Weird Wal-Mart Policy
12-28-01, 12:55 PM
#1
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Weird Wal-Mart Policy
I purchased a universal remote control from Wal-Mart recently.
I took it home and tried to use it and the darn thing just didn't work at all. (Yes I put batteries in it). At the very very least when you push a button it is supposed to turn on a little LED light that shows its sending the signal, and it wasn't even doing that. I brought it back to walmart and told them it was broken and I wanted to exchange it for another. The replacement remote worked fine.
The next day I went back to walmart to look for something else and I noticed the remote I had returned was for sale again, in my re-taped package (I know it was mine - nobody does a worse re-taping job than I do). So I took it to the counter and I told the person that I was the one who returned that remote and it DOESNT WORK! They told me that an item needs to be returned 3 times for them to send it back to the manufacturer.
Is this legal? This means 2 other poor saps need to buy and return this thing before it gets sent back. I understand the policy though - its probably often that the products isn't broken and the user was just a bonehead. I was just wondering is this a normal policy that other stores use?
I took it home and tried to use it and the darn thing just didn't work at all. (Yes I put batteries in it). At the very very least when you push a button it is supposed to turn on a little LED light that shows its sending the signal, and it wasn't even doing that. I brought it back to walmart and told them it was broken and I wanted to exchange it for another. The replacement remote worked fine.
The next day I went back to walmart to look for something else and I noticed the remote I had returned was for sale again, in my re-taped package (I know it was mine - nobody does a worse re-taping job than I do). So I took it to the counter and I told the person that I was the one who returned that remote and it DOESNT WORK! They told me that an item needs to be returned 3 times for them to send it back to the manufacturer.
Is this legal? This means 2 other poor saps need to buy and return this thing before it gets sent back. I understand the policy though - its probably often that the products isn't broken and the user was just a bonehead. I was just wondering is this a normal policy that other stores use?
12-28-01, 12:59 PM
#3
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If this had happened 1 1/2 years ago I'd swear I bought your remote. I purchased one from Wal-Mart got it home and it didn't work either. It was taped up and even had batteries still in it.
Now whenever I buy anything at Wal Mart I look it over very carefully.
Now whenever I buy anything at Wal Mart I look it over very carefully.
12-28-01, 01:10 PM
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Originally posted by Boot
Just another reason why I avoid products that have been open and taped up.
Just another reason why I avoid products that have been open and taped up.
12-28-01, 01:45 PM
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Originally posted by broadwayblue
and i thought everybody did! people sure are dumb.
and i thought everybody did! people sure are dumb.
12-28-01, 03:35 PM
#6
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I once bought a Playstation controller from Best Buy without looking too carefully. It was only AFTER I had problems with it that I looked closely at the product and the packaging and realized I was dealing with a resold product. The package had been retaped and the cord had bitemarks in it!
As for the problem, when I plugged it in, it did not work. When I plugged a different controller into the port where the defective controller had been, that did not work either. In short, it ruined my Playstation.
The worst part is, when I tried to exchange it, they exchanged the controller, no problem, but gave me a huge fight when I wanted to exchange the Playstation. That had been a gift for which I had no receipt. The fact that it had been directly damaged by a product they sold me was of no consequence to them.
I still get mad at Best Buy just thinking about it.
As for the problem, when I plugged it in, it did not work. When I plugged a different controller into the port where the defective controller had been, that did not work either. In short, it ruined my Playstation.
The worst part is, when I tried to exchange it, they exchanged the controller, no problem, but gave me a huge fight when I wanted to exchange the Playstation. That had been a gift for which I had no receipt. The fact that it had been directly damaged by a product they sold me was of no consequence to them.
I still get mad at Best Buy just thinking about it.
12-28-01, 03:55 PM
#7
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So in this case.. WalMart just dumped the returned item in the trash..
===
Nebraska Woman Returns Sister's Ashes to Wal-Mart
OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - A Nebraska woman who received an ornate box for Christmas and returned it to Wal-Mart without looking inside discovered later it contained the ashes of her recently deceased sister, a newspaper reported on Friday.
Judy Money received the box as a gift from her brother who lives in Iowa. But after unwrapping the package on Christmas Eve she saw the box had a broken knob and decided to return it to Wal-Mart without ever looking at the contents inside, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
When Money later confessed to her brother that she had returned his gift, he told her the box contained the ashes of their sister, who had died Dec. 11, the Herald said.
Marvin Tippery, Money's brother, told the Herald he was shocked when he found out she had returned the box.
``No, no, you didn't! Your sister was in there,'' the Herald quoted him as telling Money.
Money told the Herald she made a mad dash back to Wal-Mart, but the box had already been thrown out with the trash.
Money and her brother finally found the box on Thursday amid trash piles at an area landfill.
``My prayers have been answered,'' she told the Herald. ``Just the thought of having her in the dump was awful.''
===
Nebraska Woman Returns Sister's Ashes to Wal-Mart
OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - A Nebraska woman who received an ornate box for Christmas and returned it to Wal-Mart without looking inside discovered later it contained the ashes of her recently deceased sister, a newspaper reported on Friday.
Judy Money received the box as a gift from her brother who lives in Iowa. But after unwrapping the package on Christmas Eve she saw the box had a broken knob and decided to return it to Wal-Mart without ever looking at the contents inside, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
When Money later confessed to her brother that she had returned his gift, he told her the box contained the ashes of their sister, who had died Dec. 11, the Herald said.
Marvin Tippery, Money's brother, told the Herald he was shocked when he found out she had returned the box.
``No, no, you didn't! Your sister was in there,'' the Herald quoted him as telling Money.
Money told the Herald she made a mad dash back to Wal-Mart, but the box had already been thrown out with the trash.
Money and her brother finally found the box on Thursday amid trash piles at an area landfill.
``My prayers have been answered,'' she told the Herald. ``Just the thought of having her in the dump was awful.''
12-28-01, 04:06 PM
#8
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I was a department manager at a WalMart in Maine during my 'college' years. That is definetly not a coporate level policy.
The policy is: If the customer says its defective, it goes to claims, and either gets shipped out, thrown away, or discounted (depending on manafacturer policy).
If the customer says anything else, it goes back on the shelf.
The problem is that the service desk people represent the bottom of the worker food-chain. It is much more work to do a defective return then a non-defective return; this was a problem at our store.
However, since they actually -told- you that they put defective stuff back on the shelf, it might be inventory season, and they are trying to lower shrinkage.... an important thing since a low shinkage count means a $1000-2000 bonus for all walmart employees. (and thats alot of money to a walmart employee!!!).
The policy is: If the customer says its defective, it goes to claims, and either gets shipped out, thrown away, or discounted (depending on manafacturer policy).
If the customer says anything else, it goes back on the shelf.
The problem is that the service desk people represent the bottom of the worker food-chain. It is much more work to do a defective return then a non-defective return; this was a problem at our store.
However, since they actually -told- you that they put defective stuff back on the shelf, it might be inventory season, and they are trying to lower shrinkage.... an important thing since a low shinkage count means a $1000-2000 bonus for all walmart employees. (and thats alot of money to a walmart employee!!!).
12-28-01, 06:00 PM
#9
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I won't even buy a product in a box that looks like it has been opened, let alone taped shut again.
Wal-Mart lost a sale on a cordless phone from me a month ago because the only one they had left in that model had clearly been opened by someone else. Even after I verified that it was all there, I just couldn't bring myself to buy it.
Wal-Mart lost a sale on a cordless phone from me a month ago because the only one they had left in that model had clearly been opened by someone else. Even after I verified that it was all there, I just couldn't bring myself to buy it.
12-29-01, 04:24 PM
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It's worth mentioning that Wal-Mart isn't alone in this.. I've seen stuff at Radio Shack and K-Mart that had obviously been opened & returned (including, in one case, something I had returned, but that was not defective).
What's even worse, in some cases the returns are not even examined carefully before they're put back on the shelf to make sure they have the correct item. Once at Rickel (a now bankrupt home center chain) and once at Sears Hardware I purchased something that looked like it had never been opened, but when I got it home, not only had it been opened, it had been replaced with a non-working unit from a completely different manufacturer! For example, the Black & Decker drill I bought from Rickel had an old, beatup, non-working, Craftsman drill in the box.
When I took it back the manager expressed shock and disbelief that a) anybody would do that and b) his employees put the box on the shelf without noticing. 
When I told all this to my dad, who used to work at Brendle's (a local NC chain sort of like Service Merchandise) around Christmas time, he said, "Bull@#$), that kind of thing happens all the time."
What's even worse, in some cases the returns are not even examined carefully before they're put back on the shelf to make sure they have the correct item. Once at Rickel (a now bankrupt home center chain) and once at Sears Hardware I purchased something that looked like it had never been opened, but when I got it home, not only had it been opened, it had been replaced with a non-working unit from a completely different manufacturer! For example, the Black & Decker drill I bought from Rickel had an old, beatup, non-working, Craftsman drill in the box.
When I took it back the manager expressed shock and disbelief that a) anybody would do that and b) his employees put the box on the shelf without noticing. When I told all this to my dad, who used to work at Brendle's (a local NC chain sort of like Service Merchandise) around Christmas time, he said, "Bull@#$), that kind of thing happens all the time."
01-01-02, 07:08 PM
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Re: Weird Wal-Mart Policy
Originally posted by Tanolen
I purchased a universal remote control from Wal-Mart recently.
I took it home and tried to use it and the darn thing just didn't work at all. (Yes I put batteries in it). At the very very least when you push a button it is supposed to turn on a little LED light that shows its sending the signal, and it wasn't even doing that. I brought it back to walmart and told them it was broken and I wanted to exchange it for another. The replacement remote worked fine.
The next day I went back to walmart to look for something else and I noticed the remote I had returned was for sale again, in my re-taped package (I know it was mine - nobody does a worse re-taping job than I do). So I took it to the counter and I told the person that I was the one who returned that remote and it DOESNT WORK! They told me that an item needs to be returned 3 times for them to send it back to the manufacturer.
Is this legal? This means 2 other poor saps need to buy and return this thing before it gets sent back. I understand the policy though - its probably often that the products isn't broken and the user was just a bonehead. I was just wondering is this a normal policy that other stores use?
I purchased a universal remote control from Wal-Mart recently.
I took it home and tried to use it and the darn thing just didn't work at all. (Yes I put batteries in it). At the very very least when you push a button it is supposed to turn on a little LED light that shows its sending the signal, and it wasn't even doing that. I brought it back to walmart and told them it was broken and I wanted to exchange it for another. The replacement remote worked fine.
The next day I went back to walmart to look for something else and I noticed the remote I had returned was for sale again, in my re-taped package (I know it was mine - nobody does a worse re-taping job than I do). So I took it to the counter and I told the person that I was the one who returned that remote and it DOESNT WORK! They told me that an item needs to be returned 3 times for them to send it back to the manufacturer.
Is this legal? This means 2 other poor saps need to buy and return this thing before it gets sent back. I understand the policy though - its probably often that the products isn't broken and the user was just a bonehead. I was just wondering is this a normal policy that other stores use?
Tanolen - You're right.......That's WEIRD not to mention really poor business.
"Whaddaya mean "illiterate"? My father and mother were married right here in the city hall!"
01-02-02, 10:07 AM
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Don't know bout Wal-Mart, but the guys at Best Buy ship the defective merchandise to thier service center to see if it is salvagable. If a person just returns an unwanted working item, then it gets discounted and sold open box. I have had no trouble with these open box items, and I have bought quite a few of them.
01-03-02, 03:48 PM
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I bought a CD at Best Buy once that once I opened the jewel case, the CD was totally missing. This was interesting to explain to Best Buy that a shrink-wrapped CD jewel case did not contain the CD. Luckily they were not too critical about it, but they gave me the look that indicated they thought I was lying. Their looks made me feel embarrassed, but shite! I don't wanna pay for a CD that doesn't come in the jewel case. I wonder what the store did with the jewel case.
01-03-02, 04:08 PM
#16
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Originally posted by KyleB
Once at Rickel (a now bankrupt home center chain) and once at Sears Hardware I purchased something that looked like it had never been opened, but when I got it home, not only had it been opened, it had been replaced with a non-working unit from a completely different manufacturer!
Once at Rickel (a now bankrupt home center chain) and once at Sears Hardware I purchased something that looked like it had never been opened, but when I got it home, not only had it been opened, it had been replaced with a non-working unit from a completely different manufacturer!
The details are a little fuzzy after that, but I know he was caught and his employer did somehow find out about it. He managed to avoid legal prosecution but he did lose his job.
01-04-02, 02:11 AM
#17
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Originally posted by Groucho
Heh heh. Reminds me of a guy I once knew. He would upgrade his computer this way. Every time a new item came out that was better than a component he had (sound card, modem, whatever) he would buy it from one store, swap it out with his old component, shrink wrap it where he worked (a competing computer store), and return it.
The details are a little fuzzy after that, but I know he was caught and his employer did somehow find out about it. He managed to avoid legal prosecution but he did lose his job.
Heh heh. Reminds me of a guy I once knew. He would upgrade his computer this way. Every time a new item came out that was better than a component he had (sound card, modem, whatever) he would buy it from one store, swap it out with his old component, shrink wrap it where he worked (a competing computer store), and return it.
The details are a little fuzzy after that, but I know he was caught and his employer did somehow find out about it. He managed to avoid legal prosecution but he did lose his job.
Actually my dad once bought a modem and got 2 manuals but no modem. He explained what happened and returned them to the store, and took the next box off the shelf.. Which contained.. 2 modems.
