Cami ordered some car seats online for in-store pickup at a local Toys ‘R’ Us store. When the order came, the seats were the wrong model. No problem: she just refused the order, which would put the seats back in store inventory and trigger a refund to the card used for the purchase. Right? Er, no. Ordering from the online presence of your favorite local retailer and picking up in the store isn’t as seamless as it might appear. You’re really dealing with two separate stores, and two separate retail operations. In Cami’s case, this meant that two different departments of the same company were effectively arguing over who owed her a refund.

She wrote to Consumerist for help:

On July 11, 2012 I purchased 2 toddler carseats for my twins online for in store pick up. I ordered the seats and went to the store to pick them up. Once I arrived I saw the model of the chair and decided I didn’t want them. I went to Customer Service and was told that she would mark it in their system that I didn’t pick up the seats and it would automatically refund from the online store. The order total was $363. I purchased 2 other seats and left.

I thought I should check my account a couple days later and there was a refund for $149 from
Babies R Us? Not sure why that amount. I called and spoke with a [S] in online orders Guest Relations. After over an hour on the phone they said there must have been a glitch or human error since the order was for 2 of the same seat. They had to call the store in [redacted] to make sure I never picked them up. I would be getting a credit back in a couple days. She also made sure I received a refund receipt via email before I was off the phone.

Well, a couple days went by and I thought I had better call back into their Customer Service number which is 800-Toysrus. I DO NOT recommend that. After several calls and very unprofessional agents along with a manager I was told that they were not refunding the remaining $213 and that would be the store that should have. I debated back and forth that the store had said that since I purchased them online and only picked up in the store that the online should refund it. The manager then told me she didn’t know what I should do. They were not giving a refund and I needed to get it from the store.

Keep in mind, I have now been on the phone for 5-6 hours off and on. I called the [redacted] store and spoke with the store Manager [E.]. I couldn’t help it. I started crying, had a melt down. I had not only not received my refund from them but I had purchased 2 more seats from the while I was in the store. I was being taken advantage of totally. She so far is the only one that has really listened and took all my information and is getting her District Manager involved.

How can a store just not give you your money back because they don’t know which department should do it? This is a perfect opportunity for Undercover Boss. I have left a message at their corporate offices and have heard nothing. I am waiting for the only person (E) that can possibly do anything because the rest of them frankly don’t care. HELP!

It sounds like the district manager is indeed helping out. But how, exactly, is it Cami’s fault that she didn’t pick up the seats and went by what the store employees told her?

The company is losing sight of something very important: they’re a toy store, alienating a customer who has twin toddlers. This family has years of toy-buying ahead of them. Lots and lots of toy-buying.

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