ricwhite

Whew! I made it home from Wal-Mart in one piece. That was one horrible experience from start to finish.

We had two playstation 2 games -- unopened and new we wanted to exchange. I knew Wal-Mart allows 3 exchanges without a receipt per 6 month period. I called the Layton, Utah Wal-Mart just to check.

CS: "Bring them in. It'll be up to the manager that's on duty, but it shouldn't be a problem.

I drive in. The CS rep calls for the manager. I wait for about 5 minutes. While waiting the three CS reps gather around and look over the games inspecting them very carefully. The manager calls back. They talk. The CS rep tells me that the assistant manager will be up in few minutes. I wait about 6 or 7 minutes. Manager finally arrives. He looks at the games, shakes his head and says, "Sorry, we can't take them back without a receipt."

ME: "But I returned games before and when I callled I was told it shouldn't be a problem."

MANAGER: "I'm sorry you were told that. Good day." He walks off.

I go home and return a few days later to try again, hoping for a different manager. The CS rep calls for a manager. A manager named Larry calls back and declines the exchange. The CS rep tells me that the games are a "high ticket item" and they do not exchange them.

I laugh. "They're not high ticket items."

CS rep: "But it very easy for you to rewrap these games."

ME: "What do you mean. They have all the security stickers all over them and they're shrink wrapped."

CS rep: "Sorry. You may want to try a different Wal-mart and see if the manager there will let you trade them.

At this point I am getting a little steamed and I write down the store manager's name and number which is displayed on a poster on the wall. When I get home I call him.

Me: "I've been in twice to exchange some new Playstation 2 games and was told I couldn't. What's the problem? I was told to try a different Wal-mart."

MANAGER: (chuckling). "No, no, just come back and tell them to talk to me."

So ------------- I drive back AGAIN. And before I even say anything the CS rep says. "Not without a receipt."

ME "Call the store manager, Jay. I just got off the phone with him."

The rep angrily picks up the phone and calls for a manager. I wait at least 10 minutes. Then she marches off and says, "I'm going to talk to them. I wait there (with a HUGE line of people backed up behind me) for at least another 10 minutes.

Finally the rep returns and says that they're having a meeting about me. (???). Then an assistant manager named Jim arrives. "Are you the guy," he says.

ME: "Yeah, I guess. I didn't think it would be such a hassle."

MANAGER JIM: "Well, it is." And then he says to the CS rep to approve the exchange.

The CS REP about goes ballistic. "No," she said, "Larry is meeting with Jay about it."

MANAGER JIM: "I just talked to Jay and he said to let him have it."

The CS Reps face goes red and she grabs a gift card. "Give me your license," she said. So I gently hand her my license as I step back a pace. She pounds in the numbers and swipes the card. Then she flips the receipt paper in front of me. "Sign it." I do. She grabs it and pushes the card toward me. I take it and walk away. Jim the assistant manager is walking away too. "Thanks," I said. He just turns away and walks without saying anything.

I go into the main store to do some shopping and I hear over the intercom "We need all security cameras to scan now." I don't know if that's was aimed at me or not, but this whole episode made me feel dirty -- like a criminal or something. It was a really bad experience. I had thought that after I talked to the store manager on the phone it would turn out okay. But it was pretty awful. I don't know if I dare show my face in that store again.

Ranger

Wow... that's tough. At least you got the money back. It is always good to be persistent.

I've never tried to return things before without the receipt since I know I'd be likely to run into the same problem.

Anybody have any "return w/o a receipt" horror stories like that?

eau

I had no problem returning a gift DVD to Fred Meyer (obviously w/o receipt). Do they still allow returning without a receipt?

dvde

Well I guess the moral of the story is..... Don't shop at a store that aims at that trailer park customers and hires that same trailer park customers to work at it, to. Maybe it's me, but I get annoyed just driving thru the parking and being behind those old Pinto's or El Camino's that are blowing black smoke. cough..cough..cough!

ernestrp

But where did you actually get the games in the first place?

ricwhite

My son got them as gifts. I'm not sure where they were originally purchased. But when I called Wal-mart I told them that. They told me that as long as they carry it and it us unopened I shouldn't have a problem.

The issues for me are: 1) Having each Wal-mart store and managers differ in the way they determine which exchanges they accept or deny. Very confusing and inconsistent. 2) Waiting and waiting for managers to make their decisions 3) Being treated like a criminal on trial while they stand around you and look you and the merchandise over while they ponder their decision. (The other customers were also starting to stare). Very poor treatment.

DVDho78DTS

Sorry to hear you had to go through that. That really sucks. Especially if you were upfront and honest with the details. I have never shopped at Wal-Mart, so I can't really give any views with their customer service.

I don't understand why the CS Rep at the register got so mad. Its not like she was losing money. I use to work retail at JCPenney and never got mad at my manager for approving returns for items that had obviously been worn. This was when JCP would take back almost anything if you had a receipt and give cash back. I would usually just laugh after the people left and felt kinda sorry for them since they had to resort to such actions.

ricwhite

Exactly. What difference does it make to her? Except that she told me initially that I had to have a receipt. Then she was overruled by management and that was embarrassing to her, I guess. That's the only thing I can figure out. Boy was she pissed.

kevin75

kudos on your persistance. it's a shame that they treated you so shabbily but i am glad to hear that you stuck it out and got what you asked for (and was told you would get). too many people just give up and leave.

GatorDeb

So you are angry that they didn't follow a policy of easy exchange that's not written anywhere? What if the person that told you in the first place that it would be no problem just has a spite against the store, or just doesn't care? Wal-Mart is under no obligation to do that return. And it seems you do it on a regular basis, since you know how long to wait between returns. It's not a policy, it's up to the store manager. The rep probably knew of people (note, I'm not saying you, but after going through FatWallet, AnandTech, etc there ARE people like this out there) who buy them cheap and then return them to stores like Wal-Mart to make money.

BTW if you like where you work, you DO care about it. You go in each day and treat it as if it were YOUR business. If your company loses money, you lose money. If it makes money, you make money. If you're really happy at work that's how you start to feel. I'm glad not all employees are indifferent about their company.

Creek Rat

There is no defense for disrespectful behavior by an employee to a customer. NONE The customer isn't always right and it's ok to tell them so if necessary but for an employee to treat a customer with disrespect is unacceptable. ricwhite You should immediately contact their Bentonville office and demand an apology. It's not up to you to worry about what the CSR "thinks" you are trying to pull and franky it's ludicrous to think that this person should be commended for acting this way in the interest of saving the company money. She should follow company policy which is:
1:Respect the Individual
2:Service to our Customers
3:Strive for excelence
Please explain how this clerk fufilled any of these "Posted" guidelines?

ricwhite

Treating customers rudely and inconsiderately is uncalled for. I was always well mannered, never raised my voice, and treated THEM respectfully. I would certainly expect the same in return. I still don't get how exchanging a game for another equal game will lose them money anyway. Why would they be concerned with that?

Bottom lines: 1) It was suggested by employees and others that I should be able to exchange the games and to come in.
2) When I did go in I had to wait a inappropriately long time for a decision to be made. 3) I was treated badly and very unprofessionally while maintaining a respectful and businesslike tone myself. In my opinion, Walmart's handling of situations like this need some review and refinement. That really all I'm saying.

DVDho78DTS

He was doing an exchange not a return. It seems you convinced yourself during the process of writing your paragraph that he was doing a return. If he is doing an exchange without a receipt doesn't it have to be for equal value? If not, the store should be able to discount their item if any kind of store wide sale has occured within current return/exchange period (6 months in this case). Like I said, it's not like the CS Rep was losing money. If this store doesn't have a more efficent and strict exchange policy it is their own fault. Maybe ricwhite can mention why he got a gift card back. If Wal-Mart is doing exchanges without a receipt for less value that is their vault and a stupid one at that. Doing returns for items not purchased from their store and without a receipt is just assinine.

The JCPenney I worked at use to do something similiar to this and was very confusing. We would exchange new items without a receipt for equal value of course, or do a return if the item was new with tags. We would discount the items like 25% since that was a normal sale price. However, we would give cash back, so if they people stole the mdse they would be making 100% profit. Now, if you don't have a receipt for new items and want to do a return, you get a gift card instead of cash. That way you have to spend the money within the JCPenney company, so in the long run JCP wouldn't lose much money if the mdse was stolen. We also wouldn't take back mdse that was purchased from other retail stores, but it seems Wal-Mart doesn't have a problem with that for some reason. Basically, if Wal-Mart doesn't want these no receipt hassles, they should make their no receipt return/exchange policy more clear for workers and consumers. It's obvious both are in the dark. I think the biggest problem is taking back mdse not bought from Wal-Mart.

That is a good point, but it's not good customer service to have a fit in front of other customers over something you have no control over. Having a CS rep say an exchange would not be a problem then have a manager say it would be is bad CS. Then have another CS rep say the item is a high ticket item when it's not doesn't help matters. To top it off the store manager says the exchange is ok which only shows how confusing their policy really is. If the CS rep is really happy she should follow company policy either directly or indirectly. It seems she has a problem with authority. Either way, you can't justify the way she acted.

I have held only 3 jobs in the 7 years I have been working and have worked my butt off. I have spent at least 2 years at each job so I am loyal. I use to feel great when sales went up while I worked at JCPenney over the previous year, or when we sold more groceries at Winn-Dixie (first job) because we kept the shelves well stocked. I guess the point I'm making is your actions speak for themselves. Having a worker get mad and have it be clearly visible to customers reduces their employers image.

Sorry, I just don't like it when people try to justify poor customer service or poor store policies.

Edit: You both beat me on the reply, hehe.

mikehunt

can't blame a store for not taking back stuff without a receipt IMO

ricwhite

The games were for my son. After what happened the first trip, I didn't take my son back and negogiated with them by myself. I decided to get a card and come back with my son at some future time and let him choose the games he wants.

DVDho78DTS

That is the point. They do it sometimes but sometimes they don't. They should be consistent and efficent.

It would be easier if they just had a policy for no receipt exchanges or returns visible. Exchanges for equal value would not be a problem. Exchanges or returns for items of different MSRP would have 25% or whatever the regular sale price is taken off and only be given a gift card back. Oh, only accept items from their retail stores to prevent shrinkage, and limit exchanges/returns as they seem to do.

Wal-Mart only brings these situations upon themselves.

DVDho78DTS

LOL. That is what I thought. Basically an exchange turned into a straight return. If Wal-Mart wants to accept mdse from other stores without subtracting sale prices during the return/exchange process then let them. They should at least stop accepting mdse from other retail stores. That doesn't make any sense to me.

GatorDeb

I'm not advocating being rude, I was just responding to the question "why should she care, she's not the one losing money."

Is it me or did she not get really angry until you kept and kept going back demanding the exchange?

What I'm saying is the ORIGINAL person that told you that at that particular Wal-Mart it was ok to do the exchange, may have not been right, and you went in expecting something and got mad when you didn't get it. I disagree with what someone said, keep going at it until you get it. Who knows, maybe they let you just to get you to stop going/calling (it does happen).

I would have dropped it after that first time. I wouldn't have gone in to Wal-Mart in the first place, just kept them or e-Bayed them.

eau

Well, it won't happen in BestBuy. A BB manager called the cops when a guy wanted to cash his raincheck for a (mispriced) video card...

TNDVDFAN

Well, as a Wal-Mart associate I do have an opinion or two. If you were treated rudely then that was wrong (However, I have been called all sorts of names by customers when I would refuse a refund/exchange so sometimes you get what you give).
Right now, Wal-Mart has the most liberal return policy of ANY retailer. Both Target and K-Mart REQUIRE a receipt for a refund OR exchange. When I was a CSM (front-end manager) I took returns of items without a receipt on a case by case basis. If it was someone who wasn't in the store everyday returning stuff (and trust me, some people are in EVERY DAY returning something without a receipt) I would do it. If there were more than 3 returns on the drivers license I would deny the refund if they were ALL high dollar amounts (over $50).
Sometimes management would override me. I honestly didn't care. I know it makes some people mad at the front but I always did what management said. I figured if something was said it was their problem, not mine.
I have always said that EVERYONE should work at least ONE day per year at a retail establishment to be able to shop there. Trust me, most people are nice people but it does seem that people get nastier as the years go by.

Stats

My wife worked at WMT up until recently and said it's a weird time b/c everyone knows the return policy is being abused and some mgr's are getting tough about it and some aren't - it really varies from area to area. And it clearly also varies from person to person within each store. I think we'll soon see some enforced national corporate policy about this b/c WMT is losing $$$ on the current policy. (Yes, losing $$$ b/c the company makes nothing on exchanges and a business can't stay in business long if free exchanges become more and more common.)

One more thing - the CSR very well might have a large amount of stock through the employee stock purchase plan, which gives her a vested interest in making a profit.

dvde

Can someone please explain to me how a business is loosing money by exchanging things? When people say they loose money, I don't see how you come to that conclusion. It's not like their giving them cash. It's as simple as taking one product and switching it for another. Maybe it's me but how's that loosing money. The chances of them selling the item you returned is probably the same as the item you exchange it for. Then when someone buys the item you exchanged that's where the profit is, so basically they aren't loosing a dime by exchanging things. Where they loose money is having a csr bitch and moan about something, which is taking up clock time. If anything that's where they loose the money, by taking up clock time and management time. Just my opinion.

GatorDeb

Because they buy things at merchant prices... when they get an exchange they are paying you shelf price. A DVD that they buy for $10, they sell for $20. But to do an exchange, they give you $20 for it, essentially buying it for $20. Then they sell it for $20, meaning they make no profit, and even lose money because of the service reps it took to process your refund (they get paid hourly) and if they always break even, how will they pay for the lease, air conditioner, electricity, employees, etc.

ricwhite

Basically, you're correct. An exchange is an even transaction. They are not making any money on exchanges. And what you said about serving the customer is also true -- it uses up resources and, therefore, costs money (in the short run). Here are some other true statements.

* If I buy an item that is broken, and I take it back to the store for an exchange for a "working" item, it will cost the store money because of the "resources" (i.e time) used to do the exchange.

* If I go into a store and ask the employee questions about a product, it will cost the store money because of the "resources" used to answer the questions.

* If it's hot outside and I go into a store to cool off and get a drink from the drinking fountain, it will cost the store money because of the "resources" used.

* If I have to pee and I run into a store to use the bathroom, it will cost the store money because of the "resources" used to operate the bathroom.

All examples stated fall under the "customer service" umbrella. Serving the customer costs money. That's why it is called a "service." So why do stores offer those things? Obviously, it leads to increased sales. If customers feel comfortable and happy, they tend to return there in the future for business.

Personally, I go out of my way to return to stores that have treated me right. And stores know this. In fact, this is why a lot of stores will go ahead and take a "short-term" loss when dealing with a customer problem, in order to achieve a "long-term" profit.

I often find it odd when a store battles a customer over an issue that may involve losing a few dollars when, in the long run, the store will end up losing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars from the loss of future sales by alienating the customer. Most stores understand that it's better to take the "short-term" loss than it is to risk losing the long-term gain.

chanster

I have edited my original comments, which were a bit harsh.

You were trying to exchange an item THAT WAS NOT BOUGHT AT THE STORE. They have no obligation to take it back. If they do it, then they are doing you a favor.

Basically, you are trying to rip off Walmart - trading games that were probably bought at a discount and exchange them for titles you can't get a discount.

If you got them as a gift, politely call the people that gave the gift and ask where you got it from.

RANDOM OBSERVATION: NOT DIRECTED AT THIS PERSON.

"Gifts" are the the pretty common "excuse" for people here. Always getting a lot of gifts...I bet a lot of people have been trading in those free games they got from Kelloggs, etc.