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Hey guys, I work as a customer service associate, so I deal all day long with returns (check cashing, moneygrams, etc, but mostly returns).
I'm aware of a lot of scams that go on, but I've never had to deal with so many of them in one entire day. Usually the worst ones I get are people that rip the bottom of the receipt so that it's within the 90 day return policy, which I always call a manager to try and confirm or deny it.
Anyway, our policies are as followed:
-90 day return policy with a receipt for most items (it's shorter for computers, cameras, tvs, basically anything electronic).
-Without a receipt you can only get store credit.
-You're only allowed 3 returns without a receipt in 6 month period.
-When we do a return for over $10, a driver's license is needed to swipe to track the returns (anything under 10 doesn't need one, so if you forget a thing here or there, it's not a big deal).
SO, every time I swipe someone's license, it prints out a little slip telling me if they've returned without one before, where it was returned, and how much was returned.
Firstly, I had a guy return a whole lot of electronics, first with a receipt, then he had stuff that wasn't on a receipt, so I asked for his license. Boy, did it look fake. I'm in PA, and this was a Florida license, and it just looked off. The numbers were all screwy, like someone had messed with them, and it just didn't look real, luckily my manager happened to be standing next to me, so she told him outright that she had to refuse his return. We laughed about it, and I thought I was done.
Some lady comes in with a bunch of expensive stuff and tries to return it without a receipt, again, my manager is still here (dealing with another customer that's being difficult). She's suspicious again, so she only totals the transaction to $100, to check her return history.
Turns out she already returned $400 and $500 worth of stuff at other stores within the last month, so she's cut off. My manager let her return the $100 worth, but explained to her why she couldn't, and she was pissed, but she left. The stuff was obviously stolen.
And when I thought I was safe...
Some really hopped-up looking guy comes in, with some scratches on his face (meth?) and generally acting creepy. He brings in a sewing machine (the cricket), that's about $300, more or less, and asking to speak with a manager that left earlier. I tell him our store policy (that he'd receive store credit without his receipt), and he flips out, saying "no no no I want my money back." I use my walky and asked for another manager that I know was here, and he stops me saying "no, no, no, JEAN (obviously not her name), was supposed to talk to me. JEAN!"
I tell him she's gone home for the day, and I turn around to call my other manager, and he says, "can't they get a hold of her on the phone?" And I ignore him as I talk to my mother manager.
She tells me she has received no word from the store manager about this big ticket item, and he always e-mails her when these happen. She says she'll be right over, because she can hear him saying stuff over the phone to me. "No no no, where is JEAN? I want my MONEY. I talked to the store manager!!111111 BLARG"
So she comes over and explains to him again, and says if he really wants his money back, he has to come back tomorrow and talk to the store manager, because with her authority she can only authorize store credit. He freaks out and asks what IS a gift card, and how do you use it? The look the manager gives me was priceless.
So flash forward, we do the return, and it turns out he's had 2 prior returns without a receipt (I thought you didn't even know what a gift card was?
)
My CSM and I just couldn't believe all the shit that happened that day.
I'm aware of a lot of scams that go on, but I've never had to deal with so many of them in one entire day. Usually the worst ones I get are people that rip the bottom of the receipt so that it's within the 90 day return policy, which I always call a manager to try and confirm or deny it.
Anyway, our policies are as followed:
-90 day return policy with a receipt for most items (it's shorter for computers, cameras, tvs, basically anything electronic).
-Without a receipt you can only get store credit.
-You're only allowed 3 returns without a receipt in 6 month period.
-When we do a return for over $10, a driver's license is needed to swipe to track the returns (anything under 10 doesn't need one, so if you forget a thing here or there, it's not a big deal).
SO, every time I swipe someone's license, it prints out a little slip telling me if they've returned without one before, where it was returned, and how much was returned.
Firstly, I had a guy return a whole lot of electronics, first with a receipt, then he had stuff that wasn't on a receipt, so I asked for his license. Boy, did it look fake. I'm in PA, and this was a Florida license, and it just looked off. The numbers were all screwy, like someone had messed with them, and it just didn't look real, luckily my manager happened to be standing next to me, so she told him outright that she had to refuse his return. We laughed about it, and I thought I was done.
Some lady comes in with a bunch of expensive stuff and tries to return it without a receipt, again, my manager is still here (dealing with another customer that's being difficult). She's suspicious again, so she only totals the transaction to $100, to check her return history.
Turns out she already returned $400 and $500 worth of stuff at other stores within the last month, so she's cut off. My manager let her return the $100 worth, but explained to her why she couldn't, and she was pissed, but she left. The stuff was obviously stolen.
And when I thought I was safe...
Some really hopped-up looking guy comes in, with some scratches on his face (meth?) and generally acting creepy. He brings in a sewing machine (the cricket), that's about $300, more or less, and asking to speak with a manager that left earlier. I tell him our store policy (that he'd receive store credit without his receipt), and he flips out, saying "no no no I want my money back." I use my walky and asked for another manager that I know was here, and he stops me saying "no, no, no, JEAN (obviously not her name), was supposed to talk to me. JEAN!"
I tell him she's gone home for the day, and I turn around to call my other manager, and he says, "can't they get a hold of her on the phone?" And I ignore him as I talk to my mother manager.
She tells me she has received no word from the store manager about this big ticket item, and he always e-mails her when these happen. She says she'll be right over, because she can hear him saying stuff over the phone to me. "No no no, where is JEAN? I want my MONEY. I talked to the store manager!!111111 BLARG"
So she comes over and explains to him again, and says if he really wants his money back, he has to come back tomorrow and talk to the store manager, because with her authority she can only authorize store credit. He freaks out and asks what IS a gift card, and how do you use it? The look the manager gives me was priceless.
So flash forward, we do the return, and it turns out he's had 2 prior returns without a receipt (I thought you didn't even know what a gift card was?
)My CSM and I just couldn't believe all the shit that happened that day.
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