illegal activity

What is this federal law that you speak of? Please cite it. Thank you!

Perhaps the item was a gift and she wanted the money for herself in
cash instead of the money going back on the gift-giver's card? That's
what it sounds like to me.

I actually prefer it when stores put the return back on the card
rather than getting the cash back. If I use my debit card to buy
something and then return it, I want the return back to the card. If I
get cash back instead, I'm more likely to spend it than put it back in
the bank.

I think it depends on whether or not the customer uses a PIN.

With some debit transactions, the card is run as credit, and no pin is
entered. This is the case in the majority of debit transactions these
days at many common establishments. Some places don't even offer
PIN-Based debit, or won't offer it if it can be run as credit instead.


If it is run as a credit card, then they usually just put it back on
the card like normal.

I think in the case of a PIN based transaction, they give you cash
back, but recently I have been able to enter my PIN for a refund.

And like I metioned, most debit cards are credit cards too, so maybe
there is a law but there is a way around it, such as a PIN based
credit card perhaps...

My company also normally gives cash back on debit transactions. If we
have to post-void a sale that was paid with debit, the register
automatically gives back the cash, because the money was debited
directly from the person's account. We can credit a return back to the
debit card, but the reason we don't is because it can take several
days for the money to actually be credited. It's basically in the
interest of customer service. I would occasionally have a customer
request that we credit their return back to their card, and I would
always make absolutely sure they were aware that the money would not
be available to their account right away.

Return policies are posted on the receipt and around the store. It
could be that the customer didn't have their card, receipt or possibly
a very old return. If you don't like a return policy you shouldn't
buy.

Its everywhere.

Returns are done to like tender. Cash for cash, credit/debit for
credit. Occasionally they may give cash back on a debit transaction,
provided a PIN was entered because the money was immedicately debited
from the account.

But it is neither illegal nor wrong for them to put the money back on
the card - giving it back to you as cash would be like giving you a
free cash advance and your credit card wouldn't like that idea AT ALL!

I dont know about any law, but I do know that the other day when I
made a return at Target for which the purchase was made with my Visa
debit card, Target gave me back cash.

To what law or reg are you making reference? When an original charge
is to a debit card, there is no problem with the return credit being
to the same card.