"Mind you I have my own business and purchased the camera on a Platinum Business American Express card."

Completely unnecessary information.

Nevertheless, yes, before leaving the store, nay, before leaving the cashier's sight, CHECK THE BOX to make sure your product is inside.

Happened to me at Office Depot, except Office Depot exchanged the camera when they realized they gave me the floor model box.

When the assistant manager gets the item from the back office, hands you a 2 lb plus box (which includes manuals printed in 10 major world languages, batteries, chargers, other stuff) and you're expected to know whether the 4 oz camera was included, and the fact that OD charges a 15% restocking fee for opened digital camera boxes, I never thought for a second OD was pulling anything on me.

Of course I learned my lesson, but I know there's going to be someone on here calling the OP a dumbass for not checking. Until it happens to you, it's easy to be critical. And it's ridiculous if consumers are expected to unbox and inspect every boxed purchase made.

@DePaulBlueDemon: AMEX has special steps their cardholders can take to get refunds or price differences back. See the iPhone story the other day, AMEX was giving people who paid with their AMEX card $100 back.

That information was rather useful to the story, I suppose.

@silencedotcom:

I'm fully aware of their policy, but I, like OP, have been dissapointed by it. On more than one occasion, I might add.

Ironically what she probably should have done was stuck some rocks in it and came back with the box first thing to make her story more believable. It sucks that even AMEX wasn't willing to reimburse you. Maybe you should have taken the "I lost it/It was stolen" route so that they would replace it (i think they offer up to 90 day insurance protection from theft or damages).

Otherwise small claims really would be your next best bet. It'll be really easy to shoot down their argument ("you should have felt the weight to tell that the camera wasn't there" - only valid if the camera really weighs more than 1/2 a lb or something).

I can say this does in fact happen as I work at Target and we have an incident like it in the store I work in a couple weeks ago.

I dont know how that situation was resolved but I do know from working in the Electronics Dept that we have had times when the box was devoid of a camera.

Policy was we opened the box in front of a customer to ensure it was in fact there but Management changed this policy a while after I stopped working in Electronics for some reason.

Better to be safe then sorry and open the box yourself right at the counter because honestly you cant blame the store, they didnt package it and they have no reason to trust you when so many peoples lives are dedicated to finding a way to screw them out of money.

This happened to me at a Best Buy in San Diego. Surprisingly they swapped out the DV camera without too much fuss. The original box was pulled from storage so it must have been an inside job.

kp

I've run into this problem as well, but most of the time I've found that the missing piece was the manual. I've since gotten into the habit of asking staff (especially in a store like Target or other big box store) to open the packaging for me (a lot of stores don't want you to open packaging) and to confirm that all pieces of the puzzle are in the box and then I buy the item.

I agree the customer shouldn't have to double check that they are buying a complete package but I think this is an increasing problem in that shoplifter open the box and take items or staff open boxes to replace other missing parts for other customers.

"Mind you I have my own business and purchased the camera on a Platinum Business American Express card.",

I believe that's the card that only nun's and people personally vouched for by the Boy/Girl Scouts Honest Abe Security troop right?

"I tried for months now to dispute this with both Target and American Express"

So either the camera cost a few thousand dollars - or you bill out your business time at about $0.05 per hour?

"I am writing this to warn people to look in the box before you purchase anything at Target."

Thanks Ms. Obvious (how many times has this EXACT same sob story been in the news?), I'm sure it will come in handy if I ever get a severe head injury and then decide to shop at Target for a camera.

I had the same exact problem happen to me at Compusa. I purchased a harddrive and everything was in the box except the drive itself. I told myself there was no way Compusa was going to believe me and that I will probably have to bite the bullet on that one. After driving back to the store I walked to the Customer service desk and expected to get the 5th degree followed by being banned from the store, but to my amazement they never questioned it twice and gave me a replacement drive of the same type. Before I left the store i verified that the box was not empty.

@vonskippy: Does writing searing anecdotal replies make you feel good inside?

"I am writing this to warn people to look in the box before you purchase anything at Target."

Well, it's good to know that this only applies to Target! Here I was thinking it'd be a good idea to ALWAYS check the box when I'm spending more than $20 on something. Just to make sure I'm getting my gizmo, ya know?

Wow, so now you even get treated like a criminal at stores when THEY ARE THE FRAUDSTERS.

Definitely sue. They failed to provide merchandise you paid for, made unfounded accusations, and failed to refund your money.

I'd say you're owed a free camera and an apology.

You can 'google' the topic with keywords and you will find other such complaints.

I am NOT at all surprised at Tarbutts response, they are a totally crap operation and that is the sort of reply I would expect from them.

What is totall unusual is that Amex said stuff it! That I would NEVER expect, they are a pretty good outfit for complaints.

This sort of thing just happens now and then, it can be a dishonest employee stealing, in the back room or even on the sales floor, or someone took it out to put it on display or more likely someone just returned it without the camera in it and no one checked at the non-service desk.

I was in line once at a Wally World store and some manager was up front looking at go backs for his department and he picked up a box of some product and clearly he thought it was not heavy enough and he opened it right there and found the contents had been removed and it was stuffed with something or other. So their SD obviously just took it back without opening it. Happens everywhere, but if it happens at Tarbutt clearly you are just screwed!

And good luck trying to get past the corporate phone operators with a complaint they will NOT transfer you to anyone other than Corp non-service - that is their company policy, so you will never talk to or have a letter read by any Pres/CEO or officer of Tarbutt. The complaints all go to corp Customer non-service.

Someone said SUE THEM. That is absolutely the best advice you could get. Just make sure that copies of the suit go to your local media and also send copies to Tarbutt Corp in Mn. That will really be the only way you will get their attention. No company likes to be in the news by getting sued by a consumer. I'll bet once the suit is filed they will rush to solve the problem.

Had something similar happen a year or so ago at office depot. Bought a sony camera, the worker there handed me the box, I paid for it and was leaving the store, when I noticed the box appeared to have been opened and taped up. Took it back to the register and well it turned out to be the box for the display model. Got it exchanged without any issues, considering I hadn't even left the store yet.

Take the advice others have mentioned here, anytime ya buy something open up the box and check it to see if it's even if there.

@DePaulBlueDemon: That doesn't make it "unnecessary".

@vonskippy: Insulting the victim of a CRIME by calling it a "sob story" is disgusting. We've devolved into even BLAMING CRIME VICTIMS.

Disgusting.

I had a similar experience that I wrote Ben about at my local best buy.
I purchased a video game, along with $170 of other crap, and got home to find out there was no game in the box, just a dvd from Circuit city.
If you fight hard enough and long enough, you get what you want. The manager relented and allowed me an exchange.
The problem is that employees are taking the merchandise then rewrapping the boxes, leaving the consumer totally screwed. Of Course, the manager denied that his staff could have done that, but that's a big part of the problem. Managers who don't believe their employees can or will steal don't look for it, so the employees get away with stealing thousands. Instead of focusing on the employee theft (which costs retailers more than consumer theft), they tend to blame consumers.
The fact is that each of these stores needs to spend more time monitoring employees instead of only worrying about customers. An employee can steal more from you in a week than any customer can steal in their lifetimes.
So here's my recommendation - reach out to executives and district/regional managers. Explain the situation as calmly as you can and make sure to mention that you spend a fortune at Target but if they can't make this right, you'll happily spend more money for the same stuff elsewhere.
Good luck!

@vonskippy: Obviously you like sitting under your bridge, harassing billy goats.

The Consumerist needs an auto-jackass-post-bot. At the beginning of every comments section, it could automatically write,

"Wow! The consumer and/or victim sure is an idiot! Things like this only happen to people who deserve it. I can't believe they would be so stupid! I will never be defrauded and/or victimized like this, because I'm smarter, more attractive, and morally superior! Oh, and the punctuation and/or details of the story somehow offend me!"

If Consumerist could implement that, I feel like it would really streamline the comments section... the majority of the people who comment could give it a break, satisfied their opinion was expressed.

@DePaulBlueDemon: But then if you change your mind altogether and want a refund, they won't take it back because the box is open!

That sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This person is lying, if he paid with American Express he would get his money back.

Amex always does a chargeback for you, no questions asked.

I just log into americanexpress.com and select "check claim/dispute charge". I follow the prompts, enter info, and then click submit. Every time I did this I have never had to call Amex or talk to them on the phone, the money showed up a week to 2 weeks later.

If this guy really has AMEX they will side with him and get his money back.

The ease of chargebacks on AMEX is why I never use any of my other cards anymore.

I had the same situation with a video game at target. Target said it was impossible that there was no game in the box, and stopped short of directly accusing me of stealing the game. At first the only thing they would do was to direct me to the publisher of the game to file a complaint. After a while, though, I was fed up and told them I no longer want the game, either take the game back and send it back to the manufacturer as defective, or I would keep the game and no longer shop at the store. The manager figured it might be a better idea to save a customer so he agreed to refund the purchase price of the game.

The last time I purchased a camera from Target, the employee actually opened the box and pulled out the camera. I don't know why, but he did. There MUST be a reason that Target once had that policy - and maybe this is why.

I don't think consumers should be required to look in a box before purchasing an item in order to ensure that it is in there, though.

I know that in any work environment, once an employee makes a decision - whether it is right or wrong - other employees stand by that decision. It's a kind of loyalty / "we have to stick together" mentality that causes people who work closely together to back up poor decisions.

All it takes is one supervisorial employee to believe one grunt before it daisy-chains its way up to the regional manager. The regional manager is relying on his store manager's word - and the story manager is relying on his shift manager's word - and the shift manager is relying on the supervisor's word - who is relying on the customer service rep's decision. Not a good way to make business decisions.

I hope our consumer in this instance gets properly recompensed.

I didn't mean to seem like an @$$, I just think that if you believe American Express will solve all of your problems you will be dissapointed. OP's issues were obviously not resolved even though he or she is a cardmember. I've had problems with American Express as well. That is why I though that comment was "unnecesary" but maybe I should have been more careful.

I had a similar situation with Wal-Mart. A box supposedly containing an HP DVD burner actually had an Acer CD reader inside. I was expecting a fight, but they just gave me a refund, and gave me a sincere apology, explaining that they must have been duped by a previous customer.

I would never assume to have to open the box there in the store after buying.

@Buran: " Insulting the victim of a CRIME by calling it a "sob story" is disgusting. We've devolved into even BLAMING CRIME VICTIMS.

Disgusting."

OK, and what happens (and I'm NOT saying this is the case) IF someone buys a camera, takes it home, takes it out of the box, goes back to the store, SAYS they didn't get a camera and demands a new one. Should Target (or any store, for that matter) automatically give out free cameras (or any other high ticket item) just because someone SAYS "Oh, this is what happened..."?

The laws we have are pretty specific when it comes to proof - and in this case, the burden of proof would be on the customer. Target can't prove the camera was in the box, although the odds are way in favor of it being in the box. The customer can't prove the camera wasn't in the box. See previous statement about the odds of the camera being in the box.

Does it suck to be the one this happened to? You bet. I can't for a second fault the store for not giving free cameras, TVs, iPods, PSPs, etc etc to anyone and everyone that brings in an empty box and says "Oh, it wasn't in there..."

@beyond: "I would never assume to have to open the box there in the store after buying."

Really? The idea of "let the buyer beware" isn't exactly new - the Romans were familiar with it. I sure hope that after reading this story you'll think to check the box before you leave the store.

This one makes me cranky. All I can say it proves a point I always believe about big companies. They here to make money not serve customers.

@dbeahn: Given that this is a constant event and has been reported many, many, many times over, I'd say that yes, they SHOULD help her instead of treating her like a criminal. It's not like this hasn't happened a zillion times before.

@BrockBrockman: Target used to do it all the time as i stated in my post above. I just found out the reason they stopped was customers were complaining that the box's were being opened and if they were gifts they look liked they had been used...cant please everyone

I would like to know why the hell 75% of the merchandise (electronics and appliances) I buy from major department stores has already been opened, with a sloppy length of packing tape sealing up the box. I've sometimes rifled through the shelf stock to find a DVD player, TV, etc that hasn't been opened up, but they've all been opened the same way. It doesn't surprise me that stuff goes missing.

@vonskippy: I'm sure that this consumer appreciates your heartfelt advice. Douche.

As for advice, this might be a bit out there, but why not contact the company that produced the camera and see if anyone registered the Serial number for your camera? It should be somewhere on the box. Tell them your story, and if someone either registered for warranty or sent it in for repairs, ask them to contact your local police station.

Another thing you might want to do is to speak with the police for yourself. Technically, you're a victim of a crime. At least ask them to open a case file. I'm guessing the the perpetrator will probably do this again.

If the cops do catch him, or the camera turns up as stolen goods, take the case file and your lawyer over to Target and ask for your money again.

Many years ago I worked with a guy who was a janitor at Lazarus Dept. Store in Columbus, OH. He used to open boxes from the stock, steal the item, and bury the box back behind still full boxes. If it happened then, it can happen now too. Always check the box if it is a big ticket item.

Check the serial number on the box to see if it matches the serial number on the floor model at the Target.

@vonskippy: Jerk alert!!!

@beyond:

I would never assume to have to open the box there in the store after buying.

ditto. I would expect to get... what's in the box...

@Buran: Right, and it NEVER EVER happens that people try to scam stores on returns...

@Hawk07: I don't know if you were charged a restocking fee or if you just read that. I work at Office Depot. The only way we charge a restocking fee is if something is missing (USB cable, batteries). If you return everything that came in the box, there shouldn't be a restocking fee.

I love the people who claim that stores should spend more time watching employees to prevent employee theft rather than watching customers. I'm a security professional. I install alarms and cameras for a living and I can tell you that the majority of camera domes on a large store floor are empty. Maybe one in four (if even) has a camera. The ones that actually have cameras in them are entry/exits, point of sale, pharmacy, cosmetics, jewelry, electronics, and stockrooms. LOTS of cameras in the stockrooms. The employees are ALWAYS watched more than customers.

@overbysara: "ditto. I would expect to get... what's in the box..."

I assume you mean that you expect to get what's *supposed* to be in the box. This customer did, in fact, get what was in the box. The box, however, didn't have everything it was *supposed* to have in it...

;-)

@dbeahn: and it NEVER EVER happens that these people might just be right and not have gotten what they paid for?

The company makes billions in profit. It can afford to help her.

I worked at a family-run camera store in the NY metro area not too long ago, and it "part of the purchase" to physically orient the patron with their new purchase including unboxing it in front of them and answering any questions that came to mind about what does what, etc

so much better compared to the big box stores who suck the credit card from your hand and then proceed to shove you out the door as quickly as possible

@vonskippy: Dick.

Never buy anything in a box that doesn't have a factory seal - particularly from a big box store - no seal means it's a consumer return and that probably missing parts or damaged.

As an owner of small business, I have to say I will do the same thing and not give the customer a new camera automatically. I've had too many people try to take advantage of me. If I'm not careful, they will after some time succeed. Doesn't matter if I'm buyer or seller.

Also, taking it on consumerist.com may be only another part of the scam.

Also, every company wants to make profit. That's kind of what it's all about... You can not blame them...

Never trust anybody.

@vonskippy: Wow... What a complete douchbag you are. I hope for your sake that you were REALLY drunk when you wrote that.