Return Policy is not a Return Policy but a Rip Off Policy

I work in retail, my husband works in retail, we are both store
managers. Never have I not taken back merchandise that was defective,
with or without a receipt as long as it was our merchandise. The same
goes for my husband in his store.

It is just not good customer service to not return an items. And by
law, atleast in my state, you have 14 days to return any item, for any
reason. So this 2 return policy a year they have is illegal.

I would suggest finding out the return policy in your state, and then
contacting the Attorney General. Very few stores require a receipt,
at the very least they will exchange the item or give you a gift card
to the store.

Target, atleast in my state, is breaking the law by not returning
items. Target policy does not trump state law. And state law here
requires that we take back any merchandine within 2 weeks, unless it
clearly states on the receipt that it is a FINAL SALE!

The person who bought it should have included the gift receipt. It's
not your fault they didn't, but Target can't bend on their policy.

Target policy is a receipt dated within 90's day whether it be the
original or a gift reciept. However Target does offer 2 returns per
year without a reciept but the item has to be under $20. They offer an
exchange or gift card. A receipt can also be looked up if you payed
using a credit or debit card or a check and even if you used a gift
card and still have it. (always save gift card for 90 days). Just
because you are honest doesnt mean everyone is. There are so many
scams and people that go into retail establishments and try to take
advantage. My suggestion is going to the manufacturer and trying to
get them to fix the frame or exchange it.

what store takes anything back without a receipt? I don't know any
that would.

Our return policy is getting stricter at Staples. We are now going to
be able to see if the item was already returned so for all you
scammer's out there... we are ALSO able to track returns by licenses.

Uh, you heard wrong...Target does stand by its merchandise if you
follow the return policy, which in your case is not possible. Their
return policy is strict which does help keep with the theft and return
crimes.

Did you try contacting either your boss who may just give you another?
Or,maybe the manufacturer? Even if its made for Target its still made
by an outside company.

Why don't you explain to your boss what happened to the frame and ask
if he has a receipt of some sort if you are so worried about the
frame? If you don't have the guts to, then you are stuck with a
broken frame. You can't blame Target, so what if the frame came from
their store? They don't know if you paid for it or not. And you
"never stepping foot in a Target again?" Yeah...........see you there
next week!

I dunno why I even bothered to look - I should have known it was a
Target letter!

This is not Target's product and they don't have to stand behind it
because they didn't make it. Look on the box or on the
direction/instructions sheet for the name and contact information of
the MANUFACTURER and let them know there's a problem. They made the
shoddy merchandise, not Target.

Most merchandise these days comes with directions that say in big bold
letters at the top of the page: DO NOT RETURN DEFECTIVE MERCHANDISE TO
THE STORE. Because it costs them money to get a chargeback from
Target on defects and they would rather have a happy customer by
taking care of the problem themselves.

And FYI, saying you "have never and will never step foot in a
Target store again and [will] tell everyone [you] meet about Target's
lack of customer appreciation" and then demanding they exchange
the frame? Yeah, that's incentive to help you.

You didn't buy anything!
What are you so uppity about? It's not as though you're out any money
here.
If their return policy is No Receipt No Refund then what do you want
out of them?
It's not that they're not standing behind their products, but rather
they're standing by their policy.

Thems the breaks.

My son received a shirt for Christmas from Target.
He was also given the "gift receipt".
The shirt was too small so he went to the store
to exchange it for a larger size.
They refused.
They said he had exchanged some items earlier in the
year and they had a 2 adjustments per year policy.
He said he didn't want money back just a shirt
of the correct size. The shirt was still in the
original package with all tags attached.

They refused again stating their "2 strikes per 12 month"
policy.

Needless to say, he will not shop there again and
I will be pretty careful myself.

Because I can never ever return the gift to Target. Regardless of
whether it came from there or not, I can never ever get them to take
anything back. So why bother with Christmas at all. I now boycott
all of Christmas and I'm sure it's destrying Target's business. It's
taken me decades to have an effect on Sears, and that now seems to be
working. So give this another 30 to 40 years and I'm sure they'll be
in the shut down mode!

Go little people!

It's too bad that you can't use the frame, but you won it, if I read
correctly. While a bit disappointing, you didn't spend any money on
the frame, so you're not suffering any financial loss. It sucks, but
it's not as serious as you're making it out to be.

You claim you never shop at Target because of this policy, and you
didn't pay anything for the item in question. Doesn't really look
like you're a customer of theirs at all, so you refusing to shop there
(again) isn't much of a loss to them.

Also, those frames aren't made specifically for Target. Every store
that carries anything even remotely electronic sells them. Even
Chapters bookstores in my city carry the stupid things.

Well, if they still have the exact same frame on the shelves, just
purchase another one and return the broken one with the new receipt.
Personally, I love Target. Their clearance deals are great. I always
use pay with a cc for easy returns (receipt lookup).

How long will these letters continue? Their return policy has been in
effect for years.
1.) Did you try the company that made it? Do they stand behind their
products?
2.) As stated before - why not ask your boss for the receipt?
3.) Again - the threat of "never shopping" and
"telling everyone I meet" not to shop at Target. They have
the policy because it works. It usually isn't a good idea to threaten
someone if you are asking them for a favor (skipping the policy).

consider this-every day, customers at Target make returns successfully
with their receipts. Thousands. That is the policy. However some
people fail to realize this. So remember to save your receipt or pay
with credit card so they can look it up.

That would be nice if everything worked the way it should, but it
doesn't... Target probably thinks it would be nice if everyone trying
to return something had a receipt... but they don't. Too bad. Just ask
for the receipt from your boss. Is it that hard?

I believe Target should stand behind the products they sell, with or
without a receipt. However...
I first set foot in a Target store one week ago. I was impressed by
their size and the amount and variations of stuff they were selling.
On this site, there are more complaints about Target than about anyone
else, which says to me that they probably do more business with more
people than just about anyone, including the IRS.
You simply can't manage a business that size without distancing
yourself from your customers. This is an ill we suffer today more than
ever before with a lot of businesses. At the same time, we benefit
from being able to get it all in one place, at reduced cost.
The upper level of management in mega businesses like Target has
absolutely no time to be concerned with customer's needs, other than
to do market research to supply what these people will buy. They
manage to profit, and thus keep their jobs, by establishing policies
according to bottom line neccesity. If you can't take them to court,
they will not accomodate you. This is an ever more present reality in
our daily lives as shoppers, but it is not without benefit to us. We
can get a lot of things that before all this, took a lot of time to
find, and often cost more than what Target is charging.
It seems like with these kinds of places, you'll have to face the
fact that sometimes you're going to lose and not be able to do
anything about it. Or, you can find a family run business, pay more,
and have less selection, but be treated like royalty.
There's another point to consider if you want to know how important
bottom line is to the management of any business. That is, how are
they treating their employees? Walmart and Costco are two companies
operating in the same industry, but Costco insures its employees, and
has them work full time. Walmart employs a lot of part timers so they
won't have to. Walmart's bottom line is better. The Target employees I
saw were pretty high quality, a lot of them were older, and they
seemed more helpful than part time college students would have been.
Is Target generous with employee benefits? I don't know, but I'd love
to find out.

WOW! This is exactly what happened to me today.
I went to exchange an electronic photo frame from Target, and they
told me they could not do it because of their exchange policy. I
don't have the gift receipt. All I want it a product that works, but
they are more interested in ripping me off. They told me to ask the
gift giver to come back to the store and give them their credit card
number, so they can return it. I was outraged. Here is someone who
out of the goodness of their heart gave me a very expensive gift, and
I am supposed to ask them to take the gift back?

Obviously the easiest thing would be to ask for the receipt, as has
been pointed out many times.

I am of the opinion however, that if Target is selling the product,
they ought to be standing behind it. I think it is bad service and a
cop out of sorts to refer to the manufacturer. I have never worked
anywhere that did not have an RTV (return to vendor) agreement or a
destroy and deduct agreement with their vendors and I do not accept
that a company as large as Target would be the exception.

That being said, it may also benefit you to check with your state
Department of Consumer Affairs. In my state (sun shiny California) it
is the expectation that defective merchandise be allowed to return
with out respect to refund policy.

Cut/Paste from website: Customers should be able to return defective
merchandise without respect to the return policy, unless the product
was sold with required "as is" or "with all faults" notifications that
allow consumer warranty rights to be voided.

They also state that product without written warranty would have an
implied warranty of 60 days.

I wonder how many complaints Target gets each day about their return
policies....just look how many we see!

I have heard the word "Policy" chanted as a sacred mantra so
many times, the mere mention of the word makes me see red (how
appropriate, in this case). Policy seems to take on a life of its own,
irrespective of common sense or good business business practice. Every
company needs procedure, standards, and (choke) "Policy".
But when Policy is vaunted to such a level that it's beyond rebuke or
even review, it's long outlived its usefulness.

I'll be the first to say that not every customer is right, but every
business has a responsibility (both ethically and financially) to do
their best by their customers. If a policy is costing time,
productivity, lost sales, and brand erosion--it's time to review and
amend it.

Pay particular note to the last one: brand erosion. Target has one of
the strongest brands in retail. It's part of what makes them
successful. Even if people don't completely boycott Target, if this
policy makes a consumer think twice about a purchase, if they purchase
less overall, it costs more overall than value gained from Sacred
Policy--and those losses are not things that will be easily
quantified, let alone show up on spreadsheets.

Brand erosion is expensive to reverse. Ask AT&T wireless, which
spent countless millions to take on the name Cingular, in an apparent
attempt to ease or erase brand erosion; and having eroded that brand,
they're now apparently counting on people to have short memories and
go to the "new" AT&T Wireless.

The problem is, once brand erosion occurs enough to be truly visible
to a company, it's too late. Yet they'll keep pushing until they get
to that point, just as Target is. They can strike a reasonable balance
between customer-friendly policy and loss control, as they have in the
past. This incrementalism--as evidenced by the number of letters I see
here--is clearly not good for the brand.

At least they have Policy to keep them warm at night.

They have a policy. It applies to you, too.
Ask your boss for the receipt, or ask for assistance with the
manufacturer's warranty.

...I've read your responses regarding how you'll never shop Target.

Question: would you shop Target again, if not for this incident? Were
you a Target shopper before?

I ask because it seems, forgive me, terribly intolerant to write-off
Target over a single incident.

I appreciate your righteous indignation. But, frankly, it's
misplaced.

As others have pointed out, Target does stand behind what they sell.
They have a clear policy about requiring receipts. They give gift
receipts. They are willing to look up receipts for you, as long as
you have the credit card that was used.

None of this, Lori, is about them not standing behind their products.
They do.

I think you've blown this out of proportion. And your insistence that
you'll never shop there again simply because they won't exchange the
broken frame, without a receipt, seems an over-reaction.

Still, it's your reaction to make. One can only assume that when you
make a decision, that people don't hassle you about it. Right?

Whenever I go across the border, I always shop at Target for the exact
reason that you won't. It's about time that large companies stop being
bullied by customers who believe that they are always right. Target is
a business and needs to make money (they pump a lot of money into the
economy) and because of how lax they were before it was harder to do
that.
Would you buy a muffin at McDonalds, eat half of it and go to Dunkin
Donuts for a return? Ridiculous right. The same goes for Target.

Just so that you know, just because something says Target on it
doesn't mean that it wasn't stolen.

With all due respect ma'am, you are no more special than anyone else
who needs to comply with this policy. Anywhere you go, whether it's
Target or Wal-mart or wherever, you will need a receipt to
exchange/return products. I am sorry that you didn't have one, but
just because YOU personally didn't have one, that doesn't excuse the
fact that you NEED one in order to return or exchange your product. It
really is a no brainer here, but I suppose when you don't have it your
way you would throw a fit. A lady of your age should know the reason
why they need receipts and shouldn't pretend that this is not the case
in any other store.

~ You will never set foot in the store again.

~ When and if I meet you, you will tell me how much you hate Target.
Assuming I give a whit, I'll not shop at Target and pass the word
along.

With all this negative energy generated by you, why should Target do
anything to please you?

How do you expect them to exchange the photo frame if you have already
proclaimed to "never step foot in a Target store again"?

You may want to rewrite this letter. You are shooting yourself in the
foot by already stating that you have no intentions of shopping there
again. I don't agree with much of Target's return policies (I've seen
plenty of complaints daily on here about it). However, if you make it
clear to corporate that you like their store and wish to keep shopping
there, you might get better results.

Uh huh. See you there on Saturday, with the rest of the
"I"ll never shop there again" crowd.

It seems that Target has adopted a zero-tolerance policy with returns
w/o receipts. I understand the motivation behind having a stricter
return policy, such as the one they had in place before. I only say
strict because it was in comparision to Targets competitors. I
personally thought it was pretty reasonable. 2 per year (exchange w/o
receipt) is actually a pretty reasonable margin for human error.

I disagree with the new policy. While i think its important to hold on
to receipts - and not a big deal to ask for one, there needs to be a
margin for human error. I'm not perfect - as much as I try to keep on
top of my reciepts, I have lost a few. These things just happen and by
Target saying "oh well, no can do lady" that is just
alienating customers.

I know there are scammers. And Target, just like any other store needs
to protect themselves. (and the customers too!) But alienating honest
customers is not good for business, no matter what the purpose is.

I agree you ask your boss for the receipt. If they do not have it,
there are a couple other suggestions I have for handling defective
items from stores.

You can try going through the manufacturer's warranty

You could always buy another picture frame and return the defective
item using the receipt from the one that was purchased.

When something like this happens you have several choices - - you can
try to exchange the item without a receipt and if you don't get your
way, threaten to never, ever set foot in Target again and write a
letter on a third party website. Or, you can simply let your boss
know that you are thrilled to receive such a lovely gift, but
unfortunately it is defective and Target won't let you exchange it
without the receipt. Hmmmmm - - which way would result in a digital
photo frame for your grandson's pictures . . . .

"Exchange the photo frame. It is made for Target and you should
stand behind it."

Some clarification. The frame was made FOR Target, not BY Target.
Therefore, you should contact the manufacturer if it's defective.

So what's the problem with asking your boss for the receipt? Target
does stand behind their products, with a receipt. They will even go
the extra mile and try to look up the receipt if the item was
purchased on a credit card. Call the 800# and they will provide you
with the number of the manufacturer.

By the way, telling them that you will never step foot in a Target
again gives them zero incentive to help you.

I would suggest dialing down the anger a little. When you start of by
proclaiming a "rip-off policy", you are likely to put
anybody reading on the defensive. You're not personally out of
pocket, so there's no need to take it so personally. You have a valid
complaint, drink some herbal tea and then rewrite it w/o the threats
and accusations.

If you don't present a receipt and if the item is defective there is a
1-800 number you can call. This is coming straight from the Target
website "All other returns or exchanges - including those without
a receipt - will be offered manufacturers' warranty and repair
assistance at 1-800-303-0308." Give that number a call or ask
your boss for the receipt.

Target does care about their customers and stand behind their
products. They will work with you with the proof of purchase. Your
boss chose to shop there, and RedheadwithGlasses gave you excellent
advice.

Your boss will understand because he knows their policy, and you'll
have a working digital frame and enjoy seeing photos of your
grandchild. What a great gift!

Why couldn't you approach your boss and explain that the frame doesn't
work and in order to exchange it, you need the receipt? I promise you,
your company has the receipt. If they don't, then the
accounting/billing department should be audited.

It's not such a huge deal. Just tell your boss what happened.