Talk about a Customer Service Blunder!

[JMorgana]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories...lofshame.shtml

[Caittune Bugstomper]

That is just insane. Being from Canada, I don't know the laws where this took place, but wouldn't the police have seized the items as evidence. Or even just seized them to return them to their rightful owner?

Another question, if they bought the stuff without checking, and then sold it (even back to the person who owned it originally) shouldn't they be charged with trafficing in stolen goods?

/boggle

[Renjah]

The problem is you need proof they were in fact the stolen goods. You would have to trade the serial numbers or it would have to have some other identifing mark. Otherwise who is to say the kid didnt lie about where he sold it?

[Caittune Bugstomper]

True, I assumed that there was some proof that those were the the stolen goods. My bad.

[Itek]

Hmm...

Now I'm not a lawyer... put I've taken some "business law" and I've also dealt with pawnshops. And I know more than a few cops.

1) It's generally illegal to buy "second-hand" goods without getting a photo ID (photo-copied) and a fingerprint from the seller

2) You are required to inventory ALL the items by who sold them to you and when, along with the IDs you took.

3) 15 days, 30 days, 60 days, varies by item and location but there is a "grace period" during which you cannot sell the item.

This is how "pawning" a thing works. You bring in an item. They give you a "pawn loan" against the "collateral" that you leave with them. You bring their money back, with interest by the end of the "loan term" and you get your stuff back. If you don't at the end of the "loan term" the item becomes the property of the pawnshop, the "grace period" -mysteriously- happens to be equal or less than the "loan term" aren't we all surprised, and they put it on the shelf for sale. (or, for the bigger chains, is transported out of state and re-sold, probably for retail)

Failing to maintain a "pawn book" of second-hand goods is illegal. Someone got their hand caught in the cookie jar. Oops.

Hint: They don't need to prove THIS copy of "Pokemon Gold" is THEIR copy. All they need is the thief's fingerprint in the pawn book next to the entry "one copy of Pokemon Gold, now marked pawn loan #357954 for the pawn loan term of 30 days" and the thief's confession.

Isn't a pawn book a wonderful thing, in case you happen to be robbed and happen to be lucky enough to find the thief.

HINT: Ingrave all your stuff that someone might steal. Write down the serial numbers and store them in a safe deposit box. If you are robbed your stuff WILL very likely wind up in a pawn shop and they DO check serial numbers. Or cops call and make them check if you have the numbers.

BIG HINT: If you try to pawn something with the numbers scratched off you can figure the police will be there soon. (Funny, pawn shops have panic buttons under the counter, and police come in a -dang- hurry. Pawn shop = big money, and frequently handguns.)