Jacob writes, “I have been trying to make Walmart take back an air mattress for two months now, and they refuse.” The store manager at the Walmart on South Duff Avenue in Ames, Iowa (shout out to Leslie Hall!) has started making up new rules on when an air mattress can be returned—including that the federal government limits returns to 15 days “because of the bed bugs, you know.” No, we didn’t know that, Walmart manager. In fact, after thinking about it, we’re still not sure we know it. Because it sounds like you made it up.
In June my wife and I bought a queen size air mattress for some friends who were going to stay with us for three weeks in July. We tested it and found that because the edges of the mattress are higher than the middle, once two people lie in it, they slide towards each other almost like in a hammock. It was inflated as much as I deemed safe and was quite hard, so that was not the reason. As the mattress is basically defective, we go to Walmart and buy two twin air mattresses ten days later. We did not think to return the first one at that time because, as Walmart advertises, they have a 90 return policy.
After our friends had left, in early August we went to Walmart here in Ames, Iowa (the newer Super Center – yes, we actually have two in a town of 50,000) and attempted to return it. We were flat out denied by the co-manager, who claimed that a 15-day limit for air mattress returns are in effect. She had various ridiculous excuses, one of which was “the federal government’s rules, because of the bed bugs, you know”. When I asked if the government really controlled Walmart return policies, she answered yes, almost defiantly. Apparently, if an air mattress spends 16 days in anyone’s house, but not 15 or less, it will get infected with bed bugs. She did say, though, that she would exchange it with another air mattress… So what’s the point of the bed bug excuse?!
We declined, as we already had bought two new twin mattresses in the same Walmart, even within the 15 day period. I offered to bring her the receipt so she could verify this and just return our money for the queen size one. This she also refused. I took down the names of everyone involved, and went home to write the store’s manager and ask him to set it right. In my letter I made it clear that Walmart’s own website does NOT ention anything about return limits on air mattresses, and that, in fact, if I had bought the mattress online, I would not have this limitation. Furthermore, in the store there is now a sign to this effect in the sporting good section, though it was not there when my wife and I bought ours, but not in the Home section, where there are also air mattresses. Thus, a customer can still go into Walmart today and buy one without knowing about this limit. It also isn’t printed on the receipt. The store manager completely ignored my letter.
I then submitted a complaint to the BBB and sent the original complaint to Walmart national customer service. Walmart proceeded to ignore both this letter, as well as the BBB complaint.
I do not think it is right that customers are treated differently. In the store, they claim 15 days. Online, they have general return guidelines for all Walmart stores that list a few limitations for returns, but not for air mattresses. The return policy for the online store has a more specific return policy with more limitations, but still no mention of air mattresses. It even says I can return any online-bought product to any store. So had I bought the mattress online they would have had to take it back in the store!
I want Walmart to take my complaint seriously and not just think if they ignore me I will go away. I also want my money back. My wife and I give them hundreds of dollars of business every month, which I pointed out in my letters, and they don’t give a damn.
Where do I find executive contact info for Walmart? I have looked around online but not found anything. Please give me some hints here and help turn on the heat on Walmart.
Jacob, this post links to over 700 phone numbers at Walmart. It’s nearly a year old so we’re not sure how up-to-date it is, but it’s a good place to start.
“Reach Walmart Vice Chairman John Menzer And 742 Other Walmart Employees”
(Photo: CipherSwarm)
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I know at least in Florida, a store can have any return policy they want -as long as they give you notice beforehand. The only exceptions are items regulated by statute such as travel, real estate, and contracts solicited in your home.
I have seen these notices posted in the Walmart near me also. They were plastered behind the customer service department. I do think this has more to do with people ‘renting’ air mattresses for company and just returning them than any specific law. I’m not aware of any big air mattress regulatory body at any rate. Hell we can’t keep the Chinese poison train at bay, much less soiled air mattresses.
Who;s the cat lover working here?
Costco is our Friend. Long story short, ex-wife left everything that was not working in my house. I took it all back to Costco (years old), told them all the stuff was not working. At 1st they where like what? Till I show them the papers. They took it all back without a word. I think turn around and bought all the stuff over again (working).
Funny they bring that up. Last year, a buddy of mine bought an airmattress from WALMART only to find it infested with bedbugs. He had to move out of his apt (landlord did a courtesy switch), throw away half his clothes and furniture, and return the air mattress.
I had an almost identical experience with the Target store here in Hillsboro Oregon. Their reason was not a timeframe but the fact that had been used, by used they meant “inflated”. I questioned how else I would have known if it had a hole or held air and the response was that if it was damaged I could have returned it but since I was returning it simply because we ended up not needing it and it had been opened thati would be out of luck.
I had to return an airbed to Wal-Mart, and the customer service rep wasn’t too warm to the idea. So I (falsely) told her I had an allergic reaction to the material, no more questions it was returned without a problem.
Same thing happened to me. The air mattress was worthless completely uncomfortable so the very next day I went to return it. They pointed to a little sign in the returns department so I thought OK maybe it’s my bad. I asked them to show me where the sign is next to the air mattresses or the cash registers and they responded we do not have one. What the heck do they honestly expect me to run over and check the returns department before I purchase something to see if they added a new exception. I too spent hundreds of dollars a week at Walmart and cannot get anyone to call me back or respond to my letters either.
@AlteredBeast:
That’s fine. No compaints if they said nothing whatsoever is ever returnable under any circumstances. However given that return polices at the registers make no mention of this air mattress exception and online it posts the return policy for in store purchases that makes no mention of this it is not acceptable to me.
In fact it is against the law in California, not sure about anywhere else.
Why do you think all the other big stores stamp you receipt with the exception policy when you buy a laptop or other item that cannot be returned.
Try the other walmart in Ames, I still think it’s ridiculous that we have two.
So WalMart makes billions (trillions?) selling crappy shit to (often) poor people…. then draws some figurative line at air mattresses.
Must me my fault as when I was young we would drive around town and pick stuff out of the garbage we knew they sold at walmart and return it for cash!
I bought an air mattress from Walmart on the way out of town for a camping trip. When I got to the coast, I pulled out the mattress and discovered that there was no cap or lid of any sort to keep the air in. Since I was far away from a Walmart, I had to go to another store to buy an air mattress to use immediately. Today (3 days after original purchase) I tried to take the 1st mattress back to Walmart. They told me I couldn’t return it but only exchange it since it had been opened. I went to look for one to exchange it for, but they didn’t have an identical one so I would have had to pay more to upgrade to one that worked in order to have anything but garbage. The girl at customer service finally opened another box, took the cap from that mattress, and put it on my mattress. The really frustrating part is that I flew into town for this trip and don’t have the luggage space for one, let alone two, air mattresses on the trip home. So I’m out $40 for 2 twin air mattresses. I can understand their reasoning if it’s been slept on, but I couldn’t even inflate mine. I had no alternative but to buy another and then I’m stuck with their garbage. Not so keen on Walmart, anymore.
I just bought a twin sized air bed. It was 3 inches shorter than the description on the box, so I put it back in the box and returned it. Of course, they would only let me exchange it for another of equal or greater value, which I did not want. But I paid $10 more and got a full sized bed. The clerk told me as she handed me the receipt for the new mattress “If you do not open this one you can return it for a refund.” So I am not even taking the box out of my car. In a couple of days I will return it for my refund. What a joke. They might as well have just given my the refund on the original bed. I understand why they instituted their policy, but they aren’t very bright about enforcing it. By the way, in my store the 15-day return policy was posted in only the camping department–not the bedding department.