In Other News: Whistleblower Says JCPenney Overcharged Customers
Former JCPenney employee Robert Blatchford has filed a claim against the retailer under the State of Florida’s Private Whistleblower Act.
According to a report in Fortune, Blatchford, who was a part-time employee from August 2012 to July 2013 at a St. Petersburg, Fla. store, accused the retailer of charging customers full price on sale items and collecting sales tax on un-taxable items.
The problem, Blatchford explained to NBC, was phony sales: “I saw a lot of pricing teams going through the store, raising the prices, mostly doubling — towels and clothing. Then they would go on sale, and they wouldn’t always go on sale for 50 percent off. Not only was it a fake sale, but they were actually paying more than they would have been previously.”
Blatchford sent emails to former CEO Ron Johnson and human resources chief Dan Walker and was told that the accusations were being addressed but he didn’t believe it so he went on NBC’s Today Show in July 2013 to speak out about it. He was fired two days later and sued by the retailer, but JCPenney dropped the case last September.
