I was duped ...now they wont refund my money

[HersheyKisses]

I was shopping for a stereo yesterday I wanted something nice and loud. I went to a local electronic store and I told him I wanted something $100 or less . He showed me stereos that I saw were cheaper in other stores in the area and the price tags on the items were high . He than showed me this RCA stereo in a box . It was next to the other stereos that were on display . It was a pretty big box. I have an RCA stereo system that is really loud but no longer works so I figured this had to be similar. I paid for the stereo and he only gave me a credit card receipt . At the time i thought nothing of it . I figured I would love the stereo. I took the box home opened it and the speakers were very small It looked like big speakers on the box but they are no larger than my computer speakers and my computer speakers are louder than this stereo. The box had a $200 price tag and he sold it to me for $100 . I thought I was getting a good deal. This is a really old stereo! I googled it and online stores sell it for $60!!I cant believe they have a $200 price tag for this piece of crap .

I put everything back in the box exactly how I recieved it and the store wont take it back . They wont even give me an exchange .They said its final sale. No one told me it was final sale when I bought it. Im so pissed. Is there anything I can do ?

 

[scottmel]

you can call your credit card company to dispute the charge....

 

[java]

Does your receipt say final sale? Or is there a sign in the store? and only getting a credit card receipt I would also dispute with my credit card company.

 

[msmayor]

you can call your credit card company to dispute the charge....

A disputed charge only works when the charge never should have happened in the first place.

The OP willingly purchased the item and is now upset that the store won't permit a return because the item is not as good as he wanted it to be...not because it isn't the item it was supposed to be.

A credit card dispute isn't appropriate here at all.

It sounds more like the OP just didn't exercise due diligence in making this purchase by making sure the item was what he/she wanted. Not listening to the stereo before purchasing was a mistake. Not being aware of price and value before making a purchase was a mistake (the red flag for me would have been seeing other equipment for sale at prices higher than seen elsewhere, as the OP described. That should have sent him out the door to another retailer).

If the OP had asked to hear the stereo before purchasing and the retailer refused to allow it, another red flag.

And always...ALWAYS ask what the return policy is before you make the purchase.

 

[dhardawa]

I disagree with the above post. If the store has a return policy and allows returns and the OP wasn't told it was a final sale and it doesn't say that anywhere on his paperwork/receipt, I would absolutely call the credit card company and dispute the charge. They will likely have him return the item and will reverse the charge.

 

[janey99]

A disputed charge only works when the charge never should have happened in the first place.QUOTE]

This is not true at all - many, if not all, credit cards, have a buyer protection element that permits a dispute when there is disagreement or conflict between the merchant and the buyer in respect of a purchase, or if the product fails or is misrepresented within a certain period of time after the purchase.

I can't comment on whether the OP here will be able to utilize it without knowing the facts, but I have used it a couple of times with different cards over the years -

an internet seller failed to deliver an item that I ordered on line within a reasonably extended period of time;

a furniture refused to return a significant deposit after they told me they couldn't get my furniture after all due to an embargo on Chinese furniture; and

(as a threat) against a custom furniture maker whose very expensive hand made piece developed a crack after one month (they made good).

Jane

 

[msmayor]

A disputed charge only works when the charge never should have happened in the first place.QUOTE]

This is not true at all - many, if not all, credit cards, have a buyer protection element that permits a dispute when there is disagreement or conflict between the merchant and the buyer in respect of a purchase, or if the product fails or is misrepresented within a certain period of time after the purchase.

I can't comment on whether the OP here will be able to utilize it without knowing the facts, but I have used it a couple of times with different cards over the years -

an internet seller failed to deliver an item that I ordered on line within a reasonably extended period of time;

a furniture refused to return a significant deposit after they told me they couldn't get my furniture after all due to an embargo on Chinese furniture; and

(as a threat) against a custom furniture maker whose very expensive hand made piece developed a crack after one month (they made good).

Jane

All three of the cases you list above are significantly different than the OP's situation.

Based on the original post, the OP's beef is not that the item wasn't delivered (your first and second cases) or that the item is broken (your second case)...only that the item turns out that they don't like it and are not happy that the retailer won't take it back.

From what the OP has stated, the product isn't defective...just not what they expected. That doesn't create an issue that needs to be resolved via a credit card dispute. Again, a little due diligence by the purchaser PRIOR to making the purchase could have prevented this scenario.

 

[jackskellington01]

OP - File a credit card dispute with the credit card company you purchased your item on. Call your credit card company ASAP. They will ask you some questions regarding what the problem is & more than likely send you out some paper work where you will have to write down a summary of what happened. A similar situation happened to me and my credit card company stood by me & I did not have to pay. Sorry but I disagree with the other posters that credit card disputes are only if the purchse should not have been made in the first place. Definitely file a dispute. Your only other option is to call your attorney general. But I would file a dispute and go that route first. Be sure to tell them you were no informed of the return policy nor were you ever told it was a Final Sale. You'd be surprised to know that many states require stores to have their return policy printed on the receipts and not having that alone makes the credit card company favor you in the dispute. Good luck!

 

[kinntj]

OP - File a credit card dispute with the credit card company you purchased your item on. Call your credit card company ASAP. They will ask you some questions regarding what the problem is & more than likely send you out some paper work where you will have to write down a summary of what happened. A similar situation happened to me and my credit card company stood by me & I did not have to pay. Sorry but I disagree with the other posters that credit card disputes are only if the purchse should not have been made in the first place. Definitely file a dispute. Your only other option is to call your attorney general. But I would file a dispute and go that route first. Be sure to tell them you were no informed of the return policy nor were you ever told it was a Final Sale. You'd be surprised to know that many states require stores to have their return policy printed on the receipts and not having that alone makes the credit card company favor you in the dispute. Good luck!

I have to 2nd this post.

 

[bpesch]

Go back to the store, and be persistent. Come armed with information such as the return policy for the store, the final sale issue (not on the receipt, posted or told to you) and any other information that applies. speak to a manager if necessary and don't leave until they deal with you.

 

[bpesch]

And for the record, you weren't duped. You got exactly what you paid for. You just didn't check close enough when you bought the item. A lesson learned the hard way.

 

[janey99]

All three of the cases you list above are significantly different than the OP's situation.

Based on the original post, the OP's beef is not that the item wasn't delivered (your first and second cases) or that the item is broken (your second case)...only that the item turns out that they don't like it and are not happy that the retailer won't take it back.

From what the OP has stated, the product isn't defective...just not what they expected. That doesn't create an issue that needs to be resolved via a credit card dispute. Again, a little due diligence by the purchaser PRIOR to making the purchase could have prevented this scenario.

Again, many credit card companies provide buyer protection. If the item was misrepresented to the OP, she will be able to get satisfaction, most likely. Just because my examples were not identical (and I'm pretty sure I stated they may not be because we don't know all the facts of the OP's situation), doesn't mean the dispute/buyer protection avenue isn't avaliable for her.

In my experience, a good credit card customer who uses the dispute option prudently and who can cogently describe the situation to the credit card company will prevail.

Whatever the case, it is absolutely wrong that credit card dispute mechanisms are only available when a charge "shouldn't have been made in the first place."

Jane

 

[mdsoccermom]

If I'm reading correctly, you bought a stereo without actually checking to see which one you are getting. You made an assumption because the box was big.

Who buys electronics based on the size of a box?

 

[HersheyKisses]

Wow thank you guys for the advice. I have to clarify by credit card I really meant debit card with a mastercard logo. Im still pretty sure I can dispute the charge with the bank. The person who sold me the stereo did not give me an actual reciept just the credit card reciept that I still have .I'm going back to the store this morning within an hour so I will post an update. They never gave me a real reciept or said final sale. They should at the very least allow me to exchange it for something else . If they wont Ill probaly lose it and freak out over the money I lost.

 

[HersheyKisses]

If I'm reading correctly, you bought a stereo without actually checking to see which one you are getting. You made an assumption because the box was big.

Who buys electronics based on the size of a box?

Soccermom yes that was very silly of me . However it was right next to a crap load of other stereo systems which were very big in size so i assumed it was just as large as the displays right next to it . I also have an RCA brand stereo that provided great sound so I stupidly assumed this one would too.

 

[mommy22pumpkins]

It sounds like they were very slick about selling you this stereo and probably pressured you a bit into buying it. The no return policy should be posted somewhere or you should at least be informed of it before buying a fairly costly item like that.

I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I've had several issues they have dealt with for me and it is quick and painless. I have always had money refunded to me that's been owed without having to deal with unpleasant rude people who don't know what customer service is...or are just trying to rip you off. Funny how much more polite and reasonable some places are when they could be put out of business.

It is easy to file a complaint online. Just google Better Business Bureau. They deal with brick and mortar as well as online stores.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I was shopping for a stereo yesterday I wanted something nice and loud. I went to a local electronic store and I told him I wanted something $100 or less . He showed me stereos that I saw were cheaper in other stores in the area and the price tags on the items were high . He than showed me this RCA stereo in a box . It was next to the other stereos that were on display . It was a pretty big box. I have an RCA stereo system that is really loud but no longer works so I figured this had to be similar. I paid for the stereo and he only gave me a credit card receipt . At the time i thought nothing of it . I figured I would love the stereo. I took the box home opened it and the speakers were very small It looked like big speakers on the box but they are no larger than my computer speakers and my computer speakers are louder than this stereo. The box had a $200 price tag and he sold it to me for $100 . I thought I was getting a good deal. This is a really old stereo! I googled it and online stores sell it for $60!!I cant believe they have a $200 price tag for this piece of crap .

I put everything back in the box exactly how I recieved it and the store wont take it back . They wont even give me an exchange .They said its final sale. No one told me it was final sale when I bought it. Im so pissed. Is there anything I can do ?

This should have been your first clue not to do business with this store. If they are overcharging for other products, there is a good chance they are over charging for all their products.

If the bank won't do anything to reverse the charge (which is a good possibility since you used a debit card instead of a credit card) then I would chalk it up to a lesson learned and be thankful it wasn't a super expensive item.

 

[HersheyKisses]

Im back everyone and I have an update. I went back to the store with the stereo and told them I will not leave without an exchange or refund. We went back and forth for a little while and they finally agreed for an exchange. I bought this huge Sony 360 watt stereo system with all the bells and whistles . They only charged me the diffrence in the price of the product no extra fees. I looked online and I feel good about the purchase the price they charged me is the going rate for this stereo $170 and it's CRAZY loud! It's exactly what I wanted but I still went $70 over budget . I am happy though that I got what I paid for and was'nt overcharged .

 

[Bribrittmom]

Glad everything worked out.Good for you for standng up for your rights.

 

[seashoreCM]

It's not exactly fair to the store for you to buy something, take it home, use it, and then return it -- except -- if the employees don't give you the chance to try it out in the store.

Some stores encourage you to take it home and try it first because they don't have the space or the staff to demonstrate it for you.

There are still some stores that sell shoddy stuff at seemingly bargain prices with average stuff on the next shelf that is overpriced. They are usually small non-chain stores and give a bad name overall to smaller stores. There are still some stores that more or less expect you do do your research elsewhere first. The latter are greatly restricting their customer base unless they offer good stuff at low prices since customers who do their research first are likely to buy online instead of at a local store.