Get Bent, Vile Scammer!

[Dave1982]

Last night while covering the register a guy came in to return a Targus defcon laptop cable lock. He had a receipt, but something didn't look right. The package was open, but that isn't a huge issue. It look me a couple second but I realized the problem was that the combination dials had letters instead of numbers.

Targus Defcons - at least the ones we sell - have numeric combinations, not alphabetic ones.

What he actually had in the Targus package was an old old staples brand "word" cable lock. Which we have not sold in over three years. And he was passing it off as a Targus lock he just bought the other day but "didn't need."

Yes, that's why it's open, right? because you didn't need it?

I didn't even bother calling a manager over. I just refused the return outright, flatly told the guy it was because he was attempting to return one thing in the package of another, and that he could feel free to get bent (though I didn't state THAT part quite so bluntly).

He left with his tail tucked between his legs. Felt good. Then I called around to our sister stores in the area to give them a heads up in case he tried this there.

[Amina516]

Felt good didnt it?

Im so glad he didnt try to escalate it to a manager who may have caved.

Nice work, Dave.

[Mr Hero]

SC: I'd like to return this lock.
You: I'm afraid Dave can't allow you to do that. (must be done monotone)

[bainsidhe]

So I understand why you'd have to give it back to him, but do you at least get to mark the receipt? That way it makes it doubly difficult when he tries to return it to a different cashier on a different day?

[Dave1982]

I didn't think to mark anything on the receipt.

[Mr.Customer]

So I understand why you'd have to give it back to him, but do you at least get to mark the receipt? That way it makes it doubly difficult when he tries to return it to a different cashier on a different day?

Consider that there is the off chance, actually a fairly good chance, that he accidentally put the wrong one back into the box.

If he had a cable, then he wouldn't need a new one, so this scam to switch cables would make no sense whatsoever. Most likely the wrong cables were placed into the box, and he is scurrying out of the store embarresed beyond belief and will never show his face there again.

The fact that he simply left without arguing about it and without a threat of calling a manager, or police etc, is a very strong indication that this may have been a mistake. Most scammers try to argue/con their way into getting the refund.

[Dave1982]

The cable swap scam is actually a possibility. Those locks can and do sometimes fail (I've seen it happen in person), and as I recall the store-brand locks didn't fit all laptops, so they may well have needed a new cable and decided to try and scam us for it.