When Heather tried to sell her son’s old crib, she learned that it had been recalled and contacted the retailer, Target, to find out how to get a refund. She was told that if she brought the crib to a Target store, she would receive a refund on the spot. What she wasn’t told is that the refund would be in the form of a Target gift card. With the nearest store an hour away, she doesn’t visit regularly and has no use for a gift card. She’s on a tight budget and has more use for cash. She tried to find a fellow customer to buy it from her until store management asked her to stop. From their point of view, she brought in a recalled item without understanding Target’s policies, and was soliciting customers inside the store, attempting to sell her gift card for cash.

She writes:

I live 60 miles away from my nearest Target store, and am a single mom on a very limited income. I was selling my son’s convertible crib in the paper and discovered that it had been recalled. My Mother had purchased the crib at Target in early 2007, so I called them up to find out what I needed to do.

The girl I spoke with told me that I would get a refund for the crib. I then asked her if I would get the refund right away or if I had to wait for it to arrive in the mail. I then explained to her that I wouldn’t be able to come with out the refund because of the expense of the trip. She assured me I would get it right away.

So I made the trip and returned the recalled crib. When I went to the counter to get my refund, I was told that I could only get a gift card to the store. I haven’t shopped at Target since gas has skyrocketed and I can no longer afford to make the 120 mile round trip! I tried to explain this to them, that I was under the impression that I would be able to get cash and when I didn’t know the girl’s name, to whom I had spoken, they accused me of being a liar.

Well, I believe there is always a way so, I decided that maybe I could find someone who would be willing to trade my $260 card for $200. I approached a handful of people and had little luck. Then, the managers came out and told me that I had to stop, kept insisting there was nothing they could do, kept telling me that I was a liar, had me in tears and did not care AT ALL that I WAS one of their customers. All they had to say was that I was disrupting their customers. I won’t ever go in that store again… Worst. Experience. Ever.

It would make more sense to find a friend or relative to take the gift card, or to sell it on a reputable gift card exchange site. Target’s recall exchange policy isn’t surprising considering their ironclad return policy, and it’s too bad that Heather had to be stuck this way.

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