Returns, what a Hassle!!

[Princess Nancy]

Since the kids are back in school, I headed out to do my returns. I was armed with the original Receipts (NOT gift receipts). Mostly it went smoothly except at 2 places. I would just like to hear your opinions and what would you do?


1. Toys R Us -- First of all I HATE to ever go in there, but my sister made me go get a bunch of video games when they ran the deal, but 2 video games get a GC. I spent about $300. I got $90 in GC. I was unsure about one of the game titles and asked if I could trade it later, the cashier said that was not a problem.
I then had to go back on another trip to spend the GC.

Today, I went to return on video game since I bought the wrong one. I chose a $29 Game, the first game was also $29. She would only give me $17 credit. They basically took away my GC. She asked another cashier if she could override the price and the girl told her to call a manager. The manager said that is what the register does, I can't change it. I was annoyed that he didn't care that I was told the wrong thing. He did not apologize and he lied, because obviously they CAN override!

I paid the $12 and left so I would never have to go there again.


2. I went to Macy's. I had bought a sweater and sweater dress for my daughter. They were Buy one get one free that day. The First one rang up at $29.00 the 2nd $0.00. They were the same brand and size so I figured that if one fit they both would, nope!

She kept the sweater and I needed to return the dress. I figured they would just adjust it. I was even willing to pick out an equivalent sweater. The clerk scanned the receipt and said she could give me NOTHING! What? She said it was the free item! I said that I really doubted that if I was returning the other sweater that I would have gotten $29 and got to keep the FREE item. She insisted that is the way it works!

So I said I would just pick out something with an original tag of $29. She said she would just do it as if I did not have a receipt and the current sale price was $10.49. WHAT?!? Anyway, I left with the sweater and my receipt.

I am thinking of
1. Trying again with another clerk.
2. Calling (but who?)
3. Never buying like this at Macy's again!

I feel like in both situations I had a receipt and followed their rules, but they decided it was okay to keep my money.

What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?

 

[lovealatte]

OMG. nothing I hate more than returns!!! When you have only the gift receipt, that's one thing. but having the originals is a whole different story!!
I'm so sorry that happened. I can't count the number of times I've experienced something similar.. it's so ridiculous, they're practically stealing. Macy's is definitely not a favorite store of mine. Can you possibly try a different Macy's? Or maybe just calling the store and asking to speak to a manager to see what they say? Or regift the dress at a later date to an unknown party? taboo I know.

Best of luck.

 

[Justsyd2]

Sorry, but I think they were both fair. If you received a gift card with a purchase, then returned the purchase and kept the gift card, that doesn't make sense, right? I don't see how it would work that way.

Also, when you buy one get one free, and return one item, you can't return the FREE one because you didn't pay for it - it's been like that from the very beginning, and you're just trying to rip-off the store (in theory). I don't see how that's fair to the retailer?

 

[Princess Nancy]

Sorry, but I think they were both fair. If you received a gift card with a purchase, then returned the purchase and kept the gift card, that doesn't make sense, right? I don't see how it would work that way.

Also, when you buy one get one free, and return one item, you can't return the FREE one because you didn't pay for it - it's been like that from the very beginning, and you're just trying to rip-off the store. I don't see how that's fair to the retailer?

So at the first store, I did NOT try to return the item and RIP OFF the the store. I was even trading it for another video game of the same value.

Your logic then follows at Macy's that I should be able to return the full price item and keep the free item right? To me that is ripping them off!

 

[gulf breeze]

Sorry, but I think they were both fair. If you received a gift card with a purchase, then returned the purchase and kept the gift card, that doesn't make sense, right? I don't see how it would work that way.

Also, when you buy one get one free, and return one item, you can't return the FREE one because you didn't pay for it - it's been like that from the very beginning, and you're just trying to rip-off the store. I don't see how that's fair to the retailer?

The way I see it is you're not getting one free....you're getting 2 for half price. So the return value of the 29.00 would be 14.50. JC Penny sends me 10.00 off a 10.00 purchase alot, but if i buy 2 things instead of taking 10.00 off the bottom total it will take 5.00 off each item. So if I bring something back there's no question about how much I'm getting back.

 

[Justsyd2]

I didn't mean that you were ripping them off - I thought about what I'd wrote, and edited to add "in theory". Sorry about that.

I do understand why they'd subtract the GC at the first store, though, that seems totally fair to me, and for the second store, yes, you could have returned the item that you paid for, and kept the free item because it was free.

 

[DianeV]

In both cases simply doing an even exchange of something that is marked the same as the other item would have been fair. Why wouldnt a store allow that? I dont get it

 

[dsny1mom]

I didn't mean that you were ripping them off - I thought about what I'd wrote, and edited to add "in theory". Sorry about that.

I do understand why they'd subtract the GC at the first store, though, that seems totally fair to me, and for the second store, yes, you could have returned the item that you paid for, and kept the free item because it was free.

I don't think it works that way.

If you return the free item you get nada. It was free.

If you return the paid for item and not the free item they will deduct the free item's price from the paid for items price if you just return the item you paid for, because the free item was contingent on buying the first item you are returning. IOW you return the paid for item then the free item is no longer free.

I can't tell you how much I despise these hokey come ons to get people to buy. I won't buy anything that is a lure like BOGO free. If retailers were out to give the best deals they would stop BOGO free and just mark their stock 50% off. Of course they won't because then they wouldn't make an even bigger profit on their returns.

dsny1mom

 

[snowywhite89]

In both cases simply doing an even exchange of something that is marked the same as the other item would have been fair. Why wouldnt a store allow that? I dont get it

The price maybe the same but the second item may not have been part of the original deal.

I can't say in either of the two cases in the OP if the new item was included or not.


Lets use the video game as an example.

TRU is running a deal where you buy 2 games and get 1 free. The list for the free one is X, Y or Z. The person buys games A and B and picks game X as the free one. Games X, Y and Z are all discontinued by the maker so TRU wants to clear them out. All other games are current games.

After the sale is over the purchaser realizes that her child would prefer game Q. It is now marked at the same price as game X was when she got the deal. Should she be able to exchange the game? Nope since Q was never part of the deal. If she wanted to get game Y she should be able to do an exchange since it was part of the original deal.

One really needs to understand the deals they buy, the return policy with the name of the person who told you what the policy is and a copy of the original sale from the paper.

 

[las3888]

I feel your pain and think you should be given an even exchange if desired, or the money you paid for the item back, in other words, the b/o g/o for 1/2 price would be fair. I would go back and try another clerk...still problems, then ask for a Manager. I am not a squeaky wheel, but you have original receipts and any reasonable person should be able to work out something reasonable to you as well.

Good luck!

 

[amiemac78]

At Toys R Us they should have done an exchange without a receipt. It would have been an even exchange and no money should have been owed. Seems like an obvious solution to me (I did work retail management for 10+ years til I became a SAHM 2 yrs ago) so not sure why they didn't do that for you. It is so frustrating when the managers seem like they have no idea how to work the registers. <- DS wanted to put this here.

 

[Leajess99]

So at the first store, I did NOT try to return the item and RIP OFF the the store. I was even trading it for another video game of the same value.

Actually, at Toys R Us the value was not the same as you recieved a gift card for purchasing the other game and they had to adjust the return/exchange to cover that gift card. The game your were now trying to get is not on the gift card and may or may not have been on it to begin with. This situation would be the same had it happened at Target or almost anywhere else in which you get a gift card with purchase.

Your logic then follows at Macy's that I should be able to return the full price item and keep the free item right? To me that is ripping them off!

As for Macy's, I disagree with their thoughts. In my opinion they should have given you half the cost of what you paid for the 2 sweaters. That one I would try with a different clerk and if that does not work than contact their CEo/corporate office.

 

[TaraPA]

I get the exchange at ToysRUs - they couldn't give you full value back because you had gotten a free GC for purchasing deal items - so an exchange of a possible non-deal item would make part of the SC null & void (I don't know if what you bought was part of the original "deal" or not). Yes like the above poster stated they could have done an even exchange as a return without a receipt - however in our store (I'm in retail mgmt) if they have a receipt in front of us & we're caught making it a "return without receipt" that is considered falsification of documents & is grounds for termination. Our company sees it as fraud, so it's taken very seriously. Also yes the manager at TRU most likely did have the power to override the register - but every return/exchange he overrides is flagged & reported to Loss Prevention....in our store they watch those transactions VERY closely - all have to be explained with documentation. If the register was computing the exchange correctly, he could have been in trouble for overriding it. He should have, however, offered to explain to you in detail why the exchange was done the way it was, not just saying "that's how it is."

Not sure I get the Macy's thing. We have B1G1 free deals in our store every now & then. The receipt we give CLEARLY shows the return/exchange value for each item - for example if Item #1 is $15, and item number 2 is $15 (but you get it free), the receipt shows an exchange value of $7.50 for each item. I think it's very confusing to a customer if that value isn't shown on the receipt - although I'm still not sure why Macy's would give one a full value & one a zero value. The free item should have sone sort of "value" assigned to it for returns/exchanges!

 

[walkdmc]

Like the PP's, I agree with TRU in your first situation.

I think you should have gotten 50% of the price of the dress back at Macys.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Your original TRU receipt should have had a breakdown of the price paid and the "return value." I know I used a coupon back in October where if I spent $75, I got a free $5 gc. The items I bought clearly showed the price and the discount and the "return value" which accounted for the value of the gc spread proportionately over the items I bought.

As for Macy's - ??????? That's an odd question. I know when I've returned shoes at Shoe Carnival that I bought under the buy-one-get-one-half-price deal, my return value was adjusted so that I wound up paying full price for whichever shoes I was keeping, which I understand and think is fair. I would probably just donate the sweater and be done with it.

 

[snowywhite89]

Not sure I get the Macy's thing. We have B1G1 free deals in our store every now & then. The receipt we give CLEARLY shows the return/exchange value for each item - for example if Item #1 is $15, and item number 2 is $15 (but you get it free), the receipt shows an exchange value of $7.50 for each item. I think it's very confusing to a customer if that value isn't shown on the receipt - although I'm still not sure why Macy's would give one a full value & one a zero value. The free item should have sone sort of "value" assigned to it for returns/exchanges!

If the OP only bought one item, as in your example, she would have paid $15. She tried to return the "free" one so in essence she only bought one and it would have cost her $15.

She could choose to return both and get her $15 back or exchange the sweater for the correct size but she cannot get money for something she did not pay for.

 

[Leajess99]

If the OP only bought one item, as in your example, she would have paid $15. She tried to return the "free" one so in essence she only bought one and it would have cost her $15.

She could choose to return both and get her $15 back or exchange the sweater for the correct size but she cannot get money for something she did not pay for.

Then in your theory, when JCPenneys does the Buy 1 get 1 for 1 cent, than they have no right in giving back the adjusted amount should the more expensive or non free/1 cent item needs to be exchanged or returned?? Every store that I have ever been to even with the B1G1Free or 1/2 or 1 cent has an adjusted return value. I just find it hard to believe that Macys would have given full price if she were returning the one she paid "full price" for.

 

[walkdmc]

Nothing is free. BOGO is 50% off each item, even if it's not labeled that way. I don't know the business intricacies of why they label one item full price and another free but I know there's no such thing as a "free" sweater from any retailer, Macy's included.

 

[superme80]

Nothing is free. BOGO is 50% off each item, even if it's not labeled that way. I don't know the business intricacies of why they label one item full price and another free but I know there's no such thing as a "free" sweater from any retailer, Macy's included.

This. And with Toys R Us it should have just been an even exchange.

 

[Princess Nancy]

The price maybe the same but the second item may not have been part of the original deal.

I can't say in either of the two cases in the OP if the new item was included or not.


Lets use the video game as an example.

TRU is running a deal where you buy 2 games and get 1 free. The list for the free one is X, Y or Z. The person buys games A and B and picks game X as the free one. Games X, Y and Z are all discontinued by the maker so TRU wants to clear them out. All other games are current games.

After the sale is over the purchaser realizes that her child would prefer game Q. It is now marked at the same price as game X was when she got the deal. Should she be able to exchange the game? Nope since Q was never part of the deal. If she wanted to get game Y she should be able to do an exchange since it was part of the original deal.

One really needs to understand the deals they buy, the return policy with the name of the person who told you what the policy is and a copy of the original sale from the paper.

Yes this game was most definitely included in the original deal, but you are right the manager might not know that. I can almost understand the TRU problem, but still disagree. No the games were all the games on the shelf. Really, understand the deal? It was not that difficult. I played by the rules TRU did not!

At Toys R Us they should have done an exchange without a receipt. It would have been an even exchange and no money should have been owed. Seems like an obvious solution to me (I did work retail management for 10+ years til I became a SAHM 2 yrs ago) so not sure why they didn't do that for you. It is so frustrating when the managers seem like they have no idea how to work the registers. <- DS wanted to put this here.

I asked him to do it without a receipt, no go.


So, I understand all of your thoughts and concerns. I can see the logic at TRU although I think that this goes along with all of their terrible policies. There is a whole thread about their coupons policy with the new rewards.

Also, the day I was in TRU they had ONE person in electronics. I went to Customer Service where a 16 year old had a line 10 people deep. I called the store from my cell to find a manager and someone picked up the phone and hung it up and I tried to call Corporate, but it just took too long to get to a human. I stood in line 30 minutes to ask the girl to get out the games I wanted.
When we got to the glass case, another associated had arrived and unlocked the case, giving away the last copy of Epic Mickey to someone who just walked up! I was fuming.

So the return issue just made me mad. I will do the TRU survey today and won't be back there to shop.


Macy's is another issue. I will probably call corporate to get the clear policy. I also worked in retail where we sold Buy one Get one 1/2 off all the time. The receipt clearly stated the return value! I did not return this to be fradulent or rip them off, I was more than happy to exchange it, but wanted my full value. Ugh, it isn't that much $ just a really crummy way to do business.

It is a shame that businesses have to have all these policies that make it difficult for the honest shoppers.