Returning an item to a "No Refund" store for a refund - trip report

[Warik]

Backstory:
I've been waking up with a pain in the lower part of my neck where it meets my shoulder area for the past several days, so I decided to purchase one of those Memory Foam pillows that are contoured to support your neck. I bought it at Bed Bath & Beyond for $69.99 + tax. I had a 20% off coupon, though, so it was cheaper. Hooray. So far, so good.

The next day my mom calls me from the mall telling me that this store has the same pillow for only $25. I rush over to the store, hoping to buy it from there and return the more expensive pillow to Bed Bath & Beyond. I get there, buy the pillow, and go home. When I get home, I realize that this pillow is *MUCH* harder than the one I already have... and by harder I mean "it is filled with rocks, not memory foam." Keeping the plastic cover on, I test both pillows extensively, concluding that the new one I bought sucks. I plan to return it the next day.

Of course, I look at the receipt, and it says "NO REFUNDS - STORE CREDIT ONLY." I laugh at the fact that they think I'm not going to be getting my money back.

Backstory Summary:
Bought an expensive pillow. It rules. Found "same" pillow for 1/3 the price. Bought it. It sucks. Going to return it to a store that said "NO REFUNDS!"

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Trip Report:
I get to the store and discover a behemoth of a woman sitting on a stool. The store is empty. I walk over and politely tell her that I need to return the item. The item is in its original packaging, still sealed in the plastic. I hand her my receipt and American Express card. She punches some buttons on the computer and asks me if I want store credit or if I want to exchange it for something else.

Me: "Neither... I'd just like a refund back to my American Express please."
Her: "I'm sorry, we don't do refunds."
Me: *looks around the store*
Me: "I don't see a sign."

Her: "It says it on your receipt."
Me: "Oh... you mean the receipt that prints out *after* I had already paid for the item?"
Her: "... well... yes."
Me: "The law says that if you are going to have a NO REFUND policy, then a sign needs to be clearly displayed indicating that prior to the customer making the purchase"
Her: "There's a sign right here."

She shows me a sign on the OTHER side of the computer, whose text is facing the back of the store. I really and truly did not see that sign when I paid for the item the day before.

Me: "I wasn't standing there when I bought this. I was standing right here. That sign is not clearly displayed."
Her: "It doesn't matter if it's here or there. There's a sign."
Me: "The pillows are over there *points*, the register is over here *points*. There would have been no reason for me to stand over there yesterday, thus no way for me to have seen that sign."
Her: "I'm sorry, we don't do refunds."

Me: "Listen, I'm trying to be fair here. I can wait till I get my credit card bill, dispute the charge, get my money back which will come out of YOUR merchant account, AND I get to keep the pillow for free.... OR I can return it to you so that you can sell it to someone else. Please do the refund."
Her: "I'm sorry I can't!"

Me: "Is the manager here?"
Her: "No."
Me: "Call him."
Her: "He's going to say no. I've asked before."
Me: "Listen, call the manager right now and get authorization. If he says no, then let me talk to him. I guarantee you will get authorization. I'm not leaving here without a refund and I don't think you want this discussion to continue when new customers walk into the store."

She grabs the phone and calls the manager. I laugh when he tells her to do the refund and walks her through the procedure, since she's never done a refund before.

She does it and I get my money back. Afterward, I apologize for being aggressive, knowing that this retarded policy is not hers, and knowing that they probably don't pay her enough to argue with someone like me.

I then, in my best Schwarzenegger voice, say "HA!!! I WIN! I BEAT YOU!" and do a double-biceps pose. I turn around and leave, disgusted to know that she was probably staring at my ass on the way out. ewww.

Summary: I got my money back after arguing with the fat chick. yay me!

What should I spend my recovered $25 on?

[2+2 wannabe]

good story

[canis582]

What should I spend my recovered $25 on?
------------------------

The cashier. Take her to a 'nice' diner and watch her devour some cheese fries. Then write a trip report.

[JBB]

Wow, this was a fantastic trip report. I really need to learn some skills from you.

[pshreck]

While I respect and think its cool what you did, I dont think I would ever be the guy waiting in some store, engaged in a long argument, over something like this. At least not over a 25 dollar pillow. When it gets to the point in your story that you say you will continue the argument even when customers get there, do you really mean that? I might claim to do that, but Im not gonna be the douche wasteing peoples time when they get in line behind me. I would probably just forfeit at that point.

[youtalkfunny]

You're boasting that you got the best of a retail clerk?

Did you follow that up by going to park, to beat the retarded kids at chess?

[grdeadhead]

yea i say go to mcdonalds and get every thing off the doller menue and bring it back to her and say your sorry. She wont even notice you said sorry the bag of food will be enough of for her

[2/325Falcon]

[ QUOTE ]
What should I spend my recovered $25 on?

[/ QUOTE ]



Party Blackjack. Triple your money and the other pillow is free.

[Riverman]

Warik,

I think what you did was pretty bad. Whenever I am engaged in some kind of customer service/return/refund nightmare, I always ask myself, "Who would really scam them this way- It's obvious I am not trying to screw them!" Well, now I understand. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to be compensated for legitimate errors if assholes like you stopped doing [censored] like this.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

Oh how I miss my customer service days at Best Buy...I've relived the same or similar situations hundreds of times.