Poor Customer service

Aloha ken! (sorry, I've never spoken to someone from Hawaii before!)

The purchase was over a year old. If you can wait that long to return
it, you obviously arent as strapped for money... as say... someone who
would exchange it right away - needing the clothes. So at this point
its about principle. Which, would also cause you to want to leave the
merchandise there. That, is not common sense as you ask for in your
letter. You know just as well as anyone else here that doing that is
an inappropriate way to handle the situation, and it does NOT show
rationality or common sense. It is interpreted as spiteful and
unnecessary.

If you couldn't use the shirts (like you've stated in your letter)
there are other things you could have done with them. You could have
sold them on ebay, to a consignment shop, or... since you've had them
before the holiday season... donate them to a charity. But leaving
them in the store out of "Principle" is foolish and spiteful.

Why the heck did you wait over a year to return two packages of
underwear? Most stores won't take merchandise back after 30 days, so
180 days is MORE than generous.

I understand that you paid $45 for two packages of briefs (I'm
thinking that's about 6 pairs of underwear total if it's a high-end
brand like CK, or... it's considerably more than 6 pr.). But you
didn't miss that money, or the undies, for a year.

Do the right thing: Donate the unworn underwear to a homeless
shelter. They'll be much appreciated.

They really can't be keeping your underwear for any reason. They had
to give it back. Why not try to sell it on ebay? If they are still in
the package you should have no problems selling them.

Really bad. And if you've been in retail for 40 years, you then know
better. Now don't you? And if you were "okay" when you finally did
leave the store, why are you now writing a letter in the attempt to
still exchange your old underwear? That doesn't make any sense!

There is not a single store that I can think of that will take back
undergarments unless there are manufacturer defects with the product.
This is for reasons of hygiene. Once they get briefs and the like back
they can't resell them, so Macy's is at a loss.
The other issue is that you sat on them for one year. Since you have
been in retail for so long, you should know better then most people
that you are limited to time for a refund/exchange.
Shame on you for making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I am so upset over the way this was handled I can't speak or think
straight. I have been trying to get to sleep for the past three
hours, to no avail.

I hope you get some compensation for the fact this caused a riff
between you and your wife, like a placating "I'm sorry" or something.
You are due at least that for the effort of writing a letter.

Here's food for thought: a trip anywhere with your wife should
be thought of as a little slice of heaven. These are the moments you
should cherish forever. So instead of thinking of it as an argument,
consider it "soul sharing". You should be thanking Macy's for
this opportunity.

I usually don't wait more than a week (at most) after realizing
something doesn't fit to return or exchange anything because having
been in retail myself and being a consumer, I'm aware that rules are
there for a reason. I also am aware that health codes differ from
state to state and change from time to time.

When I first moved to North Jersey, the health codes and all store
policies clearly stated no returns on undergarments and swimsuits
(both with signage and on the reciept),regardless of the package
condition. A few years later the law was changed, and unopened
undergarments were excluded.

I was also in management for about 9 years, and there were many times
I overlooked rules for "customer satisfaction", but the flip side of
that was if the manufacturer wouldn't accept a RTA or RTV on it, the
loss reflected poorly. You seemed reasonably flexible in your request
for an exchange and if it means keeping a customer, I hope they
reconsider.

Okay. If you have been in retail for over 40 years, you understand how
frustrating it is when customers attempt to make you bend the rules
for them because they want everything they can possibly get. You had
the return and exchange policy with you, and yet you still expected
both the associate and the manager to risk their jobs because your
wife didn't ask you what size your briefs were? (And you couldn't get
there in a timely fashion to exchange them?) 180 days is an amazingly
lenient policy considering most places only allow up to 30 or 60 days.

You've been in retail for over 40 yrs and can't understand that you
can't get a refund/exchange for something that was bought over 180
days ago?

Amazing.

I'm sorry but I agree with Macy's....180 days is WELL OVER any time
you should be able to return something. It is not their fault you
waited over a year.

I agree with you. They should have made an exception because as you
point out, the items were still current stock. Why should they make
an exception? Because first, they would not lose money; and second,
they keep a customer happy. Happy customers come back and they don't
post complaints on planetfeedback.com. Managers that have a
black/white view like that aren't doing themselves any favors. And if
the company policy is so inflexible as to NOT allow their managers to
make exceptions when it makes sense, they should change their policy;
or watch their customers toddle off to Kohl's or wherever they need to
go for better service.

I'm confused as to why this is "poor customer service." Even you admit
you understand return/exchange policies, so why is it you feel Macy's
should've made an exception for you on a purchase made over a year
ago?

In the future, if you are looking for an unlimited return policy, try
Kohls. They'll take anything back, no matter how old it is.

I would never dream of returning something I'd purchased a year ago.
I have stumbled upon purchases that I'd intended to return. I
mentally shrugged and found another home for it, either by giving it
to a friend or by donating it to Saver's.

Since when can you return underwear?

You're right. Common sense says that they should have allowed the
"exchange" (actually, it's not an exchange because you're getting a
different item... but I digress).

It's also common sense that your wife needs to be locked up for being
such a scatterbrain that she "misplaced" two packages of briefs for a
whole year. She needs to be taught a lesson, right?

By the way, did you try on these briefs to confirm they didn't fit.
:::Shudder:::

You think there is such a thing as common sense? Common sense tells
me that you can't return or exchange things purchased more than a year
ago. In order to do a return or an exchange, the first thing the
cashier has to do is scan the receipt. If the receipt is more than
180 days old (very generous amount of time by the way), it won't scan
thus not allowing the return.