Gift Receipts - Beware

[Paging Tom Morrow]

Deleted.

 

[nictodisney]

We've done 2 seperate returns at Walmart, having problems with both.

First was a Christmas item (had a gift receipt) that we got less than 50% of price back because it was now on clearence. (Christmas items were 50% off but them item was marked less) We questioned it and they said that what ever it rang up - that's what we got back. We know it was 9.88 and we got 2.50. We were too tired and just took the money and left - won't use gift receipts any more!

Second my sister received a blue ray player as a gift (cost 130) and walmart only gave them a $98 credit. It was not a black friday item or sale item. It was still on the floor for the higher price.

Ask the gift giver for the receipt - I'm sure they'd much rather you get the correct amount back than throw their money into the store pocket!

 

[dzorn]

I just had an interesting experience with Kohl's as well. I returned a shirt that I bought for $19.99. I paid using my Mastercard and had the receipt. I brought it back and the clerk told me I could get either $9.99 back on my MC or she would give me a Kohls credit for $19.99. I took the Kohl's credit.

This thread got me thinking and I went and looked at my receipt. I assumed that I had used some Kohls cash or had a coupon when I made the purchase. I looked tonight and discovered that I had not used any coupon or Kohls cash. I had earned a pretty good chunk of Kohls cash on that trip, but hadn't used any.

To me.....this is pretty crummy. I made a return with a receipt and you will not refund my money to my credit card??? This is pretty deceptive. I admit fault in that I really didn't pay attention to what I had paid for it, but they are acting pretty dishonestly.

I am thinking I will be going back and discussing this with a manager. Their return policy states that you will get a full refund with a receipt. My mc should have been credited the full amount.

I am also disgusted in light of their commercials about how great their return policies are. I will be rethinking spending any money there once I use my credit up.

If you earned Kohls cash with that purchase and the return put it under the amount needed to earn it they deduct the Kohls cash you earned as you would no longer qualify. By giving the instore credit it would not change the Kohls cash earned.That may explain it.

Denise in MI

 

[jessica52877]

I just had an interesting experience with Kohl's as well. I returned a shirt that I bought for $19.99. I paid using my Mastercard and had the receipt. I brought it back and the clerk told me I could get either $9.99 back on my MC or she would give me a Kohls credit for $19.99. I took the Kohl's credit.

This thread got me thinking and I went and looked at my receipt. I assumed that I had used some Kohls cash or had a coupon when I made the purchase. I looked tonight and discovered that I had not used any coupon or Kohls cash. I had earned a pretty good chunk of Kohls cash on that trip, but hadn't used any.

To me.....this is pretty crummy. I made a return with a receipt and you will not refund my money to my credit card??? This is pretty deceptive. I admit fault in that I really didn't pay attention to what I had paid for it, but they are acting pretty dishonestly.

I am thinking I will be going back and discussing this with a manager. Their return policy states that you will get a full refund with a receipt. My mc should have been credited the full amount.

I am also disgusted in light of their commercials about how great their return policies are. I will be rethinking spending any money there once I use my credit up.

What a previous poster said, you must have gone under the $300 mark and then they took $10 back.

I always thought a gift receipt, without the amount on it, was so that the person getting the gift doesn't know how much you paid unless absolutely necessary (like, when they return it). And so that you can hang on to your own receipt for your own records (AND the tampon reason! ) If you earned Kohls cash with that purchase, then they would reduce the refund by the amount of the Kohls cash earned. It's a pain, and I try to only do exchanges rather than returns if possible.

I did have an annoying experience with Kohls on Friday. I had $60 in Kohls cash to spend by Saturday, so I went to buy a Magic Bullet, despite the $70 price tag. (Another thing about Kohls...their "regular" prices are often much higher than other stores, and their sale prices are often other stores' regular prices.) Stood in a long New Year's Eve day line, and it rang up $49.99. So I got out of line, and went to look for something else for $10, to get it over with in one shopping trip. Found a shirt, got in another long line. Chatted with some people, and they showed me a 20% off coupon they had gotten online. KILLED ME...but I put both things back (I live somewhat near Kohls, and had to head back to that mall later in the day anyway ) and went home and printed out the 20% off coupon. Back to Kohls, I chose a set of steak knives ($30, on sale for $25) and the Magic Bullet, for a total of $75, thinking I'd get 20% off, bringing it down to $60...voila! to be paid for with my $60 Kohls cash. Only what they do is take the Kohls cash off, and THEN do the discount. So my purchase came down to $15, and I got $3 off with the coupon...yes, I went home for a coupon to get $3. And it probably says that it would be done this way SOMEWHERE on that coupon and on the Kohls cash, and obviously, that IS the way it's done. But what irks me is...when do you use "CASH"? At the end of the transaction, after coupons are deducted and you come up with the final price. If they're going to call it "CASH" then treat it like cash.

I'm a little disenchanted with Kohls right now. The only reason why I earned $60 in Kohls cash this year was because I had a 30% off coupon before Christmas, and with that discount, it brought the items I purchased below other stores.

Experienced this too! I really don't go in Kohl's often anymore after this happened. I am not paying $10 for a shirt that I can pay $6 for elsewhere, the 30% made it competitive enough to shop there, but I can't stand the way they do the kohls "cash" and coupons. I complained to the manager and he could have cared less! Left a REALLY bad taste in my mouth.

I still find this crummy. I spent well over $300 and earned $40 in Kohls cash. I return a $19.99 shirt and they want to deduct $10??? I think I still would have earned the $40 even if I hadn't bought the shirt.

I like how JCP is doing their receipts now. If you use a coupon, it shows on the receipt how the discount was applied to each and every item purchased and how much you would get if you returned the item. At least they're honest.

I don't care for this either (JCP way). If I spent $49 and my coupon was $10 off $25 and then return a $10 item I get dinged on my $10 item even though my total still would have been over $25. I know most companies do it this way now and I don't care for it at any of them! If I can I'll ring up my item separately if I KNOW I won't have to return it or small chance.

We've done 2 seperate returns at Walmart, having problems with both.

First was a Christmas item (had a gift receipt) that we got less than 50% of price back because it was now on clearence. (Christmas items were 50% off but them item was marked less) We questioned it and they said that what ever it rang up - that's what we got back. We know it was 9.88 and we got 2.50. We were too tired and just took the money and left - won't use gift receipts any more!

Second my sister received a blue ray player as a gift (cost 130) and walmart only gave them a $98 credit. It was not a black friday item or sale item. It was still on the floor for the higher price.

Ask the gift giver for the receipt - I'm sure they'd much rather you get the correct amount back than throw their money into the store pocket!

This is just wrong! I hate returning things and don't do it very often. 9 times out of 10 though I'll end up keeping something that should be returned because of the issues with returning.

 

[Kycha]

If you spent $300 at Kohls (not including tax) then you should have gotten $60 in Kohls cash. If returning that $20 shirt brought you under the $300, then they would deduct one $10 Kohls cash because you no longer earned it. They would do that instead of taking back $10 of your Kohls cash, altho I supposed you could give back $10 in Kohls cash and get the full $20 refund.

If you spent $320 (not including tax) and got $60 in Kohls cash, and returned a $20 shirt, you should get the whole $20 back.

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

 

[Mickeyflower]

As someone who worked in retail for 17 years (5 years as a manager) any store that says we will take anything back at any time for any reason, is GOING to have "hidden" rules that will be printed on the back of the sales receipt. It is illegal for any retail store to NOT fully post their return policies. If you do not see the return policy on the back of your receipt, or at the customer service desk, you can report that store to Weights and Measures and they will be audited and BUSTED.

Gift receipts and returnes are only as good as the clerk doing the return. Which, most of the time, is going to be an under paid, over worked, cranky person who doesn't care if you're getting the "paid for price". Your best defense against horrific returns is to include the original receipt, or give a gift card. I personally LOVE LOVE LOVE gift cards, it's a shopping spree for me!

The stores goal is to get you to spend money in their store. The best way to do that is to give you store credit.

 

[vicki_c]

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

But I don't disagree with their policy regarding the Kohl's cash and return amounts. If they gave you Kohl's cash, it doesn't matter whether you have redeemed it yet or not - you could redeem it in the future. Unless they come up with a way to return the Kohl's cash to them as part of your return, they should only refund you the amount you paid less the Kohl's cash. I think that is the right approach. What if you returned everything - would you expect to get back all the money you paid for it AND get to keep the Kohl's cash?

I do agree with the others who talked about losing out when you purchase a bunch of items and return one when the rest of your items would have reached the amount to get Kohl's cash anyway. That is frustrating.

 

[Swimalie]

For those that know they are getting back less than the original purchaser paid and can prove it, they need to report this to their state Attorney General. This is fraud by these stores and it's not right. I'm not happy to be reading this about these store and now I know not to give a gift receipt.

 

[skw444]

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

Taken from the Kohl's website:
If merchandise purchased earning a Kohl’s Cash® Coupon is subsequently returned or price adjusted, the value of the Kohl’s Cash® Coupon previously earned and/or the amount of the merchandise refund may be reduced to reflect any unearned value.


Kohls has no way of knowing whether you will or will not use the Kohls cash in the future. If you earned the $10 Kohls Cash and then returned everything that you purchased to earn this, then you would've been paid $10 for nothing. Maybe they need to adopt a policy like Gymboree does with their Gymbucks. At Gymboree, for every $50 you spend, you receive a $25 Gymbuck. However, in order to redeem the Gymbuck, it must be stapled to the receipt. If you return any items, and your total falls below the $50, they take your Gymbuck back.

 

[spacemountainmom]

I don't care for this either (JCP way). If I spent $49 and my coupon was $10 off $25 and then return a $10 item I get dinged on my $10 item even though my total still would have been over $25. I know most companies do it this way now and I don't care for it at any of them! If I can I'll ring up my item separately if I KNOW I won't have to return it or small chance.

At least with this method I know what I will be getting back if I return the item. It's better than not really knowing what the refund amount will be.

I hate trying on stuff in stores and tend to think that I will just get it and return it if I end up not liking it. In light of this thread, I probably will start being more sure of anything I buy. I guess that's what the stores would prefer, but then I probably will buy less overall.

 

[mamaLori05]

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

If you didn't redeem the $10 Kohls cash, just return the Kohl's Cash with the item you are returning and you shouldn't get the $10 taken off. At least that is how it has worked for me in the past. I've even returned the Kohl's cash after the expiration date, so that doesn't matter either. If you physically give them the Kohl's cash, they will refund you what you originally paid without taking an additional $10 off.

 

[jessica52877]

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

If you haven't used it it will become invalid and full amount given back.

If you didn't redeem the $10 Kohls cash, just return the Kohl's Cash with the item you are returning and you shouldn't get the $10 taken off. At least that is how it has worked for me in the past. I've even returned the Kohl's cash after the expiration date, so that doesn't matter either. If you physically give them the Kohl's cash, they will refund you what you originally paid without taking an additional $10 off.

That is what I was told to. I went through several different scenerios once when I was returning a $40 item bought with kohls cash and a $10 item not out of about $600 worth total. The guy told me the register would know what to do and it did. I still don't like kohl's though!

 

[mafibisha]

As someone who worked in retail for 17 years (5 years as a manager) any store that says we will take anything back at any time for any reason, is GOING to have "hidden" rules that will be printed on the back of the sales receipt. It is illegal for any retail store to NOT fully post their return policies. If you do not see the return policy on the back of your receipt, or at the customer service desk, you can report that store to Weights and Measures and they will be audited and BUSTED..

For those that know they are getting back less than the original purchaser paid and can prove it, they need to report this to their state Attorney General. This is fraud by these stores and it's not right. I'm not happy to be reading this about these store and now I know not to give a gift receipt.

Best posts on this thread. It's all about consumer law.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

If you didn't redeem the $10 Kohls cash, just return the Kohl's Cash with the item you are returning and you shouldn't get the $10 taken off. At least that is how it has worked for me in the past. I've even returned the Kohl's cash after the expiration date, so that doesn't matter either. If you physically give them the Kohl's cash, they will refund you what you originally paid without taking an additional $10 off.

That's what I was able to do too. I was returning something and they were going to take off the $10 Kohl's cash, but I had it in my wallet and just gave it back to them and I got my full refund.

This thread has been very enlightening for me. I often give gift receipts with gifts when my children are invited to birthday parties. I hope that if the item gets returned, the parents are getting full value for it. Now I know that if my immediate family needs to return something, I'll offer the regular receipt to be sure they get the whole value.

 

[Ceila]

If this is standard procedure at Kohl's, this is B.S!

Just because I earned Kohl's cash on a purchase does not mean I redeemed that Kohl's cash. Recently I purchased a feather bed at Kohl's where I earned $10 Kohl's cash. I live 80+ miles from the nearest mall/Kohl's and it was not worth it to me to go back the next week to redeem the $10 KC.

But if I needed to return that feather bed, I would have received a refund minus $10 because of the KC I earned but didn't redeem? Is that right?

If that is true, Kohl's will have one less customer in me. That is just not cool.

Are you saying that you should be able to return the feather bed for full price AND keep the $10 in Kohl's cash? People could make out like bandits if that happened...buying stuff, getting their KC, returning the purchased items, then going on a shopping spree with their KC.

Where you live, and whether you choose to redeem your Kohl's cash, is not the store's problem. You purchased the item under that promotion. If you don't want to be bothered with the KC, and in order to prevent losing money on a possible return, then I'm sure you could decline the KC.

 

[Kycha]

Are you saying that you should be able to return the feather bed for full price AND keep the $10 in Kohl's cash? People could make out like bandits if that happened...buying stuff, getting their KC, returning the purchased items, then going on a shopping spree with their KC.

No, of course that's not what I'm saying. First of all, the KC has an expiration date. You have to redeem it in a certain time frame. If I purchase the feather bed on 1/2 and earn $10 KC it has to be redeemed the next week. At least that is my understanding. I don't shop at Kohl's that often. If I return the feather bed after the KC redemption period, and haven't redeemed the KC, then yes, I expect a full refund. And with the technology they have available now, it shouldn't be that difficult for the store to determine that I earned KC but never redeemed it.

Where you live, and whether you choose to redeem your Kohl's cash, is not the store's problem. You purchased the item under that promotion. If you don't want to be bothered with the KC, and in order to prevent losing money on a possible return, then I'm sure you could decline the KC.

Is it even possible to decline the KC? Has anybody ever done that? Now that I know these are the kind of tactics Kohl's uses, my solution is just not shop there anymore. Really not a problem with me.

 

[soccerchick]

Are you saying that you should be able to return the feather bed for full price AND keep the $10 in Kohl's cash? People could make out like bandits if that happened...buying stuff, getting their KC, returning the purchased items, then going on a shopping spree with their KC.

Where you live, and whether you choose to redeem your Kohl's cash, is not the store's problem. You purchased the item under that promotion. If you don't want to be bothered with the KC, and in order to prevent losing money on a possible return, then I'm sure you could decline the KC.

This is actually what USED to happen at Kohls. Buy stuff, get KC, return items, shop for free.

 

[vicki_c]

I thought I would pop back in and tell you about my returns experience at Macy's today.

Went in with my daughter's track suit (bottoms wrong size) and our gift receipt from my mom. Amazingly found another pair of the pants in the correct size, on sale, took them to the register with the gift receipt, no issues at all and got $3.50 back from the register since they are now on sale.

I also had a great credit / refund situation at Barnes & Noble the other day too (posted that on the B&N thread), so we are 2 for 2 with no-problem returns.

So it's not ALL bad .... Glad I didn't have any Kohl's returns though!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I totally agree that not giving FULL credit for the whole amount a person actually paid on the gift receipt is unacceptable.

What I do not understand is why people would think that the Kohl's cash amount ought to also be refunded (or credited or added to the gift card received). Kohl's cash is a coupon--it is not actual money the buyer spent.

It doesn't seem that the OP used Khol's cash though, so I don't think that's the issue here.

EDIT--OK, I think from reading another thread I had the wrong idea. Now I think what people are saying is that if buyer RECEIVED a Kohl's cash certificate for use at their next shopping trip, $10 would be deducted from the original gift receipt. But if that's how it works, you could still end up out of pocket if you returned the stuff from both trips.

 

[JerseyGirl84]

If she had used Kohls cash, they wouldn't have given her the full amount back when she went back in. In the OP, it says when she found out about it, she went back and they fixed it. They wouldn't have fixed it if she had truly used Kohls cash or another discount.

Yes they would've fixed it if she took a store credit.