Buyers be careful: Exchanging goods at Toys R Us

[elle]

Sorry this is long winded as it is turning into a sad joke now... Amazingly, just got off the phone with a supervisor. The original CS rep passed it over because she cannot seems to process the case anymore.

Reply recieved was, they see transaction records matching the gift barcode, store location and date to my present showing on their records, BUT they cannot be sure that any one of those were my friend buying the present...

I am absolutely disgusted by this response. Now that I entertained the backwards TRU returns policy over the pass two weeks it is about TRU head office changing the rules to fit whatever suits them to steamroller over any reasonable exchange request from a consumer.
I have asked the supervisor to refer case to her manager, to which she replied it will take upto two weeks to recieved the callback.

Does anyone have any solutions, besides gifting someone else with the unwanted present? Email addresses of senior Fung Group or Corporate US TRU executives that can resolve this simple return and exchange case.

What is my (limited) consumer rights, legally, in this case?

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Honsetly still don't believe you have any rights in this case. HK is (rightly or wrongly, not getting into that) not consumer friendly when it comes to things like exchanges and returns/ refunds. I am quite sure that the receipt given to your friend, had s/he kept it, clearly states TRU's exchange policy on the back. It is also clearly stated on their web site :"2. With original purchase receipt" - http://www.toysrus.com.hk/inside/Service.htm#ExchangeRefund

As they are within their legal rights to have this exchange policy in HK, I don't know why you think they should make a special exception to their clear store policy for you just because you don't like their rules.

Again, I am not saying their policy is good or right, but it is legal and clear and in fact a very common policy in Hong Kong generally.

Why don't you just donate or sell the item and forget about it?

 

[walker]

Having lived here for a while, I would fully expect not to be able to return goods without a receipt... and even with a receipt unless there was a defect beyond "I don't like it."

Even though this is occasionally annoying, I prefer this to the States where stores allow consumers to get away with laughably irresponsible return policies in order to encourage people to buy more tat.

 

[evgreen]

Even WITH a receipt, retailers here are really horrible with returns and exchanges. Sometimes, the only way to get your way is to throw a fit and not give up - most CS reps are not used this kind of behavior from locals.
keninhk, if it were me, I'd give up over a toy, but unlike me, my husband would claw his way thru the CS rep until the was happy with the response.

 

[keninhk]

Agree that HK is not consumer friendly and I do agree with most of what elle mentioned...

From day one - The store manager referring case to head office - Lead me to believe that it would be a matter of their processing policies. The first head office call was to obtain details on transaction history, which lead me to believe that it had to be checked against their transaction records to see whether there was a purchase made.

The points that lead me to be disgusted, besides being strung along for close to 2 weeks thinking there is a chance of exchange.
1) Needing to recount minute details on whether it is a store purchase with the TRU head office saying I could have brought it elsewhere... Thereby accusing me of lying.
2) Being ‘provided’ the solution to gift someone else of my unwanted gift instead of trying to get an exchange... Thereby shifting basic retailer responsibility (Understanding this is my cultural upbringing, and not 'written' on the TRU backwards policy of NO RETURNS, but let's take the consumer for a ride.
3) After finding their transaction records matches my date and location of purchase, suggesting that I prove that transaction are actually made by my friend... Thereby, completely alienating any potential previous goodwill of this one individual with access to several internet forums and dissuading other parents to think twice about buying purchases from that retailer. Maybe it really doesn't matter to TRU if I take my future 10-15yrs custom elsewhere, since they mentioned that this gift is sold in other places in HK.

It seems like TRU are happy with a WIN-LOSE scenario with their consumer base. I did ask the original TRU CS whether they deal with similar exchange dispute cases daily and that they do. However, I think most do give up, before even reaching the 3rd callback by the CS and that they know this.

@evgreen,
To me it is not so much about the toy now, which I could just donate or sell online, the point is that they are just saying different 'excuses' to make you forget the simple - It is a present, I wish to exchange for something I think my kid would enjoy... Maybe in an ideal consumer friendly world this would exist instead of this thread…

 

[elle]

keninhk,

it was stupid of them to ask for additional details if they were not going to do anything about it. if they had just pointed you to the policy and said we don't make any exceptions it would have been better on their part, rather than wasting your and employees' time.

i used to really really hate these exchange/ return policies in HK, but am used to it now. the effect is that if i am even a little undecided about a purchase, i just don't buy it, although i guess that doesn't help when exchanging an unwanted gift. i think the reason retailers get away with this behaviour is that almost all of them have these policies, so it doesn't help to just shop elsewhere.