Apple Store Customer Arrested for Shoplifting Says He Was Trying to Use EasyPay Self-Checkout

faroZ06 said:
How about "If you don't want to be accused of crime, don't look like a criminal."? People who make it so hard to judge make it harder to sift out criminals and innocent.
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What, like these...
 

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robogobo said:
The thing about easy pay, is that it's the responsibility of the customer to make sure they pay before leaving the store - just like any other store.
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I'd argue that it's always been the store's responsibility to ensure they collect payment before the customer leaves the store. Obviously the customer should offer to pay before leaving, but if Apple's system fails to collect that payment, who's fault is it? Is the customer responsible for a system usability deficit on Apple's part?

What if he customer has ADD? A learning disability, Dyslexia? Bad eyesight? Can't speak English very well? Should they go to jail for that?
 
Sora said:
Don't know if anyone actually read the MacWorld article, but the guy accused of allegedly stealing a $129 pair of headphones was at the Apple store initially for a service appointment for his rMacBook Pro.

"Shine went to the Apple Store on August 20 because his MacBook Pro with Retina Display was acting up—specifically, a problem with the laptop’s trackpad. So he booked a Genius Bar appointment for that evening."

I highly doubt this kids is that strapped for cash that he'd risk a larceny theft charge over a pair of $100 headphones.
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Or he was pissed his expense laptop had to be brought in so soon after being bought he felt like he was 'owed' something. People do dumb **** all the time that don't make sense. Shoplifting is pretty much defined as carrying away a product from a retailer, passing all points of purchase and exiting the store without paying. It doesnt mater if you have enough money on you to pay for the product (or put the easy pay screen on the last page but never hit "purchase") you still have shoplifted if you walk out the door without paying. I get that he may have made an absent minded mistake, however the store isn't just going to shrug and let him ago. It's up for a judge or jury to decide if the events that transpired consituted shoplifting.

I worked LP for awhile, I would show people a clip of them taking several items and concealing them, in color and they still deny it (even though they just took out the very same product and placed it on the counter). People are dumb and try to get away with stupid **** that defy logic.
 
See how the Courts Handle this Case

It will be very interesting to see how the courts handle this case. Most certainly the employee failed to do his job by supplying the suspect with a bag without checking for a reciept. Technology is great when it works but it certaintly is not full proof and thieves have become more sophisticated today then ever before.

It is true this person will probably get off the charge if he has not had any previous convictions for shoplifting. But this does not mean that he is not a shoplifter. Statistics show that a shoplifter is only caught approximately 1 in 50 times and is arrested only 1 in 100 times. Pretty good odds of getting away with theft.

For more stats on shoplifting check this out. http://www.shopliftprevention.com
 
This is why I refuse point blank to use EasyPay and insist and will prefer to wait to be served by a member of staff.

I just can do without the problems and I think a little inconvenience on my behalf waiting for a member of staff, saves me potentially far more trouble should their gimmicky payment system hit a bug :rolleyes:
 
Swytch said:
The fact of the matter is, in our judicial system you are guilty until proven innocent. If you are accused of a crime, you have to prove that you are innocent, when it should be the other way around. Just look at the fact that they offered the kid a plea bargain - this is the court saying we know you are guilty so take this lesser charge now and avoid having to prove your innocence. They would not offer him a plea if they though he was innocent.
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Not necessarily. If they thought he was innocent they could simply drop the case. A plea bargain allows them to get minor offenses out of the way so they can free up time for more serious offenses. If there is a large backlog of cases they may want to run a rocket docket and having to try a minor shoplifting case takes time. They may simply dismiss his case at trial. In the mean time, Apple has an employee that needs to show up and sit around until the case comes up, as well as an arresting officer; either of whom may not show up.

Pleas bargains prevent everyone from going to trial by offering a deal; if every case was tried the court system would collapse.
 
The kid left without a receipt? Very suspicious. Someone leaving a store with an electronic device without the receipt is foolish.
 
Arran said:
I'd argue that it's always been the store's responsibility to ensure they collect payment before the customer leaves the store. Obviously the customer should offer to pay before leaving, but if Apple's system fails to collect that payment, who's fault is it? Is the customer responsible for a system usability deficit on Apple's part?

What if he customer has ADD? A learning disability, Dyslexia? Bad eyesight? Can't speak English very well? Should they go to jail for that?
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If they commit a crime do to their disability I say yes throw them in jail. A crime is a crime and it's the persons responsibility to know their limitations. Apple doesn't force anyone to use easy pay and if it was a language I didn't understand then stupid me for not asking for assistance. Most folks that commit a crime will say it was not their intent. Lousy excuse for not ensuring payment was made.
 
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lol.... There doesn't have to be anything complicated here.

You mean to to say, you would try & leave the store, if you were in his shoes?

What did he go there for then ? just to browse ? I don't think so. He went their for headphones and "scanned them in" saying "I'm gonna buy this:

Why did he scan them if he didn't wanna pay ?

"opps .... i accidentally pulled out my Iphone..."
"opps .... I accidentally scanned the barcode..."
"opps .... I accidentally tried to leave the store...'

Seems to me, allot of mistakes are happening by this 18-year old.

Now, if he was drunk at the time,,, THAT would have been a reason .. :)
 
dcorban said:
The kid left without a receipt? Very suspicious. Someone leaving a store with an electronic device without the receipt is foolish.
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Have you actually shopped in an Apple Store? They don't normally give you a receipt any longer, even if you by from a Genius. I walked out with a MacBook Air and Thunderbolt Display without a "receipt". They email it to you.

That said, if I were buying using the self service option, I would grab a screenshot of the confirmation before leaving the store. That's easy enough to do on an iOS device. I think what Apple should do is make their store app automatically save a copy of the screen with the confirmation to avoid this.
 
convergent said:
Have you actually shopped in an Apple Store? They don't normally give you a receipt any longer, even if you by from a Genius. I walked out with a MacBook Air and Thunderbolt Display without a "receipt". They email it to you.

That said, if I were buying using the self service option, I would grab a screenshot of the confirmation before leaving the store. That's easy enough to do on an iOS device. I think what Apple should do is make their store app automatically save a copy of the screen with the confirmation to avoid this.
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They do give out receipts here in Australia... The only time they email it is when I shop at the Online Apple Store.

But then again, we don't even have EasyPay yet.... Where soo far behind the times.
 
hchavarria said:
If they commit a crime do to their disability I say yes throw them in jail. A crime is a crime and it's the persons responsibility to know their limitations. Apple doesn't force anyone to use easy pay and if it was a language I didn't understand then stupid me for not asking for assistance. Most folks that commit a crime will say it was not their intent. Lousy excuse for not ensuring payment was made.
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There is such a thing as giving someone a break when something was not their intention and the end result was no one really being harmed. The thinking that a crime is a crime basically states no matter the reason the outcome should be the same.
 
....

ok. so what is this about ? Is it actually the taking of the headphones without paying ? or the simple that that "Apple called the cops" ? :apple:

I would actually agree, if u took anything without paying for it, isn't that stealing ?

If you did that, wouldn't you get in trouble for it ? Well... thats what Apple is doing .....
 
convergent said:
Have you actually shopped in an Apple Store? They don't normally give you a receipt any longer, even if you by from a Genius. I walked out with a MacBook Air and Thunderbolt Display without a "receipt". They email it to you.
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Yes, I still receive paper receipts at the two local Apple stores. I bought a MacBook Air last month, and an Airport Express this month. They also email it.

Based on the facts here, any reasonable person would have questioned whether the item was actually paid for or not. No reasonable person would believe you simply scanned the item and left.
 
ijohn.8.80 said:
What, like these...
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Obviously the guy in the bottom left corner of the picture, with B27642 is the criminal; bulging eyes, weird hair, obviously the mark of a career criminal who should be locked up permanently.

--------------------------
I saw the story in the news, and I have the app on my iPhone, but I've never trusted it enough to actually use it. I consider myself quite tech capable, but none of the mistakes I've made in the past have gotten me arrested and I wouldn't risk it. I hope it goes to trial.
 
if you want to use a system that gives you added convenience, you have added responsibility.

Just like having a pack of cokes on the bottom of your cart and you mistakenly do not look and do not scan them, the screen asks you to double check your cart because once you leave the store, that is theft because no one can know what you were or were not thinking.

He left the store without double checking that he had paid for the headphones, guilty in my book. Otherwise wait in line if you can not figure out how to use the easy pay feature.
 
bigjnyc said:
Very curious to see how the trial shakes out. This could potentially be a lose-lose for Apple.... If this kid has no prior record and is found guilty then it could be bad publicity for Apple and the easy pay system.... However if he is found innocent on a technicality with the App that could open the floodgates for thieves to use this excuse.

On the other hand maybe Apple has some strong evidence, they may have security camera footage of the kid being suspicious. Maybe they were watching him for a while in the store. So yeah it will be very interesting to see how this turns out.
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The reason they said he is guilty is because thieves have done this before, which is why they did not believe him :)
 
Identity Fraud said:
Or he was pissed his expense laptop had to be brought in so soon after being bought he felt like he was 'owed' something. People do dumb **** all the time that don't make sense. Shoplifting is pretty much defined as carrying away a product from a retailer, passing all points of purchase and exiting the store without paying. It doesnt mater if you have enough money on you to pay for the product (or put the easy pay screen on the last page but never hit "purchase") you still have shoplifted if you walk out the door without paying. I get that he may have made an absent minded mistake, however the store isn't just going to shrug and let him ago. It's up for a judge or jury to decide if the events that transpired consituted shoplifting.

I worked LP for awhile, I would show people a clip of them taking several items and concealing them, in color and they still deny it (even though they just took out the very same product and placed it on the counter). People are dumb and try to get away with stupid **** that defy logic.
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I'm pretty sure race and social class play a HUGE part of that too. At least at Walmart...

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pingfan59 said:
if you want to use a system that gives you added convenience, you have added responsibility.

Just like having a pack of cokes on the bottom of your cart and you mistakenly do not look and do not scan them, the screen asks you to double check your cart because once you leave the store, that is theft because no one can know what you were or were not thinking.

He left the store without double checking that he had paid for the headphones, guilty in my book. Otherwise wait in line if you can not figure out how to use the easy pay feature.
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Not necessarily guilty. That's too wide of a definition. If so, then that opens a whole new can of worms.
 
I haven't read all the replies, just most of the first few pages. So I don't know if someone has already said this.

I think the apple employee and the manager of this store has really messed up big this time. The best way this could have been handled is simply remind the customer that they may have forgotten to pay for the item (s) before they left the store. This way you are allowing the customer to correct the issue and not escalate the situation into a shop lifting confrontation with police being called and arrest being made. If the customer/shop lifter refuse to cooperate then authorities can be involved.

I worked in retail for a long time since the early eighties. Our store policy has always been to do just that. People make mistakes, and when you allow a way out for them it serves both sides well.
 
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