Autozone employee FIRED after defending store from armed robbery!!

[alkemyst]

Autozone is trash.

actual email/incident that happened back in 2009 when my wife and I first started a divorce.


12/19/2009 07:54 PM

Please respond to
a///lkemyst@30m//.oons.com

To customer.service@autozone.com
cc
Subject Web Site - Customer Service

Store city : Greenacres
Store State : FL
Comment : Re: 4654 LAKE WORTH RD, GREENACRES, FL I sent my wife to your store to find out about her charging system. She was told they didn't know how to use your battery/alternator machine that but their mechanic "Moose" could work their machine properly. He determined she needed a new alternator and water pump / thermostat. She was not having cooling problems at the time, but with a little under 100k on her odometer for her 2000 Saturn I told her it probably wouldn't hurt to have it done. Two days later we pick up her car as completed and find out it's leaking antifreeze everywhere and it appears the alternator is old (pulley is full of road dirt and the case is blackened/dirty). The manager working tonight didn't speak english too well, but didn't think any alternator cores turned in were for a Saturn like hers. "Moose" also needed to charge my wife an extra $45 because 'your alternator wiring was burned and I had to crimp in a piece of cable' [no crimped cable was present, the factory wiring is fine]. He also claimed we weren't charged a core charge on that alternator (we didn't have the receipt with us), but we charged a core charge on our receipt. It's late on a Saturday night, but I can almost guarantee that alternator is not new. I am breaking the car down to try and figure out what he screwed up. I run the website 30moons.com which is about the Saturn vehicles...I sent her to your store to save me time and avoid aggravating an injury I am seeing a surgeon for now. I could have done the work myself. I replaced the alternator in my 96 Saturn I had back in 2000 with a duralast when I returned to college. The main problem is as of tonight "Moose"'s cell phone is disconnected and the manager that let her know about this guy is not back on duty until Monday. I am thinking he just returned our alternator and either replaced it with one from a pick and pull that worked or corrected a cabling issue that was the problem after all. I do know he replaced our waterpump and thermostat though as it's leaking badly. Also 'Moose' stole her spare tire and left her trunk open in the rain. 'Moose' claims the spare was bad and her trunk was already full of water. I really don't know why he had to open the trunk to begin with.


Autozone's response was one liner:
Sadly we regret to inform you that any work done by non-Autozone employees cannot be covered even if acting like store employees.

 

[3chordcharlie]

He cared about the people who might get shot by the criminal and took action to stop it. A hero. Criminals have been known to shoot people dead...for fun. He essentially saved their lives.

Bullshit. Pure Bullshit.

He knew the store policy, and he recognized the robber from the news. He knew that money would be handed over, and no one was likely to get hurt.

There's nothing wrong with what the guy did, and the outcome has some positives, but it was not smart, and the scenarios where he actually saved lives are pretty freakin' limited.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

It drives me nuts when I hear about "zero tolerance" policies in any context. It's equivalent to saying we are going to abandon rational thought and do something for arbitrary reasons. You can have a strict or aggressive policy without resorting to the willful stupidity that is "zero tolerance".

 

[3chordcharlie]

It drives me nuts when I hear about "zero tolerance" policies in any context. It's equivalent to saying we are going to abandon rational thought and do something for arbitrary reasons. You can have a strict or aggressive policy without resorting to the willful stupidity that is "zero tolerance".

Yes, "zero thought" policies are pretty stupid.

 

[her209]

The pussification of America continues?

 

[SparkyJJO]

you really think i cant find stories of people getting shot by robbers when they refuse to hand over money?

That isn't what he was asking for. Stop trying to sidestep it to shift it in your favor a bit.

 

[JEDIYoda]

hahahahaaaaaa...gotta love all this macho crap and fake outrage and all these Rambo idiots whop on the internet are asll terminators......

In real life most of you would have crapped in your pants.....hahahaaaaa

 

[LumbergTech]

Absolutely he needed to be canned. You don't see a guy like that as a liability? If it is his own property, sure let him defend it how he wants. But when you're being paid to do a job, you defend the property as the OWNER sees fit.

Bullshit dude. I'll defend my life how I want to no matter what some jackass says.

 

[LumbergTech]

hahahahaaaaaa...gotta love all this macho crap and fake outrage and all these Rambo idiots whop on the internet are asll terminators......

In real life most of you would have crapped in your pants.....hahahaaaaa

the guy in the story didn't...so wtf are you talking about?

 

[waggy]

Bullshit dude. I'll defend my life how I want to no matter what some jackass says.

self defense is one thing. but he escaped the situation and went back. its no longer self defense.

should he in trouble legally? hell no. do i blame him for what he did? hell no. but i do understand and agree with im getting fired.

 

[Rangoric]

Care to show a story where a CCW holder harmed an innocent person?

You're "there will be blood in the streets" is false, not true, made up and a lie.

Would there be a dead clerk if the customer hadn't fired?
http://www.khou.com/news/HPD-Masked-robbers-kill-Family-Dollar-clerk--152016755.html

If the clerk didn't fight back would he have been shot?
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-highland-liquor-store-heist,0,2976112.story

It happens. When someone resists or fires back, the lethality of the situation goes up. Which is a duh, but people, in general, are really bad shots in a situation like this.

 

[NiceCold]

if you were in autozone's boss shoes you would be suprise that your employee carries a weapon in his car parking at the work place. you would feel unsafe. what if your employee got an argument? and does the employee even got a liscense for carrying a weapon?

other employees would feel unsafe if they know their co worker is carrying a weapon in a car during work.

as long as the boss and everyone else is thankful to the brave employee for standing up to robbers and chase out..... it is ok to lose job. since the policy is policy. no weapon to work.



usually if robber show up, employee supose to reduce casualties and just give them what they want to make them leave reducing harm. especially when there is many customers and emplyees around. what if the situation worsen? gun fight gun and hurt others. its better to reduce the harm before it start.

 

[Merad]

Most companies have policies prohibiting employees from actively confronting robbers, and preventing employees from carrying weapons at work. If the guy was made aware of these policies, I fail to see the problem.

 

[Ferzerp]

I was agreeing with Tweak155.

I'm agreeing with DVC and laughing that "dabuddha" is the name of the one who had that attitude.

 

[mugs]

The fired guy and the manager both think he saved the manager's life.

This guy robbed 30 stores, how many people did he kill?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The fired guy and the manager both think he saved the manager's life.

This guy robbed 30 stores, how many people did he kill?

How many does it take?

 

[3chordcharlie]

How many does it take?

Well, let's start with zero, and see.

The claim is that this employee 'saved lives' by his action. That claim is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[jpeyton]

As much as I'm 100% for people carrying a firearm for personal defense, AutoZone was in the right on this one.

The insurance liability for one robbery is around $300 or less.

The insurance liability for injury or death caused by an employee shooting can be in the millions. The employee, for example, could miss the robber and injure/kill a customer. Or could injure/kill the robber and be targeted in a lawsuit. AutoZone corporate is responsible for all actions by their employees while on the job.

AutoZone could get robbed 10,000 times and it would still cost less than one employee shooting gone awry.

If I ran a business, I would understand the need for such a no-tolerance policy.

That said, I hope someone takes out this fake-beard bandit. All the people saying this criminal is a 'peaceful' robber are beyond help. If he's brandishing a deadly weapon while robbing someone, he deserves to be put down swiftly.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Would there be a dead clerk if the customer hadn't fired?
http://www.khou.com/news/HPD-Masked-robbers-kill-Family-Dollar-clerk--152016755.html

If the clerk didn't fight back would he have been shot?
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-highland-liquor-store-heist,0,2976112.story

It happens. When someone resists or fires back, the lethality of the situation goes up. Which is a duh, but people, in general, are really bad shots in a situation like this.

Can we create another thread with poll to see how many folks believe the customer with the handgun was a hero in this situation?

 

[SheHateMe]

Well, the clerk did flee the store, so he was not in danger. Getting his gun and going back in was a problem in Corporate's eyes..and I can kind of understand their disposition on the whole thing. They are probably insured..the the money being taken isnt an issue...but what if the clerk got in a shootout with the robber and a customer got shot and possibly killed? Can you see how this situation could have easily turned nasty for Autozone?

 

[mugs]

How many does it take?

If the guy committed 30 robberies without killing someone, it's apparent that he doesn't intend to kill anyone. To say the Autozone employee saved anyone's life is inaccurate. He saved Autozone the few hundred dollars that they had in the register. To do that he escalated the situation and actually put his and the manager's lives at risk. This guy let his desire to be a hero get in the way of common sense.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

If the guy committed 30 robberies without killing someone, it's apparent that he doesn't intend to kill anyone. To say the Autozone employee saved anyone's life is inaccurate. He saved Autozone the few hundred dollars that they had in the register. To do that he escalated the situation and actually put his and the manager's lives at risk. This guy let his desire to be a hero get in the way of common sense.

While the perps record is a strong indicator, the Autozone employee didn't know his record. Hindsight is 20:20 Common sense tells me to treat every situation like it might be mine or someone elses last.

I think there is a huge desire to disassociate from any unpleasant situation in modern day America. To the point where, the average citizen thinks it's better to run away. Some folks try to balance this by shooting first and asking questions later. BOTH are abnormal behavior.

What keeps American's safe in their homes? It's not the police, it's not the CCW folks and, it's not the legal system. The single most powerful tool to fight crime is society. The average joe saying, there are certain behaviors we will not accept.

By adopting corporate policy as custom and normal behavior, we destroy our own freedoms faster than any criminal or corrupt politician could ever do.

 

[triton2k3]

Most stores tell employees to not fight back. They have insurance policies that cover theft, and it reduces the risk of the employee getting hurt.

+1

They aren't supposed to follow shoplifters out of the building either for insurance purposes.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

+1

They aren't supposed to follow shoplifters out of the building either for insurance purposes.

Do you REALLY believe corporations have your best interests at heart?

 

[3chordcharlie]

Do you REALLY believe corporations have your best interests at heart?

No, they have to be coerced into taking any action based on any motivation other than the immediate improvement of their financial results.

It's the best reason to not reform the system WRT liability.