A video of a man being refused the sale of a scarf at an Official Rugby World Cup store because he wanted to pay with a Scottish £20 note has gone viral.
Scots rugby fan Peter Mechan picked out a scarf in the merchandise store at the Fiji vs Uruguay game on Tuesday and attempted to pay with a Scottish £20 note he had picked up on a recent visit to Edinburgh - but he was refused.
The 52-year-old, who lives in Milton Keynes, said he was left "insulted" and upset when staff said they were not allowed to accept the money.
He returned to the store and filmed the encounter with staff before he shared his video on Facebook.
In a Facebook post, which has been shared and liked by thousands, he said: "Rugby World Cup official shop refuses Scottish banknotes: I live in Milton Keynes and went to the Fiji v Uruguay game.
"I went to buy a scarf to commemorate the event but only had Scottish money (just arrived back down from Edinburgh).
"They refused to serve me and advised that their senior manager (I got her name: Paula Hansen) had advised them all specifically before the event not to accept Scottish notes.
"The guy I spoke to explained that "Gibraltar is part of the UK too and you can't use their banknotes here so of course you can't use Scottish notes in England!."
"Please by all means share this far and wide! I have made an official complaint today to www.rwcshop.com but don't expect any action."
In the video, the shop assistant said: “We’re just being told what our managers have told us.”
Peter replies: “Scottish notes are backed by gold and tradable assets unlike English notes.
“When the Bank of England wants to print more money, it just prints more money, there’s nothing behind it.
“What Scots banks have to do is, if they want to print money, they actually have to actually buy tradable assets in the world and then deposit that with the Bank of England.
“So our money is actually safer than yours.”
One of the sales clerks then responds: “Technically you’re right, but as I said it’s not down to me. I don’t have the power.”
The man has since spoke to The Scotsman about the video.
He told The Scotsman: “I couldn’t believe it when the official shop refused to take any of the Scottish notes, especially after the ban on bagpipes.
“I only had Scottish notes in my pocket and so I handed over a £20 note and they looked at it. They said they couldn’t take it.
“I was more angry than embarrassed. It feels like an insult, not only to me, but to my country."
He added: “I have been phoned back by the shop and the guy apologised to me, explaining that it was a ‘miscommunication’.
“He did say that they are being inundated by e-mails and asked if I could therefore take the video down but I refused.
“I’ve had the problem before in London where a shop assistant wouldn’t take them, but more often it’s just people looking closely at them asking if it’s legal tender and asking their manager."
The Bank of England website states that Scottish “banknotes are not ‘legal tender’ and that “Bank of England banknotes are only legal tender in England and Wales”.
A Scottish or Northern Ireland banknote being accepted as a means of payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved.
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