More of a rant of the day - Do you believe this?

[Z3Dreamer]

On 7/9, DW ordered an item for pickup at our local store of national chain of home improvement store. There were 3 in stock. On 7/9, I get a call from said store saying that they did not have the item and he would credit back to my card. OK, we are done, right?

On 7/12, I get an email that Fedex has my package in MN and will deliver it by 7/15. What is it? I don't know.

Package arrives on 7/14 and it is a gift card from said store for $9.59, the exact amount of the cancelled transaction. Come to find out that DW used a gift card to order the item, so their procedure is to generate a new gift card and 2 day deliver it, instead of crediting to my credit card from store.

It is a good logical policy of this store, but it makes no sense, in this case.

 

[ElizabethT]

I'm confused- they replaced a gift card transaction with a gift card, correct? It seems like the normal like for like refund, unless I'm missing something?

ETA: It would appear the communication from store employee caused confusion, as he misspoke regarding refund process for a gift card. Is that the issue?

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I have one more about the grocery store I go to. Big regional or national chain. IDK. Anyhow, I find mistakes in the receipt, all the time. Most of the time the mistakes are in the store's favor. The manager is very good at fixing them. In fact both grocery stores that I frequent are very good at fixing cases where they cheated or misrepresented an item.

In one case, I got home and noted they had only charged me for one bottle of wine, when I had two in my possession. In talking with some folks that day, they said the ethical, moral, religious thing to do was to go back and pay for it. Otherwise, I was bad. I wrestled with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.

The angel won, so I brought back the bottle I had not paid for and the receipt and said I wanted to pay for it. A few of them including the manager huddled up outside of my hearing. Then they presented the results of their study: "Since it was our mistake, we are not going to ask you to pay for it." It was a $10 bottle of wine.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I'm confused- they replaced a gift card transaction with a gift card, correct? It seems like the normal like for like refund, unless I'm missing something?

Yes, I am whole.

But for no cost they could have credited my credit card. How much did they spend 2 day delivering a new gift card? And does the consumer eventually pay for that?

 

[Aerides]

Yes, I am whole.

But for no cost they could have credited my credit card. How much did they spend 2 day delivering a new gift card? And does the consumer eventually pay for that?

There is a definite financial line between gift cards and credit cards. For example, you can't use a gift card to pay down a credit card. There is probably some regulatory/bank stuff in play there.

Now, the simplest thing would be to reverse the charge to your wife's gift card, and put the money back there directly. But perhaps their system doesn't allow for that? So on the rare fluke something like this happens, a quick replacement is more cost effective in the long run. 2 day shipping by major retailers is nowhere near as expensive as it is for the rest of us. Like... $4.

 

[ElizabethT]

OP, from a business standpoint I do see a difference. A gift card is money already spent at retail establishment, where as a credit back to your cc is a return of said spend.

I get your overall point, but I also get why the store has this process.

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, I am whole.

But for no cost they could have credited my credit card. How much did they spend 2 day delivering a new gift card? And does the consumer eventually pay for that?

I can understand why they did what they did. They might not keep your credit card details on file from a security perspective so they wouldn't know what card to process the refund to even to begin with. If that is the case, then the only optionas to make the refund in the form of a gift card. They could have sent it by US Mail but it might they have a good contract with Fedex or UPS for 2-day delivery.

The one that annoyed me was when the small pin holding the hinge together on our relatively new slow cooker fell out and was lost so I called looking for a new pin the diameter of a paper clip and about 1/2" long. They said that they didn't have parts. So I asked if they could send me a new glass top, hinge and all. Nope, no parts. So they sent me a whole new slowcooker. Whatever.

I improvised a new pin to x the hinge with a paperclip and a pair of wirecutters so now we have two.... one for each house.

 

[Chuckanut]

OP, from a business standpoint I do see a difference. A gift card is money already spent at retail establishment, where as a credit back to your cc is a return of said spend.

I get your overall point, but I also get why the store has this process.

Maybe the store Board of Directors, CEO and CFO are hoping the OP loses the gift card.

 

[OldShooter]

Maybe the store Board of Directors, CEO and CFO are hoping the OP loses the gift card.

That is true of all gift cards, all businesses, because many of them end up being only partially or never used. Another good thing is that they lock the dollars to the business's sales line,

There are some state laws on gift cards because of this. Not sure there is anything nationally. I avoid them.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I can understand why they did what they did. They might not keep your credit card details on file from a security perspective so they wouldn't know what card to process the refund to even to begin with. If that is the case, then the only optionas to make the refund in the form of a gift card. They could have sent it by US Mail but it might they have a good contract with Fedex or UPS for 2-day delivery.

The one that annoyed me was when the small pin holding the hinge together on our relatively new slow cooker fell out and was lost so I called looking for a new pin the diameter of a paper clip and about 1/2" long. They said that they didn't have parts. So I asked if they could send me a new glass top, hinge and all. Nope, no parts. So they sent me a whole new slowcooker. Whatever.

I improvised a new pin to x the hinge with a paperclip and a pair of wirecutters so now we have two.... one for each house.

That has happened a bunch of times, in my world. The item is under warrantly, but they don't have the pin, gromet, flange, capacitor or power supply, so I get a whole new one.

My Craftsman garden loppers with life time warranty ended up costing Sears way too much. The replacement anvil was never available so we ended up getting new ones. Eventually, we stopped as we did not want to bankrupt them.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

OP, from a business standpoint I do see a difference. A gift card is money already spent at retail establishment, where as a credit back to your cc is a return of said spend.

I get your overall point, but I also get why the store has this process.

The corporate policy makes sense. The individual transaction makes zero sense.

 

[disneysteve]

It is standard practice for refunds to be paid in kind. If you paid cash, they refund cash. If you used a credit card, they credit that card. If you used a gift card, they refund on a gift card. It’s been that way for years.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I have one more about the grocery store I go to. Big regional or national chain. IDK. Anyhow, I find mistakes in the receipt, all the time. Most of the time the mistakes are in the store's favor. The manager is very good at fixing them. In fact both grocery stores that I frequent are very good at fixing cases where they cheated or misrepresented an item.

In one case, I got home and noted they had only charged me for one bottle of wine, when I had two in my possession. In talking with some folks that day, they said the ethical, moral, religious thing to do was to go back and pay for it. Otherwise, I was bad. I wrestled with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.

The angel won, so I brought back the bottle I had not paid for and the receipt and said I wanted to pay for it. A few of them including the manager huddled up outside of my hearing. Then they presented the results of their study: "Since it was our mistake, we are not going to ask you to pay for it." It was a $10 bottle of wine.

I bought a collapsible fabric dog kennel from an online retailer awhile back for about $60. It arrived in a big plastic bag that shippers like to use ... but it had a rough time in transit, and the bag was torn and the product was slightly scuffed. I told the seller about the damage and they shipped a second kennel. I asked how to return the original, and they said, don't bother. So now I have two kennels.

 

[Texas Proud]

I have one more about the grocery store I go to. Big regional or national chain. IDK. Anyhow, I find mistakes in the receipt, all the time. Most of the time the mistakes are in the store's favor. The manager is very good at fixing them. In fact both grocery stores that I frequent are very good at fixing cases where they cheated or misrepresented an item.

In one case, I got home and noted they had only charged me for one bottle of wine, when I had two in my possession. In talking with some folks that day, they said the ethical, moral, religious thing to do was to go back and pay for it. Otherwise, I was bad. I wrestled with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.

The angel won, so I brought back the bottle I had not paid for and the receipt and said I wanted to pay for it. A few of them including the manager huddled up outside of my hearing. Then they presented the results of their study: "Since it was our mistake, we are not going to ask you to pay for it." It was a $10 bottle of wine.

I try to get a mistake fixed at the register... the very few times I have gotten something for 'free' I just keep it... the store is way ahead on the net of errors... I do not feel bad at all...

 

[Venturer]

I had a surge protector that I ordered that would not light up the lights that showed it was working. I got in touch and they sent me a new one out, and were going to send me a prpaid pick up ticket.. When it came in I was expecting the return ticket that never came. I contacted them again and the guy appoligised and said he would get right on it. 2 days later I recieved another new one by fedex but still no ticket. I once again contacted them to explain what happened, the guy I spoke with said well I'll close your ticket and you can keep all three of them. So I gve the second one to my SNlaw to use with his camper & he took the "bad" one to his shop and one of the electricians there replaced a diode in the lights and it was good so now I also have a spare.

 

[disneysteve]

I asked how to return the original, and they said, don't bother.

It's increasingly common for companies to let you keep items rather than ship them back. As shipping costs rise and they continue to be short staffed, it isn't worth it to them to process those returned items. Plus they can't sell them as new again so they have to send them to wherever they liquidate their returns. Cheaper and easier to just let you keep them, especially if there's anything wrong with them.


I bought a packing tape dispenser on ebay a few weeks ago. There was nothing wrong with it but it was just way too lightweight for what I needed. I initiated a return, got my refund, and got to keep the item, which I then listed for sale on ebay.

 

[FindingForward]

Deleted

 

[MC Rider]

I try to get a mistake fixed at the register... the very few times I have gotten something for 'free' I just keep it... the store is way ahead on the net of errors... I do not feel bad at all...

Yes on this. I figure I win some I lose some..........



Otoh, I managed to self check out 2 identical birthday cards and 1 envelope at Target. I just stuck it back on the shelf next time I went there.

 

[rk911]

I have one more about the grocery store I go to. Big regional or national chain. IDK. Anyhow, I find mistakes in the receipt, all the time. Most of the time the mistakes are in the store's favor. The manager is very good at fixing them. In fact both grocery stores that I frequent are very good at fixing cases where they cheated or misrepresented an item.

In one case, I got home and noted they had only charged me for one bottle of wine, when I had two in my possession. In talking with some folks that day, they said the ethical, moral, religious thing to do was to go back and pay for it. Otherwise, I was bad. I wrestled with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.

The angel won, so I brought back the bottle I had not paid for and the receipt and said I wanted to pay for it. A few of them including the manager huddled up outside of my hearing. Then they presented the results of their study: "Since it was our mistake, we are not going to ask you to pay for it." It was a $10 bottle of wine.

you did the right thing.

 

[rk911]

It's increasingly common for companies to let you keep items rather than ship them back. As shipping costs rise and they continue to be short staffed, it isn't worth it to them to process those returned items. Plus they can't sell them as new again so they have to send them to wherever they liquidate their returns. Cheaper and easier to just let you keep them, especially if there's anything wrong with them.


I bought a packing tape dispenser on ebay a few weeks ago. There was nothing wrong with it but it was just way too lightweight for what I needed. I initiated a return, got my refund, and got to keep the item, which I then listed for sale on ebay.

i've ordered a couple of items from Chewy that were wrong...my error, not theirs. they did not want them back but did credit my card. we donated the items to the local animal shelter.