Since each store is privately owned, they can enforce their own set of rules (to a degree). While I am in no way saying what they did is right, because if you were to come into my store with the same product (brand new, unopened, resellable) with your receipt and photo ID.
Personally if I were in the situation (customer), I would not have let them charge me the restocking fee and would have taken it to another store and see what the other stores would say. Remember, valid products being returned are good for any store and not all stores apply the same return policies or have managers who are as strict.
My suggestion since I don't have much authority with this, would have been to take it to another store and see what they could have done. Perhaps talk to a manager at another store and say mention that you are interested in purchasing one but don't know if you would be using it and what their policy would be for a return with the receipt, unopened, resellable condition would be.
Unfortunately once that customer allowed them to charge them for the return, there really is nothing that can be done. Customer relations will state the same as any other store, and that each private store owner can enforce their own returns (especially if it means the product manufacturer won't credit the store and the store owner is to absorb the cost).
In this case, I don't see why a store would normally enforce a restocking fee. It was completely resellable and was not a cost to the store to resell it.
"Thats not your picture" [on the ID].
So a customer, who has a return with a receipt is refused for a lame reason, has go from store to store with the item, hoping that they will get a refund from a different store, with different rules. It's a total crap shoot as each store is different.
Thank you CT Manager for clarifying for me, the customer, as how to get a refund at Canadian Tire.
Hello Unregistered,
I simply pointed out that you did have the option to try another store (or call but would be better to be face to face) and not think every store out there has ridiculous staff/managers.
What exactly would you have thought I would have said? I'm curious? I'm only a person behind a computer. You asked me a question, I gave a suggestion. Short of not WORKING at that location, what else would you think I would be able to do?
thanks
I agree: it’s not the store of the ‘80’s, but people still expect it to be. They end up disappointed, and don’t know what they are really up against until they come to sites like this one.Canadian Tire is no longer the friendly-family store I remember as a kid in the '80s. Back then we went to that store for most things from hockey sticks to kitchen sinks. But now it's a different store.
Well, this is a general trend in consumer goods, and shouldn’t really be blamed on CT. (And if you shop by unit price, you aren’t really fooled.)Customers are getting short changed with smaller amounts of food i.e. chocolate bars for the same price
It isn't fair to customers to advertise a policy when the stores don’t even follow it. It fools consumers into thinking they have protection that they don’t really have. (Return and exchange, Scanning Accuracy, etc.)From my experience and as CT Manager and the corporate office has said, it's really up to the store and the corporate office refuses to get involved as they can't over rule the dealer.
#1) no store has to issue any refund. It is an option for them to do so.
#2)Having a reciept is nessesary if stated. The store has to do nothing if you dont have it.
#3) the store can collect personal information to do returns. If the customer refuses, they can refuse a refund ... I will post a link for you to read ...
Did you look into the privacy matter before making such a judgement, or just decided so on a whim?Wow you folks a cynical. Yeas internal theft is a very significant issue in any company, if you pay them minimum wage or if you pay them very well its going to happen. but before you start claiming you talked to the " Federal privacy commissioners office " you should really consider looking into the laws that they enforce. I will post a link for you to read but first i will give you the low down of it.
#1) no store has to issue any refund. It is an option for them to do so.
#2)Having a reciept is nessesary if stated. The store has to do nothing if you dont have it.
#3) the store can collect personal information to do returns. If the customer refuses, they can refuse a refund.
Enjoy the reading directly from the government of Manitoba. And yes every other province including Ontario is the same way
http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/cca/cpo/pdf/ConsRights.pdf
We can now add yet another item to the ever-growing list of excuses that CT stores can surprise you with when you try to return something:
- The store no longer carries that item.
- It is a "repair only" item.
- The item wasn't sold by this store.
- This item can only be returned in the first 30 days (or 14 days, or not at all).
- The package was opened (even though it was the store that first opened it, 30 seconds ago).
- The store thinks the item was used.
- The store thinks the item was stolen.
- It was a seasonal item.
- It was a Christmas tree, ornament or lighting.
- The customer refused to provide ID.
- The customer refused to let the store record all the personal and/or financial information on their ID (which is contrary to privacy laws).
- The picture on the ID didn't look enough like the customer.
- The item wasn't defective when the store sold it; the customer must have damaged it.
- The store sold a defective item, but that's not the store's problem (even though this is illegal in some provinces).
- The item had a 'lifetime' warranty, but the warranty is no longer being honoured.
- The store's records show that the customer has returned too many items in the past.
- The store thinks the customer was rude or impatient with store staff.
- The store has decided to exercise its right to refuse the return, and they don't need to give a reason.
We're not talking about phishing or PIN id scams that everybody is already aware of. We're talking about people taking a big risk when they blindly give away their information like that. Who's to say that somebody behind the counter didn't have anything to do with it. That there is an obvious security risk that you're asking us customers to ignore. So are you saying that giving away our information to whomever is behind your counter is safe and that absolutely nothing can be used for illegal purposes? That really defies logic.
Does anyone else getting the feeling that ct is saying "screw your own personal privacy and financial security issues, we want your information anyways as the first step in deterring you from asking for an exchange and a refund. Because you are suspected of committing fraud, we get that from you from the get go". Anybody else see that as part of the problem?