The purse girl strikes again

[JLG]

Last month I was the Manager on Duty and this girl comes up to the service desk to return a purse. She had no tag or receipt and the purse is OBVIOUSLY used. The following happens.

ME.....
SC.....well ya know
SD.....Service desk associate


SC.....I have a return

SD.....Has this purse been used?

(IT was disgusting in the inside and the lining was also torn)

SC.....Ya and I had it for a week and it fell apart.

SD.....I need an approval for this return (I was also the Front End at the time)

ME.....Do you have a tag or receipt?

SC.....NO!!!! I HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND IT IS THE SHI@%IEST PURSE I HAVE EVER HAD!!!

ME.....I will return it for you this time but I can't return used items.

SC.....I HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND IT FELL APART!!

We don't have that specific purse in the store but we have the same brand and it is on clearance for $39.00 of course she does not like that.

SC.....I paid $50.00 for it and that is what I want back.

ME.....I am sorry but you don't have a tag or receipt and that is all I can do for you.

SD starts the return and I walk away as I get called by another associate and while I am gone SD tells me that the lady wants my name and the number to complain about me. She never called.

Well today again I am the Manager on Duty and the Front End and I look up and who is back, you guessed it the same girl with a different purse. Once again the purse is beat up, the lining inside is torn. I ask her what happend and again she said that she used it for a week and it fell apart This time she had a receipt and tag. The receipt was dated 6/25 I tell her that I can't do this return and she will have to come back later when the store Manager is here. She says "Ya I dealt with you last time." I said "Yes I know that." Again I tell her to come back if she wants to talk with the store Manager but I can't return it. When the Manager arrives I tell her about this girl and what she did last month. The girl comes back 45 minutes later and yup you guessed the Manager returned it

[Mnemjian]

geez...

Was she the type of girl to carry around one of those tiny dogs in her purse? Cause I don't know how else you could wreck up a purse that bad... or maybe I don't want to know.

[Hyndis]

Hmm...I have bought items that have fallen apart in staggeringly short order with just normal usage, such as a pair of pants that developed a bunch of holes in them after about a weeks worth of wear. I seriously contemplated returning them due to how quickly they wore through. I have other pants that are years old and still just fine, whereas these ones didn't even last a week.

But then I remembered that I bought the pants on clearance, and there's probably a reason why things get put on clearance to begin with, so I let is slide. However, thats a brand of pants I will definitely be avoiding in the future!

[Wilhelmena3]

Ouch! Spineless manager strikes again! It must be so frustrating to know that you were in the right, you were following company policy and your manager caved because he/she didn't want to argue. I know good customers should be catered to, but this woman wasn't any kind of customer, from what you've said. She was defrauding the company.

Also, this SC and your manager are why a lot of us hear, "Can I speak with someone else?" Or they don't ask, they will just randomly seek out other co-workers, supervisors, managers until they get the answer they want. What they are really asking is, "Who will give me what I want and how much yelling, whining or threatening do I have to do to get it?" This is why companies have policies, so each answer is always the same, no matter who is spoken to. I know no system is perfect, but a manager allowing a return like that one is ludicrous, especially since you had just explained what this SC did the last time you dealt with her. Where was she getting these purses, anyway?

Also, I always thought that if you buy something on clearance, it's a final sale. I've had receipts stamped with that before and been warned by the person selling to me that I can't return the item for any reason. I understand that it's the risk I take for buying something at a steep discount. I would never try to return such an item. In my mind, it would be like returning something I bought at a garage sale or second hand store.

Sorry you had to deal with this. Here

[MoonChild2007]

I know its bad to have the managers cave in but its better to give the customer what they want so they will get the hell out.

[jerkface11]

Sometimes it's best to overstep your bounds and just tell them no.

[JLG]

Ouch! I know no system is perfect, but a manager allowing a return like that one is ludicrous, especially since you had just explained what this SC did the last time you dealt with her. Where was she getting these purses, anyway?

She is buying the purses at our store and beating the heck out of them, how I have no clue. And returning the purse for a nice new one. I have feeling I will be seeing this girl again with the same story of "The purse fell apart after I used it for a week." I forgot to mention that the first time she returned a purse without tag or receipt she got a store credit and used it to buy another purse that was going to be $1.39 more than the store credit and when she used her debit card it was declined She had to run out to her car and find some change.

[Peppergirl]

I know its bad to have the managers cave in but its better to give the customer what they want so they will get the hell out.

Maybe for the short term, but it causes SC's to realize that if they throw enough of a fit, someone will cave and give into them. Therefore, they'll do it again and again and again.

This is the reason that SC's continue to get away with their shenannigans - they're allowed. Their bad behavior is rewarded rewarded by getting their way.

Not to mention, what kind of message does it send to your employees who are following policy, only to have a manager turn around and negate them? I'm not saying there's not occasions where a manager shouldn't step in and over-ride a rule. But when a customer is obviously scamming and returning damaged and used merchandise, all it's doing is royally screwing the company and the employees who take the abuse.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Agreed. Plus there's always the chance that the SC will tell their fellow SCs to go to that store for scamfests.

[penguingeekgod]

Was she the type of girl to carry around one of those tiny dogs in her purse? Cause I don't know how else you could wreck up a purse that bad... or maybe I don't want to know.

I'd wager closer to a rabid badger.