Evan had a problem. Well, first, he had an Xbox One, which was a pretty great thing. He had picked it up at a Kmart in a different city while visiting friends, because they had it in stock. When it began to make can opener noises a few weeks later, it would have been simplest to exchange it for a new Xbox at Kmart. Naturally, that was impossible. [More]
returns and exchanges
If Walmart Won’t Take Your Printer Back, Don’t Throw It At The Customer Service Rep
By 1.17.14
When we advise unhappy consumers to escalate their customer service complaints, we mean to take your issue to a store manager or someone at corporate HQ. We don’t suggest that you ramp up your anger by smashing things and tossing printers at store employees. [More]
How Does An Unlimited Return Policy Help L.L. Bean?
By 9.30.13
This summer, outdoors equipment co-op REI made a change: they cut back on their return policy. They no longer accept any item back for any reason indefinitely. Other companies continue the practice, most notably L.L. Bean and Costco. It must be expensive and there must be customers who abuse it. So why do they do it? [More]
Simple Human Replaces Self-Destructing Trash Can In Simple, Easy Transaction
By 7.26.13
Sure, a foot pedal lid trash can is a pretty mundane household item, but try going without it after you get used to having one. Annemarie’s Simple Human trash can jettisoned a part when she stepped on its pedal one day. It had a year left on the five-year warranty, so she called up the company. Maybe they could replace the lid? [More]
Where Is The Item I Sent Back To Sears? Don’t Ask Sears Or UPS, They Don’t Know
By 7.11.13
What ring? Victoria ordered a ring from Sears, but wasn’t happy with it and sent it back. That’s the whole point of the return process, right? Only the point isn’t supposed to be that the item disappears into the ether and the retailer shrugs. At least we’d like to think so. [More]
Sam’s Club Takes Back Ancient Desk Chair, Delights Customer
By 6.27.13
People come in different shapes and sizes, and companies make products to fit us. Well, the products are supposed to. Reader Chris got a wonderful desk chair designed for people who are, as he puts it, “big and tall” for Christmas. Christmas 2011. When it broke, he was stuck: surely the warranty was up and the retailer wouldn’t take it back. Right? [More]
REI Revises Return Policy: Must Be Within 1 Year Of Purchase
By 6.4.13
REI is a retailer of outdoor equipment and claims to be the world’s largest consumer co-op. They’re also famous for their generous return policy, similar to that of Consumerist favorites like L.L. Bean and Costco: they’ll take anything back for just about any reason, indefinitely. At least, they used to. That policy changes, as of today. [More]
Between Microsoft And PayPal, Somewhere I Have A Refund
By 5.29.13
Steve bought a digital download of Windows 8, but decided that it wasn’t for him. He downgraded to Windows 7, got rid of all traces of the upgrade, and got a refund of the purchase price. At least that’s what Microsoft says. The refund is trapped in some kind of terrifying digital underworld between Microsoft and PayPal, serving as a warning. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Sends $50 Apology Gift Card, Still Doesn’t Make Any Sense
By 5.28.13
Last week, we shared the story of Debra, who returned $114 worth of merchandise to Victoria’s Secret, but only received $97 back. When she complained, Vicky’s response was that sending items back meant that her purchase was under the $100 threshold to get a $15 off discount. Except, um, her purchase was well over the limit, and she sent everything back. She complained again, and the refunded her $15. After our post ran, the chain tracked her down and sent an apology and a $50 gift certificate, along with a second explanation that doesn’t make any sense either. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Charges Me $15 For The Privilege Of Returning Stuff
By 5.24.13
When Debra placed an online order from Victoria’s Secret and then returned everything unworn, she didn’t know that she would have to pay an underpants rental fee. She returned merchandise that she had paid $114.16 for, and received $96.69 back. Was that a shipping charge? No, Debra paid to ship the items back herself. Did the items go on sale and she didn’t have a receipt? No, that wasn’t it either. She bought them during a “$15 off a $100 purchase” promotion, and Vicky’s kept the $15 discount that they had given her. Huh? [More]
Zombie Amazon Returns More Common Than You Might Think
By 5.17.13
Earlier this week, we asked whether our readers had any experience with zombie refunds: items that you sent back to a retailer, only to have your refund later reversed for no clear reason. We heard from a surprising number of people whose transactions have risen from the archives and devoured their bank accounts. [More]
Sam’s Club Manager Makes Up Own Return Policy, Won’t Take Back Cracked TV
By 4.22.13 — Updated: 4.23.13
What kind of difference can a local store’s management make? A bigger one than you might think. Shanna ordered a new television online from Sam’s Club that arrived broken. For the sake of convenience, she went to exchange it at the local store after figuring out that it fit in her car after all. The problem was that that store’s management made up its own return policy that has no basis in the actual policies of Sam’s Club. [More]
Lenovo Is Confused About How Buying And Selling Works Again
By 3.28.13
After Alex ordered his laptop from Lenovo, he received an e-mail telling him that, oh yeah, there was a delay and it would ship out within a month. He bought another laptop instead. Because that’s the way the world works, Lenovo shipped out his new computer later that same day. He and Lenovo arranged things so that UPS just “sent the package back,” even though their tracking system said that it had never left the dock at Lenovo. A few days after that, they charged his credit card. Then things really got annoying. [More]
How I Turned A Walmart Gift Card Into An EA Game Preorder By Way Of A Kitchen Appliance
By 2.20.13
Reader O. wanted to preorder a new game from 2012 Worst Company in America champ EA, and he wanted to use some money that he had on a Walmart gift card. Fair enough. What he did have was a $50 Walmart gift card and some cash. Walmart theoretically carries EA gift cards, so he should have been able to visit his nearest Wally World, pick up a card, take it home, and pre-order a delicious Crysis 3 download. Indeed, he was able to do that, but only after he took a pocketful of cash across the street and bought his desired EA gift card at GameStop. You can use a Walmart gift card for anything that the store sells…except prepaid debit cards. [More]
Returning Something To The Gap Without A Receipt Is Super Inconvenient
By 2.13.13
Gift receipts are a great invention. They let you give a gift recipient the opportunity to take back what you got them without hurting your feelings, but also without learning how much you spent if they don’t need to return the item. Traci tells us that if you’re buying a gift for someone at the Gap, though, you should make sure to ask for a gift receipt. Otherwise they’re in for a long wait, two separate trips to the store, and ultimately maybe no gift at all. [More]
Gamefly Wants 80% Restocking Fee For Defective Xbox Game
By 2.7.13 — Updated: 2.12.13
Colleen’s mom bought her a thoughtful and frugal gift: a Zumba game disc for her Xbox that came from Gamefly’s selection of used games. She never got to play it, though, because it arrived not working. That’s not a problem, though, because you can always send defective items back. Right? [More]
Barnes & Noble Will Happily Price-Match Website…When You Return Something Without A Receipt
By 1.25.13
Marjorie has discovered a really irritating flaw in Barnes & Noble’s online price-matching procedures. As we discussed shortly after Christmas, you can place orders on the chain’s website for in-store pickup, but prices differ on many items between retail locations and the website. Unlike many other stores, orders placed online but picked up in person go for the in-store price, not the online one. This annoys a lot of customers, and may hurt the company’s real-life retail operations. Marjorie discovered an interesting flip side to this, though: she had to buy a gift in the store, even though the online purchase price was $22 lower. When she went back to the store to return it, after her son had lost the receipt, the only price they would give her was the lowest one they had charged for the same book online. [More]
Microsoft Store Can’t Exchange A Defective Computer Properly, Sends Me Wrong Refund
By 1.21.13
Albert wrote to us about his problems with his Cyber Monday purchase from the Microsoft Store. No, we haven’t been sitting on his message for almost two months: he’s been struggling with Microsoft for that long, trying to get this transaction to make sense. One important thing that he learned: just because he’s lucky enough to live relatively near a Microsoft Store, that doesn’t mean it will do him any good. [More]
