadn't taken the groceries'. Friends of Mr Kennedy have contrasted the treatment he said he received with a recent spike in shoplifting carried out by brazen criminals, with shop staff apparently helpless to intervene. Addressing Tesco bosses, Mr Kennedy wrote: 'So to summarise: (i) you accused me of shoplifting, (ii) you humiliated me in front of other people, (iii) you wasted my time and forced me to be late for a reunion, (iv) your incompetence led to my card being blocked, (v) you took £75.92 from my bank account. 'And now you are expecting me to travel three hours and spend £35 on petrol to get back the money you took from my account in the first place. At every level on this, you and your staff have comprehensively failed.' Mr Kennedy has urged Tesco to retrain its staff 'on how to treat people with respect' and make a donation of £100 to Young Minds, a charity. He claimed that, in its latest communication, Tesco's customer service department told him there would be no written apology as the incident had been 'all the fault of the employee and not the company'. Sources said the supermarket chain had offered now Mr Kennedy the option of obtaining a refund at a Tesco store of his choosing, as it was unable to refund payment remotely because of bank security procedures. It is also arranging a donation to Young Minds. A spokesman for Tesco said: 'Unfortunately, a fault with a scan as you shop handset at our [Hurst Park] West Moseley Superstore meant that it incorrectly indicated that Mr Kennedy's payment had not been completed. 'We are really sorry that this happened and have reached out to Mr Kennedy to apologise for how the matter was handled as it fell below the high standards that we would expect.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tesco ‘humiliated' political campaigner staff accused of shoplifting
A shopper who claims Tesco staff wrongly accused him of not paying for his groceries says the supermarket left him 'humiliated'. Andrew Kennedy says he was told by staff at a branch of the supermarket giant that he had not paid for his shopping, despite his phone banking app showing a transaction of £75.92 at the self-service till. After arguing with staff, including an assistant manager, at the Hurst Park store in Molesey, Surrey, Mr Kennedy abandoned his shopping trolley and left. He says he was then told five days after the Good Friday incident that he would have to make a 120-mile round trip to the store from his home in Kent if he wanted to claim a refund. Mr Kennedy, a political consultant who was field director for Liz Truss's Conservative leadership campaign, said he was left 'humiliated' by the experience and has demanded an apology. He said that as he left the store after paying for his groceries using his Apple Pay, an assistant came after him to tell him he had not paid. Mr Kennedy, 58, said: 'She did this quietly and discreetly and thinking there was an error, I happily went back inside.' But Mr Kennedy says once he was back inside, a supervisor told a colleague: 'You need to watch out for this. Quite often they do two identical shops, pay for one then use the payment to avoid paying for the second.' In a social media thread, he claimed: 'The supervisor then dismissively said to me, 'It's a pending transaction, it won't go through. If you want your groceries you'll have to pay again.' 'At this point I was angry, humiliated and running out of time, so I agreed to pay again as I just wanted to leave.' But when he tried to pay again, the transaction was declined, and he left without the shopping. On Wednesday, he rang Hurst Park Tesco to ask for a refund, only to be told he would 'need to provide evidence that he hadn't taken the groceries'. Friends of Mr Kennedy have contrasted the treatment he said he received with a recent spike in shoplifting carried out by brazen criminals, with shop staff apparently helpless to intervene. Addressing Tesco bosses, Mr Kennedy wrote: 'So to summarise: (i) you accused me of shoplifting, (ii) you humiliated me in front of other people, (iii) you wasted my time and forced me to be late for a reunion, (iv) your incompetence led to my card being blocked, (v) you took £75.92 from my bank account. 'And now you are expecting me to travel three hours and spend £35 on petrol to get back the money you took from my account in the first place. At every level on this, you and your staff have comprehensively failed.' Mr Kennedy has urged Tesco to retrain its staff 'on how to treat people with respect' and make a donation of £100 to Young Minds, a charity. He claimed that, in its latest communication, Tesco's customer service department told him there would be no written apology as the incident had been 'all the fault of the employee and not the company'. Sources said the supermarket chain had offered now Mr Kennedy the option of obtaining a refund at a Tesco store of his choosing, as it was unable to refund payment remotely because of bank security procedures. It is also arranging a donation to Young Minds. A spokesman for Tesco said: 'Unfortunately, a fault with a scan as you shop handset at our [Hurst Park] West Moseley Superstore meant that it incorrectly indicated that Mr Kennedy's payment had not been completed. 'We are really sorry that this happened and have reached out to Mr Kennedy to apologise for how the matter was handled as it fell below the high standards that we would expect.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
