December 11, 2013
QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. - An Arizona man says he has found out the hard way just how to get banned from Walmart for life.
Joe Cantrell loves to ad match.
He goes through circulars to find the biggest discounts, and then goes to Walmart.
According to the company's website, they match the lowest advertised price on identical products, but when Joe tried doing that last week, the unthinkable happened.
What started as a trip to a San Tan Valley, Ariz., Walmart to get ornaments for his family's Christmas tree, turned into the biggest nightmare of Joe's life.
"I was handcuffed, humiliated and embarrassed in front of everybody at Walmart," Joe remembers.
And, there's a chance, Joe just may be the most loyal Walmart shopper you've ever met.
Joe told us he visits the mega-retailer at least twice a day -- once in the morning with his grandmother, and then again in the evening.
"I just love Walmart and that's why I go," he laughs.
Because to Joe, every little dollar counts.
"Sorry I get a little emotional about this, because I'm disabled," he says.
After eight years in the ring as a professional wrestler and lots of injuries, "I can't do what I used to do for a living anymore," he says.
So, four months ago, he started ad matching. But last week when a Walmart employee told him it wasn't allowed, Joe complained to management.
"When I left, he turned around and called the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and said he felt intimidated and threatened. I was upset, but never once did I say anything to the gentleman," Joe says of the incident.
Joe says when he went back to Walmart four days later, three deputies handcuffed him, gave him a court summons and a notice banning him from any Walmart in the world for life.
"I felt shamed. I felt like I was the bad guy. And I know I'm not a bad guy," he says.
The deputies apparently agreed. Joe says when they realized the nature of the complaint, they let him go.
"They saw a grown man cry like a baby," Joe says. "Probably because I knew I would be able to go home to my family and finish that Christmas tree."
Joe wasn't arrested, but he says he's facing charges of threatening, intimidation and disorderly conduct. He has no attorney and he's still banned from Walmart for life.
Sister station ABC15 reached out to Wal-mart, but the company never responded to the request for comment.
Joe says he if knew ad matching was going to cause this, he just would have paid the extra money.
Watch the video to hear from Joe. (Mobile users, head here to watch.)
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