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Lawrence Walsh: Wal-Mart doesn't discount penmanship

Lawrence Walsh: Wal-Mart doesn't discount penmanship

Josh Wander is the first to admit his signature is "a scribble."

Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette
Josh Wander shows his signed check that was rejected by a Wal-Mart cashier because of the "scribble" signature.
Click photo for larger image.

It looks like an A without a middle bar or an open J.

Wander, 33, a businessman, has been signing his name like that for years. It's on his driver's license and credit cards. He's also a notary public who, among other things, verifies that a signature is genuine.

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"Some people ask me if I'm a doctor," Wander said.

On Dec. 28, he went shopping at Wal-Mart in North Versailles with his three children. He has shopped there before.

After the cashier rang up the groceries and merchandise, Wander wrote a check for $80, signed it and handed it and his driver's license to the cashier just as he had done many times before.

The cashier refused to accept it. Wander said the cashier told him he needed to sign it "better" because his signature was only a scribble.

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Wander showed him his driver's license. He said the cashier responded by saying "the state should never have accepted this."

At that point, Wander could see -- and sense -- the people behind him in the check-out line wondering what was "wrong" with his check. He said he asked to speak to the cashier's supervisor because "I had just about enough humiliation."

When the supervisor appeared, Wander said he was a notary public and assured the man that his signature was genuine. He also showed his driver's license and credit cards.

He said the supervisor appeared sympathetic until he asked Wander to sign the check "differently for our records." Yes, he wanted Wander to forge his signature.

Wander was incredulous. He pointed out that he signed the signature card at his bank the same way he signed the $80 check. He said the bank obviously would question the check if its signature didn't match what it had on file.

Wander said the supervisor then added insult to injury by saying he once had worked in a bank and that Wander's signature wouldn't be considered valid there.

"I began to think I was a victim of a practical joke or an episode of 'Candid Camera,' " Wander said. He asked to speak to a manager.

The manager arrived. Wander said he had been a customer at the store for years and that his signature had never been questioned.

"She said [the cashiers] must have overlooked [my] signature."

Wander refused to sign his check any differently and left.

He called Wal-Mart's toll-free customer service number and filed a complaint. He was assured a district manager would call him within two days. The call never came.

I called the Wal-Mart in North Versailles. A manager, who identified himself only as Glen, referred me to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. He also asked me to have Wander call him.

Danette Thompson, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said she had never run into this problem before.

"After researching this customer issue, I learned that we do not have a check 'signature' policy. If a signature is questionable, we should ask for identification, which, in this case, the customer offered up front.

"We should apologize to Mr. Wander for his unfortunate experience in our store."

Wander said Glen made the apology when they spoke on the phone. He said Glen told him cashiers routinely examine signatures as a benefit to customers to prevent fraud. Glen also said he would speak to the cashier, supervisor and the other manager. He thanked Wander for bringing the problem to the store's attention.

First Published: January 7, 2004, 5:00 a.m.

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