Return Hell: It's My Federal Right
From Tales From Retail, whitdragontail:
I work in a retail store and I do various things depending on where I'm needed. In this instance, I happened to be handling returns. So a customer brings back an item and everything goes well until I hand him a paper and kindly ask him to write down his name, address and phone number. The reason we do this is to be able to contact the person if something goes wrong with processing their return. He doesn't fill out everything, just puts down his name.
Me: Um, sir, could you please--
Guy: No. I have no obligation to give you that information. It's private and it's my federal right to keep it that way.
Oh god, here we go.
Me: Sir, the reason we ask for it is just in case we have a problem processing the return, we need to be able to contact you somehow.
He goes on to mumble and grumble about how ridiculous this is, honestly to me it's not that big of a deal, we don't send junk mail or anything. Finally he ends up just putting down his phone number and goes,
Guy: That's all you're getting from me.
My store requires a phone number for all returns, and yes, they may get a call from LP later to verify the legitimacy of the return. We get(well, got since we're not taking returns anymore) people who refuse to give a phone number or any contact information (the same people who complain that they never get coupons in the mail...but that's another story). I had one who insisted that her phone number was 555-1212, and another who stood there stubbornly staring at me while I stubbornly stared at her waiting for a phone number. It's in the policy, no phone number no return.
Posted by: Flutilicious | Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 09:37 PM
"What statute is that, sir? I'd like to look it up in the US Code here on my phone, so I can show it to my manager. If we're breaking the law, that's very serious business, and it needs to stop! I just need to know the title and section number of that law, and we'll get this cleared up right away."
Posted by: plus.google.com/108073606865059711666 | Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 11:11 PM
"Guy: That's all you're getting from me."
Me: "Then I don't want to hear any complaints from you if something goes wrong and we have no way to contact you because you could not get your refund." X)
Posted by: labyrinthgirl17 | Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 01:14 AM
i also hate giving out my personal info. the fact is with all the data breaches going on no ones information is safe.
I usually use 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (the white house address), and an old cell number.
Posted by: ray martin | Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 04:42 AM
And, circumstances depending, what you do can be considered fraud ray martin. If the terms of their refund policy are such that providing your current contact information is required, you're deliberately violating them.
Bear in mind that MOST retail stores aren't required to give you a refund unless they are clearly the ones at fault. Over charged, grocery stores selling expired product, etc. Defects can be, rightly, referred to the manufacturer because the store has only agreed to sell the product to the consumer; they did not produce it.
Yes giving out personal information like this can be upsetting but, functionally speaking, it's no worse than ordering from Amazon or anywhere else online.
Posted by: kitai306 | Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 09:35 AM
Kitai, I sincerely doubt that anyone will be prosecuted for fraud over giving a false phone number during a refund.
I give false information on so many things. Website registrations, rewards programs and such. It could bite me if they need accurate information in the future in order to work with me but as of yet, it hasn't.
Posted by: StormofDarkness | Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 11:23 PM