Rigid return policies!
Mainly this refers to larger chain-stores. I understand that little boutiques and family-run businesses have their own rules and regulations, but for giant 100+ location megastores? You can afford to take a hit from my $19.99 necklace that I’d like to return.
Firstly, I am appalled that some companies will even argue with me about whether or not they ‘should be’ accepting my item for a return/exchange/store credit. It doesn’t look very reputable nor show very good customer service if I see you pointing your finger and shaking your head.
I’d like to think that as a Manager/Owner/big boss person, that you could be flexible/bend the rules/have SOME type of power. But they always make it seem as though they are victims themselves to their system. If you hate it so much yourself, change it.
I don’t ask for much either. I have never asked for my money back. I’m happy to get a store credit or even an exchange. But it’s those circumstances where something is clearly faulty and they refuse to do anything about it.
Example #1:
I got my mother a necklace from Winners. Checked it out at the store, looked great. When she opened it, it looked great. Wore it the first time, and the chain broke. It wasn’t fixable (I’ve made jewelry before, I can fix pretty simple things) because the chain is very tiny and he loops are almost impossible to even see (let alone fix back together).
So we truck on back to Winners to hopefully get an exchange. Of course they didn’t have an exact duplicate of the one I picked out, so we showed the lady. She was actually very nice, she told me she had to call the manager to approve an exchange/return/store credit/anything of actual efficiency. The manager tells us that they wouldn’t have sold a necklace in a broken state so we ‘must’ve broken it’ ourselves. Yep.
Why, in anyone’s understanding of reality, would someone buy a product to purposefully break. Yes, I get there are psychos out there trying to screw over stores and get the most out of their returns… but my mother was there, she looked distraught over her broken gift, and I, for one, am not in the mindset of breaking things on purpose that I intend on gifting.
After several minutes of painfully explaining this, the manager finally agreed (with a sigh too heavy in my opinion) on giving us store credit. She told us this was an exception to their rules and they shouldn’t even be doing this. Oh yeah, if you need to say that, then don’t even do it. Don’t guilt me about helping me out… as if you’re doing me the biggest favour in the world. You’re not taking the hit on this, Winners is.
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| I am never that angry. But that's what my brain looks like... |
Example #2:
My friend got me a sweater from Forever21 for Christmas. Firstly, I know Forever21 has an awful reputation when it comes to their returns. Basically if it doesn’t have a tag, you don’t get ANYTHING. No returns, no exchanges, no store credit. Not even if the merchandise is faulty.
So I try on this sweater, and it fits too small. It has a tag, but my friend has scribbled over the barcode/price/everything BUT the part that says ‘Forever21’. Now, isn’t this normal? When you gift something, you don’t want the recipient to know how much you paid for something.
Regardless, I try my luck. I bring it into my local Forever21 and the girl at the cash register looks at the tag mystified before saying ‘we cannot scan this to prove this is ours. And we need a receipt.’ I dunno about you… but I’ve been to a few places where their laser scanning magic devices can scan anything despite having a layer of sharpie over it. Whatever. It still has the tag, so I ask if I can get a store credit. The girl has to ask a manager. The manager looks harassed far before she gets near me. I don’t know what it is about managers that have a sense of entitlement and dissatisfaction… but if you look that unhappy working there, maybe you should leave.
The manager can discern the numbers on the tag and manually types them in, and informs me that since the item is now on sale, they cannot do returns/exchanges/anything for final sale items. And she repeats what the other girl says about the receipt. I ask if it was on sale when my friend bought it for me, and if that is the case, how on earth is it fair that nothing can be done at this point. And how the hell am I supposed to have the receipt if I didn’t buy it!
She shrugs. No one in a position of power, and ability to do something, should ever shrug.
Shrugging tells me ‘I don’t care.’ Shrugging says ‘not my problem.’ Except, miss I’m-too-good-to-be-working-here, it is your problem. This is exactly what your job is. To deal with issues such as these. She tells me that my friend should’ve given me a gift receipt. As if it’s my friend’s fault that I didn’t get a receipt.
I know after Christmas season everyone is going nuts about returns and complaints… and it’s busy and you’re stressed…
But my item is entirely resellable, I mention that I would take the store credit at the final sale price, but no can do. No exceptions. Even with the tags, she is already walking away.
Guess this is getting regifted to someone smaller than me.
I know lots of stores like this, but the part that bothers me is that people in power positions don’t seem to put any emphasis on customer retention at all. I would be a lot less miffed about poor policy if their customer service was better.
Sigh.
