Wow! All those problems and not even an employeee discount...

This is truly absurd. You would they'd take care of their employess at least, since one of their other employees screwed him over.

Man, do we really have to start opening up every single electronics package at the store to prove the item is in there??

Good luck Anthony and BOO Circuit City!

@radio1: I think the buyer has the responsibility to check things like this before leaving the store. I don't really know of any better solution. It only takes a few seconds to look inside the box.

Boy, do circuit city realize that every time their name shows up here negatively, another unicorn dies? seriously, circuit city, if it wasn't for all the bad rap from your shenanigans i would have gone into your store more than once a year. Even then i limit myself to considering items with no moving or electronic parts, and EVEN THEN your enlightened employees turn me off on that as quick as lightning. You sure know how to show a guy a good time! not.

Would have loved to have seen the box that TV came out of. I'm curious if it was for the model that needed returning or if CC had repackaged the TV in the box of a new model.

Only reason I'm curious is I will NOT buy big ticket items from CC due to a fiasco I experienced with a Panasonic TAU flat screen. Bought the TV, brought it home and it died within the first 30 days. Despite buying the extended warranty (yes I KNOW better now), Circuit City wouldn't service the TV (i.e. come get said TV and fix the damn thing) because I hadn't paid MD state sales tax (TV was purchased in DE and carried home). I called Panasonic and they had no problem sending a repair guy. They took the TV, fixed it and had it back to me in a few days.

I then spent three weeks fighting with CC to get them to refund the cost of the extended warranty. Won that battle after being told that yes, I could utilize my warranty if I paid sales tax (which was not anywhere written on any agreement that I signed off on).

TV still works (without the extended warranty), Panasonic WILL get my money again if at all possible and CC can still blow it out their wazoo since I haven't stepped foot back in one of their stores since that lovely incident!

@buzzybee: Many people don't think to check the actual contents of the "big budget" items and go for trusting the retailer. We've all seen the horror stores on Consumerist regarding this.

The only reason I check now is because of Consumerist, otherwise I'd probably sign off, load it up and walk away without thinking twice that I ended up with less then what I purchased.

@macfoo: Sounds like you're a bit more savvy than most. I can't have much sympathy for those who don't take the time to check and you'd think shelling out almost $1300 would be an incentive to check before blindly "trusting the retailer." He wasted an entire few days negotiating his refund when it would have taken at most five minutes to check. All I can say is "caveat emptor."

Plus, if you were Circuit City, wouldn't you be a little weary of someone expecting to exchange a beat up TV for a cash refund? Smells a lot like some sort of return scam.

I just bought a 46 inch tv from circuit city. when they were bringing it out from the back room, they told me they have to open it up so that we can both inspect it before leaving the store. I figured that's a great idea since i don't want to get home and find out it has a cracked screen or something. they even had a book for me and the manager to sign to show we both inspected it. They said this was store policy but i guess it was only that branch. Perhaps they all should adopt this.

I stopped going to Circuit City years ago. The store was dirty, salespeople were all out on break, the extended warranty was worthless. I had a DVD recorder that broke and CC "fixed" it, but it was still dead. Finally took it to independent repair shop which fixed it for $ 50. Sheesh.

If you pay with a credit card you only need to try to reslolve the issue one time. Once the first manager refused to take the TV back, then dispute the charge with your credit card company. The credit card company won't require you to return the item since you already tried and the store refused the return. Additionally, the store will get hit with an additional charge back fee of about $30. The manager would have been in big trouble, because they lost the TV, the money plus the charge back fee.

An important part of the story is missing from that post. The original post says "We had to leave the box behind because the TV wouldn't fit into my car with it still in the box." He had them unbox it and bubble wrap it up to fit into his car. He left the box and packing materials at the store. Though i hate siding with CC, returning a product beaten up and with no box is kind of sketchy.

I bought a 42" TV from CC last year myself, but honestly didn't think to check the box.

Why? Because it was obviously still factory sealed/stapled shut, and getting it out of the box at home was even a PITA.

I live close enough to the store to complain if I had to, I guess... and someone in my family works there, which helps.

@bravo369: You're under no obligation to inspect the item or sign a statement. Depending on how the statement is worded, you could be forfeiting your right to return the item.

At a minimum, I would refuse to sign the document.

@gregcuc: CC was responsible for the condition of the TV since they repacked the item for the customer. The store should have refused to touch the TV.

Never, ever buy floor models unless you're buying for pennies on the dollar. You really don't know what the merchandise has been through.

Interestingly enough, this isn't the only case I've heard of Circuit City performing REALLY SHITTY returns/customer service. (Then again, same with all the other Consumerist readers.)

A couple of my friends made the ill-advised trek to different Circuit Citys and bought high-priced items that were questionably dinged or scratched. (One was open-box, but different from the open-box offered.), and the other was supposed to be brand new, yet also strangely "open-box.)

Luckilly, both were chargebacks, with the latter being an open scene, allowing customers to hear in on the incident.

Is it any wonder why people STILL shop at Circuit City?

@gregcuc:
That is an important piece of information that was omitted. I didn't follow the link to the original story, but if your statement is true, that does indeed change the whole nature of the article. An employee trying to return a beat-up floor model without a box after purchasing a new TV would strike me as shady as well, were I the manager. Without the packaging, I would have probably denied the return as well. That's some critical information to leave out of the post.

The problem is that so many people try to pull return scams these days that someone with an honest situation gets automatically treated like a criminal.

The problem is that "open box item" is not noted anywhere on his reciept. Whoever processed his transaction did so uncorrectly if that was indeed an "open item" from the start.

@WraithSama: The store agreed to repackage the TV so it would fit in the customer's car. It was easier to package a beat up floor model, then to open a brand new TV and repackage it.

@NameGoesHere If you dont' believe that you can reseal "factory sealed" and make it look like it was never opened, you're not paranoid enough.

Join the parnoia. Do Not Believe.

Who in their right mind, especially an employee of the store purchases an open box television for $1200 without even looking to see what condition it was in first? People need to realize that there ARE scammers out there. I'm not saying that this person was one of them but companies need to take actions to protect themselves just as honest customers do. Examining the item before paying for it would have prevented this entire mess.

@buzzybee: Opening a 42" LCD at the store is unreasonable. It is not only difficult to open and inspect, but once unpacked, is very difficult to repack and be safe for transport. It isn't like this is some 20lb item, it's a 42" LCD weighing a considerable amount...

what i want to know is:

*if he was an employee, why did they give him such a hard time? also, don't employees get an employee discount?

*if they saw CC take it out of the box and bubble-wrap it, wouldn't they have noticed the condition at that time?

*wouldn't you keep the box for a big-ticket item for at least 30 days?

*what was the reason CC denied the return?

i haven't been to cc for awhile, but in the past i've bought several high priced items,one of wich proved to be defective...i had no trouble return ing the object(a desktop computer)...they were nice about the whole thing.....i also bought a camcorder which,after using a oouple of times,i wasn't satisfied with it....the took it back with no problem....they asked me if the unit was broke, and i told them that i just didn't care for it...this store is the salisbury md.location.....but ,as i said, i haven't been there for awhile

.

All bona fide options are exhausted... it's full justification for a CHARGEBACK!

Scam.

Nothing about this article makes sense... If this is an employee and he knows he was buying a FLOOR MODEL why didn't he check it out before he bought it? And who cares if the back of the TV is scratched up, does it work, does the picture look good?

This just doesn't sound right, something is fishy.

Why in the world anyone doesn't use a credit card for every purchase over $20 is beyond me.

First and foremost...

I did not buy a floor model. I got employee pricing on a NEW LNA550 40 inch LCD.

Second...

I took the tv in my sedan, and i watched them unbox it in front of me and put bubble wrap around it. However, the TV still had a sheet of plastic/styrofoam over it which was never removed to inspect the tv before it was loaded. This was my biggest mistake. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR PRODUCT IS ALRIGHT BEFORE LEAVING THE STORE.
As is customary, the box was left behind.

Third...
The TV was NOT the model of the TV i bought. It was a dinged up abused model from last year's samsung collection. The serial number sticker had been replaced with the serial sticker of the TV model i had wanted to buy.

I am well aware of how shady it looked to the manager. I fully understand his skepticism. But his flat out refusal to help or at least INVESTIGATE really pissed me off.
I work for this company and I deserve the benefit of the doubt.
In the end I had to go through multiple channels of upper management, and they found that the same exact model was purchased earlier in the month and returned two hours later. Straps were on the box and it was treated as net sellable and thrown back in the warehouse shelves for resale.
It was here when they probably got duped by a con artist who pulled the switcheroo.
I ended up paying for it.

In the end I got my TV. But this could have been avoided.

@buzzybee: No, the buyer doesn't. It may prevent hassle later on, but when a sale is made, the seller is ethically, morally, and legally obligated to provide the goods as described.

@PabloPablo:

If you read the article, he bought a brand-new TV. They just gave him a repackaged floor model instead.

Circuit City is a horrific enterprise.

@LAGirl:

Almost every time I've ever purchased a physically large piece of electronics, I've had to take out of the packaging (but still keep it wrapped in the internal packaging), and every single time I've been told that I just need the receipt if anything goes wrong. It's very standard.

Dang it! Notwithstanding this person's experience with a floor model TV, what I gather from the comments is that it's the consumer's fault if they purchase a brand new item from a major national store and don't unpackage everything in store to inspect it. I have NEVER seen anyone move to the side with their newly purchased item in the megaton box to begin a full inspection right there in the store.

Who does that?! I mean we're not talking about an item you purchased off the back of a truck somewhere. If a store is that shady that you cannot even trust a brand new item to be brand new, you have no business shopping there.

However, if the item is a floor model likely being sold "As-Is" and you don't inspect it, you are a fool. Although, I don't see myself paying $1,000+ for a floor model. That is a lot of money for a TV that has been running all day every day for god knows how long. Electronics are not the sturdy, hardy products they used to be.

How would you inspect a big ticket item?

Open the box right at the pickup window and plug it in where? So do you guys also check fridges and washing machines?

I'd rather not waste my time at the store. I've never seen anyone opening an item at the store to make sure it works.

@edrebber: You wrote:

The credit card company won't require you to return the item since you already tried and the store refused the return.

It's not clear from the article if CC repackaged a floor model (and the whole part about taking it out of the box is to say they didn't notice and that's how they didn't have the box to return it in) or if the CC employees taking it out of the box to put in the car did a switch on him. Either way he should have filed a theft report with the police.

With fake returns being such a big problem, it seems like the stores should just track every major item's serial number being sold or returns. If the serial number was a floor model sold to one of the box-helpers the same day, it seems like the get-tough manager would be thrilled to charge that employee with theft.

@ianmac47:

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that not everyone has enough credit to do so. And that to get credit, you need to have credit, which is a vicious circle in itself.

@buzzybee: I have to disagree. To properly check the context of a box you have to take everything out. When I bring home a large ticket item I typically clear a large space in my living room and spread everything out on the floor. There's no place to do so at a store.

Stores should be honest and not sell repackaged goods as new.

Anthony had absolutely no reason to believe that his brand new TV was going to be unboxed, set aside, and a floor model TV was going to take it's bubble wrapped place.

And what was he supposed to do. "Oh, I see you guys bubble wrapped the TV I got. Do me a favor and open it back up so I can make sure it's still the same TV out of the box."

That's ridiculous. No one should have to do that. As a former employee of Circuit City (forgive me, I needed a summer job) I'll say that generally, most of the people that work there will go out of their way to help you. However, managers (at least in my experience) when called upon were the biggest assholes in the store.

Circuit City is on my sh*tlist mostly because of their ever changing interpretation of that "ready in 24 minutes" scam. The local cashiers here (in defiance of their manager) say with a straight face that the 24 minutes start AFTER you've gone through the (first) line! Sometimes I bother pressing it to the manager and getting my card, but I mostly just buy online and have it shipped to avoid these asshats. Service is MUCH better than "Best" Buy, so guess they gotta be kept around.

This TV thing makes NO sense.. I'd NEVER transport a 40" >$1,000 TV without the original box. Even if I did - I'd fold up the original box and take it with me. Seems to me a CC employee would know that he would face stiff opposition to returning an electronic item without the box - and dead pixels and other problems aren't unheard of.

This just seems quite sketchy, if I were a manager I'd be extremely suspicious. The everpresent security cameras can probably be called on to watch you leave the store and determine the shape of what you left with (or possibly what they packed). But IMHO the OP did not do much due diligence with this (what's to me a) major purchase. On Circuit City wages, I'm guessing this took more than a few days work for you to buy....

@MrSoprano: well, that cleared up my questions. on point #3 - there's obviously some fraud issue at this particular store. maybe a call to loss prevention is in order (if for nothing else than to give the manager an assload of grief for the next month).
----------
check/don't check - it's your choice. having worked in electronics, i absolutely do not leave an electronics store with an item w/o checking the contents (unless it's in one of those indestructible blister packs). to me, buying a tv (or a receiver or even a camera) w/o checking it is like buying a car w/o "kicking the tires".

& on that note - does anyone else find it funny that they pack $20 items in plastic that you can only open with c4 charges (& certainly couldn't repack to look new), but all the expensive shit is packed in boxes that could be opened & reassembled to look like new by a 4 year old?

Go to Costco, not that they don't have their own share of bad-return stories, but at least I've heard that they were all resolved. Of course, you WON'T get the layaway or 0%-interest for one-year deals, but beats having to deal with bad return policies.

Forgot to add one thing. In fact, this should be made into a Consumerist "sticky," like in the bulletin boards: PLEASE JUST STOP SHOPPING AT CIRCUIT CITY! (or Wal-Mart, or Kohls, or Home Depot, et al, ad nauseum, ad infinitum...) If you do, PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT IT!

@agb2000: What is the point of a chargeback if the store refuses to accept a return?

This is a classic human resource case of how not to treat employees. I can't see Anthony being a particularly motivated or loyal employee after this.

Astos Green lasers rulz

1. He works at Circuit City.
2. He shopped at Circuit City.
3. Circuit City tried to screw him.

His problem is obvious, but the Karma is kind of sweet.

@buzzybee: I know... But it is a sad commentary on CC and their consumers.

the employee did get a discount the set sells for $1599 so the $1199 must be the employee price.

employees have to be very careful in these situations -vs- regular customers. when I worked at best buy it wasn't uncommon for other stores to refuse my return and demand that I return it to my own store (even if it was purchased at thier store) because they didn't want to take the margin hit. or employees being required to get the service plan.

it wouldn't surprise me if next month this employee's hours are cut, they usually never fire anyone just schedule you for 4hrs a week.

@rellog: I haven't encountered too many LCD televisions that can be easily re-packed. Dell is the only company I know of that designs their boxes for re-packing, mainly due to the fact that they don't service TVs on-site. They exchange the whole set.