A 20-year-old man called 999 after a dispute with staff at Sports Direct in Manchester's Arndale Centre over a £60 t-shirt he wanted to refund. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening shortly before 6pm.
The shopper claimed he had a receipt for the item but an employee refused to exchange or refund it. Police later called the man back, advising him that the matter was a civil dispute and not suitable for emergency services.
He was warned that if he called 999 for similar reasons again, he could face a £90 fine or a court appearance for wasting police time. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) handles around 1,400 emergency calls daily.
Diane Grandidge, GMP’s business lead for call-handling, said: “Every hoax or non-emergency call to 999 causes a delay in answering and dealing with genuine emergencies. Misuse of this service can seriously put lives at risk.”
The public is urged to use 101 for non-urgent matters. This incident follows a similar case last September when a pubgoer rang 999 to complain about cork bits in his wine.
