Go-Bears Food Mart Grady Gaubert, Gaubert Oil, Cody Shafer ripoff, crooked Houma Louisiana

On Friday, March 6, 2015, I stopped at the Go-Bears Food Mart on South Van Avenue in Houma, LA.  I had stopped there to purchase a pack of cigarettes for my mom.  I went inside, told them the cigarettes I wanted, and purchased them.  When I got back in to the car I gave my mom the cigarettes.  She told me that I had gotten the wrong kind.  Right brand, just wrong kind.

So, I gave her the receipt and she went inside to exchange them.  She came back out with a frustrated look on her face.  I asked her what was wrong.  She stated that the clerk refused to exchange the cigarettes.  I took the cigarettes and receipt and went inside to see what was going on.

I asked the lady to exchange the cigarettes.  She refused.  I asked her why.  She said it was their policy that once tobacco products are sold they cannot be exchanged or refunded.  I responded that it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.  She then responded, "It's like that everywhere."  I admit, I told her a few choice words before I left.  The store has a policy of not accepting tobacco products back yet has no sign anywhere warning customers that all tobacco sales are final.

I then asked to speak to a manager.  She responded that she is the manager.  I then asked for her name.  She said that her name is Tina.  I do not believe she is the store manager.  Maybe an assitant manager or a supervisor, but not THE manager.  According to the Go-Bears website, the manager for that Go-Bears location is Cody Shafer.

I see no logical reason for having such an asinine policy.  The only thing I could think of would be if people bought cigarettes cheaper elsewhere and tried to get a refund at a store that's more expensive.  However, that couldn't be applicable in this case.  For one, I had the receipt as proof of purchase.  Secondly, the same clerk that was denying me the exchange was the same clerk that had sold me the cigarettes less than five minutes prior.

I looked at my receipt and noticed something.  On the receipt, it had "CUSTOMER ID VERIFIED 01/25/69."  My identification was never verified.  The clerk never asked to see my ID nor did she ask my date of birth.  It seems that she put a fake date of birth in order to sell the cigarettes.  My birthdate is nowhere near what she put in to the register.  I was born in 1980, not 1969.

I started to research this company online.  It's owned by the Gaubert Oil Company, which is owned by Grady Gaubert.  It's one of fourteen convenient stores Louisiana.  According to the website, the owner, Grady Gaubert, also owns one grocery store, , four daiquiri shops, two Subway restaurants, and two Blimpie restaurants.

I performed a WHOIS query on the website.  It appears that they have fake information for their phone number and their fax number.  The phone and fax numbers are all nines.  When I looked done a WHOIS query for the Gaubert Oil Company, I noticed that they're using a WHOIS privacy guard type service (Perfect Privacy, LLC). 

There's a few things I see here.  Firstly, their "manager" enters fake information in to the register to sale cigarettes to an unidentified person.  Next, the contact information for their convenient store domain has fake information for the phone and fax numbers.  The contact information for the oil company (Gaubert Oil) is hidden.  I understand when individuals want to keep their contact information private for a domain, however, I find it questionable and shady when a business hides their contact information.

I did contact the company via their website.  Thus far, I wouldn't recommend purchase anything from this company or their other businesses.  It seems their policy is to create rules but not notify the victim about their rules until it's too late.

I will be filing a complaint with the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control in regards to the fake information the "manager" put in to the register and her failure to properly identify customers.