Why I'm no longer shopping at Boots and I advise you to do the same

Now first of let me quickly explain that this occurred last year in the Summer, and I'm doing this of memory but it is 99% accurate, I'm not doing this for attention but I'm doing this to talk about how customer service is decreasing and I totally understand that not everybody wants to be working retail but honestly what happened to me is honestly digesting, and boots customer service was awful and I want to let you know what happened. I also want to say that I do shop in boots if there is not another option, I used to shop there a lot a lot a lot but now I am really reluctant to. If I need something and boots is the only option I still will shop there but I am incredibly off putted.

Like I said this happened quite a while ago now, and I believe it was in the summer holidays but I could be wrong. So, I was going to the cinema with my two friends and it was after the film had ended and I had needed a new concealer and it was during that awkward time frame where the shops are fifteen minutes from closing and the staff are clearing up. Let me just say you are allowed to shop during this time, and the staff were honestly very rude. So they currently had an offer where all beauty products were 3 for 2 so it seemed natural to pick up three items, I had chosen two and then this time (ten minutes to closing) the staff were saying we had to go pay now and were basically harassing us three. It was only me intending to purchase something and my friends were just standing behind whilst I was trying to choose a third product to purchase. I noticed a lady peering at us and thought noting of us however I still don't know if this was the women that reported us. I then decided I could just wait until the next day,and choose my three products without being harassed and in peace. So I put both the products back in their place and left.

We then went to leave the store and came up to the exit and actually walked out of the store when a lady working there came running after us. I belief she was shouting stop, so we turned around and she walked up to us and said that a member of the public had seen us steal something and I was about ready to choke on my spit. All the people around us were giving us dirty looks, after all she had said it to three teenagers in a crowded place. She then bought us into the OPENING of the store and searched our bags. Of course nothing was found, because neither myself or my friends would  do such. Surely, if we had stolen something then the alarms would have gone off. So first of she committed three offences all at once, she was not a police officer or security guard but a staff member, searching a minor without an officer or parent present, searching a minor in a public place (should be taken into a back room not in the doors of the store) and also for staff to accuse you of stealing something and checking you they must have a reason to belief you have and none of the staff members or security guard actually saw us she had said it was a member of the public had seen us. So rather grudgingly she told us we could go, and we all walked off a bit confused and upset that we had been falsely accused of STEALING!

Around a week later, my dad sent them a formal complaint letter, explaining the situation to customer care, explaining that they were not allowed to do that and basically wanted compensation for it, The customer care was absolutely awful, they told MY parents that they had in fact found something on us, and our parents were called and we were dealt with. My parents of course having heard this went ballistic (and rightly so, stealing is awful but as I said none of us did) after a while I managed to convince them that I did not steal, and my parents had no reason to doubt me. They then called my friends parents to ask if they had been contacted by boots to say their daughter had stolen something and of course both said no. So my dad replied saying this was not the case, no parent had been contacted and reiterated the fact that nothing had been found on us. This went back and fourth, boots still saying we had stolen something. We then said check the CTV and speak to your staff, they claimed CTV is recorded over (which means after a week or two the footage is over recorded so you can only see the previous weeks recordings, which is ridiculous for a store to do..) and that the security guard was just a cover for that single day and we should talk to the security company. The security company then also claimed as with boots that we were found with items. At this point amy parents were really doubting me, because two big companies were continuing to claim that we had. I find this so disguising to continue to lie about three young teenagers stealing items. What company does that? My dad then proceeded to call the HEAD OFFICER OF CUSTOMER CARE who again was just as bad. We had to wait an incredibly long time for the call to even begin, and they then continued to claim that we had stolen something but said it was not me. My dad said well I have spoken to their parents and it was not them either, so who was it. They would not give a name but still reiterated it had been one of us. At this point, my dad gave up because it was taking up so much time and we were getting no where.

So this leaves me to conclude, that boots lied. They continue to claim that we had stolen an item, police officers had been there, we were taken into a separate room and not searched in front of the public and carried out all procedures. This makes me incredibly disgusted by their customer care, three innocent girls! There is no way that three girls (matching our description) were at the same store at the same time and day, in the same place and had stolen something. For now I will not be shopping at boots, I was a loyal customer to boots and spent a lot of money in that shop. I now avoid it as where possible and shop in places such as Selfridges or House of Fraser whereI know their customer service is excellent. This also actually happened to one of my mums friend in Primark who dealt with the situation quickly gave her considerable compensation and to a much better standard. All boots really had to do was to issue an apology which they did not do.

I don't really know why I wrote this but I feel like you should be aware of the awful customer care Boots gives, and why I no longer shop there!