Has Toys 'R' Us Forgotten That Its Customers Are Children?

Alexander wonders: if Toys ‘R’ Us is a business that caters to children, why aren’t their policies very child-friendly? If fickle children receive duplicate gifts or things they just don’t want, why won’t the chain take them back? He shared a recent experience along with his rant.

Holidays are coming again, and you might be thinking about buying some gifts for your kids, and you think you’ll be able to take them back if your kids don’t like them? Think again when it comes to Toys’R’Us! You buy them, you are stuck with them, this is the new “anti-kids share-price friendly customer service policy” of this company, and you, as a consumer, are not part of the PE ratio, or EPS, or any other ratio, just SOL ratio!

We purchased several birthday gifts for our daughter at the [redacted] Toys’R’Us, one of them being a small cheap video camcorder for about $50. Our daughter didn’t like the gift, so we wanted to return it and exchange for something else, however, store supervisor “W” told us that TRU does not allow any returns of electronics at all! You can only exchange a broken item for exactly the same item or handle it through manufacturer’s warranty, but you can’t get your money back or even a store credit even if you bring the item one hour later after the purchase!

This was never disclosed during the check out process, this is not clearly stated on the store receipt, when we asked this unfriendly “supervisor” W. where this policy is clearly explained to the consumer, he pointed to a blue sign hanging about 20 feet up in the air below the ceiling, (the very last place you would look at the store for consumer disclosures without somebody actually pointing to this sign), and according to him this sign constitutes “CLEAR LEGAL STATEMENT” in the eyes of Toys’R’Us!

How Ridiculous! First off, how does Toys’R’Us defines “electronics” that are not subject to this draconian return policy? With half of all toys right now on the market having batteries or some type of simple electronic chips, it means that most of toy inventory at Toys’R’Us is now technically classified as non-returnable.

Secondly, if Toys’R’Us as a business TRULY CATERS TO CHILDREN, then TRU probably should do some really expensive market research and may be learn that kids don’t always like their gifts and parents have to return them. Alternatively, TRU should clearly state non-return policy on the receipts (like all electronics stores do) or clearly state so during the check out process, not hang some obscured signs 20 feet in the air and think that this will excuse their horrible customer service.

We are done as customers of Toys’R’Us, there are plenty of good children’s stores out there with much higher appreciation for customers, not just their corporate bottom line!

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