Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

or are Toys R Us with their return policy?

30 replies

Josie123 · 26/05/2011 19:51

I bought my son a £3.99 Mario figure amongst other things for his birthday. He got the same figure from a friend on the day. So I took the receipt and toy back to Toys R Us with him so he could pick another one. We went into the shop (toy and receipt in carrier inside my changing bag) and straight to the Mario figure stand. He looked at them and the only one he didn't have was out of stock so I said to have a look round for something similarly priced.

I looked at the baby stuff and picked up a few items for the baby and he came back to me with a small toy.

We went to the till and the assistant said she didn't do returns/exchanges and I had to go to the main desk at the front of the shop. She put my baby stuff to one side and wouldn't serve me so I went through the till to the main desk and got the figure and receipt out of my bag. The woman at this desk said quite nicely "have you been round the shop?" (i thought she was enquiring if we had been round to see if we wanted anything else instead of the figure) and I said yes then she said I shouldn't have gone into the shop as I could have stolen the figure.

I pointed out that I have the receipt and was a bit dumbfounded as she seemed so pleasant at first but turned quite nasty. She said I could have brought the receipt in with me, gone to the stand and picked the figure up, then tried to return it for a refund at her desk. I said I went to the stand as me wanted to exchange the figure, not have a refund at all and whats the point in getting a refund at one desk then going into the shop and seeing what you want and then buying it. Its not how it works in most shops I go in!

Anyway, I felt really embarrassed and annoyed - thank god the shop was empty and nobody heard her. I would never have thought to steal from the shop like this, I thought having a receipt was proof and going into a shop with your original purchase and receipt in a carrier bag then picking the new item and going to the till was the normal procedure?

Has anyone else had this treatment in Toys R Us?

Then I had to walk back through the store to the till to buy the 2 baby things I wanted (really didn't feel like giving them my money but needed the stuff!!)

OP posts:
oneofthosedays · 26/05/2011 19:54

Toys r us are really funny about stuff like that (as are B&Q incidentally) - Shops seems to be getting a bit stricter about stuff like this, if I have something I want to exchange anywhere I always approach the till first and ask what they want me to do.

WhipMeIndiana · 26/05/2011 19:54

OMG the bastards!! think Id have cried. write to the manager.

KatieMiddleton · 26/05/2011 19:54

Complain. Horrible behaviour.

smudgethepuppydog · 26/05/2011 19:56

It seems to be ToysRUs policy. I can remember the days you weren't allowed to take bags round ToysRus stores. Their customer service is shoddy.

WhipMeIndiana · 26/05/2011 19:56

never had to return anything there...but in Marks the other day I went and picked the new thing, and took both to the exchange till, as that's the standard thing there, otherwise youd have to go to the till twice, once to get a credit note then again with new item.

scurryfunge · 26/05/2011 19:57

Having a starting point as "my customer is a thief" is not on. Complain.

YellowDinosaur · 26/05/2011 19:58

FFS they are being totally unreasonable.

I would have told them that if they really want they are welcome to check the cctv to see that I hadn't stolen the figure and that if they aren't going to do this then they had better stop accusing me of stealing with NO PROOF. If it hadn't been for my son I would then have told them to give me my money back and that we would go and spend it elsewhere where they treat their customers with some respect.

That would have been if I had been in a good mood. If I had been having a bad day they would ahve felt the full force

Original poster
Josie123 · 26/05/2011 19:59

I didn't realise they were different with their return policy, I keep meaning to go back in and see if there are signs saying not to go into the shop with goods you are going to return but even if there are I never read them! Wasn't expecting to be "told off" at all!! I can see their point as when she pointed out to me what I "could" have done I could see how it probably happens but I don't think we acted suspiciously, I never went in my bag for anything the whole time we were in the shop (all of 10 mins!).

Do you really think I should write and complain? I was really offended at the way she turned on me but I am normally a moan to all and sundry but don't do anything about it kind of person!

OP posts:
snowmummy · 26/05/2011 20:04

YANBU but I'm not surprised as I've always found them to be awkward abouy returns

Original poster
Josie123 · 26/05/2011 20:04

I thought of loads of things I could have said afterwards! I was that shocked TBH!

I just went really quiet and didn't speak to her as she was doing the refund and I think she realised she had offended me as she asked my son something and I would normally chat and join in but I just looked away and then she said something cute to the baby but again I ignored it. Hopefully she will be a bit more tactful when telling someone of their policy next time?!!

OP posts:
trixie123 · 26/05/2011 20:17

how could you have the receipt if you'd stolen it, or am I missing something? Is true about B&Q also, we tried to return a roll of shed roofing felt that we didn;t need in the end. It is huge (hardly something you could smuggle out under your coat) and has B&Q labels so definitely from there but we didn't have the receipt and they wouldn't do anything - I appreciate we wouldn't have got a refund but could have done credit or exchange.

ThisIsExtremelyVeryNotGood · 26/05/2011 20:28

Trixie, the suggestion is that a person could buy an item (and get a receipt), go home, come in another day with the receipt, go into the store, pick an identical item off the shelf and then go to the desk and get a refund, therefore effectively getting the product they originally bought for free. Scams like this DO happen so TRU are NBU to try and prevent this. That said, the assistant was U and rude to speak to the OP as she describes, there was no need for her to explain the policy in such a way.

squeakytoy · 26/05/2011 20:32

In this day and age of prolific shoplifting, you cant blame stores for having strict policies. If I was returning something, I would go straight to customer services and explain that I was bringing something back before wandering around the store.

youmeatsix · 26/05/2011 20:33

there is a thread on MSE just now, about Boots
woman in similar situ as OP, took her to court over it, and she was held at the police station for over 6 hours, and all her possesions kept as evidence, just today she posted an update that Boots have dropped the case, and it seems they are known for this treatment of quite a few people

Original poster
Josie123 · 26/05/2011 20:34

I was confused too Trixie until she pointed out what I "could" have done! I kept saying "but I've got the receipt" until she told me I could have took one off the shelf and gone to her for a refund. I then I realised that it could happen and probably does happen a lot in there for them to be so on the ball about it but I had never thought about it before.

OP posts:
Original poster
Josie123 · 26/05/2011 20:37

Would you squeakytoy? I honestly wouldn't, if I was planning to exchange something I would always go in and get the item and then go to the till with both things - I wonder if more stores will stop people doing this if this type of fraud is going on more and more?

youmeatsix- that's awful about the Boots woman!! I got off lightly with a teling of I guess!!

OP posts:
Icoulddoitbetter · 26/05/2011 20:42

I'm surprised at how many people are saying they wouldn't have done this. If I've gone to a shop to return something (whether looking for an exchange or not) I'll pretty much always look around the shop first, unless I am completely positive I don't want to buy / see anything else, or I'm in a rush. I can see that it's possible to shopift this way, surely the chances are pretty slim, and what the OP did is just normal behaviour?

AmazingBouncingFerret · 26/05/2011 20:45

I wouldof insisted that they check their stock levels (and hoped to god they were correct of course!) they would of seen that they didnt have them instore to steal. Then demanded an apology.

saffy85 · 26/05/2011 20:47

Hypothetically, yes you could have done that. Many shoplifters do that and similar. However, without an ounce of proof she should never have accused you of that and not only deserves a smack in the kisser but needs to work on her customer service skills.

I used to work for Toys R Us a few years back and their refund policy is at best strict, at worst downright odd at times IIRC. I'm glad I slogged my guts out on the baby section and not the customer service desk because I think I would have lost the will to live.

Definately complain. Whether it would make any difference whatsoever I have no idea, but companies like this need to know when they've fucked up royally imo.

takethisonehereforastart · 26/05/2011 22:00

Toys R Us are evil.

Ours still have a notice up telling you that you can't take shopping bags into the store.

Every time we have been into the shop we have seen people returning things and every single time they have had to argue.

One woman was buying some kind of Nintendo DS thing and said that the screen was broken. She'd only bought it that day and they were telling her that it wasn't down to them and she would have to contact Nintendo.

And they have this policy where if you buy something that needs batteries they force you to buy their batteries (at greatly inflated price) or they won't let you buy the item you want.

It's reasons like these that have stopped us shopping there now (unless we are desperate.) Grin

ZXEightyMum · 26/05/2011 22:11

Toys R Us are utter bastards.

DH tried to return something not fit for purpose once and was told that he was lying about our son's disability and not to "play that old card" Shock

Yes. That's Toys R Us.

Wankers.

risingstar · 26/05/2011 22:48

my work friend had a stand up row with an idiot in Toys r us when she simply pointed out that something had come up on the till at the wrong price. she was accused of hiding the price ticket on the display.

funnily enough the head office sent her an apology and a gift card and professed to be mortified at the branch attitude.

i never ever shop in there after one eventful Christmas when i was told that i couldnt buy wrapping paper unless i told them my post code- nutters

niceguy2 · 26/05/2011 23:36

Simple. Ask her if she's accusing you of theft? If so then you'd be happy to review the CCTV footage their store more than likely has on the proviso that when it clearly shows you didn't steal anything (remember the onus is on them to prove you did) then you get a full apology from the store manager and a gesture of goodwill.

sunnydelight · 26/05/2011 23:39

I think their attitude was horrible, and I can totally understand you being upset, but actually they don't have to give you the money back, or exchange it, unless the item was faulty so "I'll take the money and spend it elsewhere" is only an option if they are willing to go beyond their statutory duty.

After living in Oz for four years I still struggle with having to let the security person at the door check my bags when I leave most shops. It makes me feel really uncomfortable but all the big shops (and some smaller ones) do it. You have to be willing to open any bags you already have in your trolly and show the checkout person if they ask when going through the supermarket tills too no matter how posh an area you are in!

BeerTricksPotter · 26/05/2011 23:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.