Return Policy

For as long as I can remember my family has had a tradition of making Christmas wish lists at Thanksgiving. Once each person’s list is made, we pass them around to the rest of the group and we “dot” items on each list that we plan to get as gifts. Once you’ve passed on your list, you aren’t allowed to see it again so that you don’t know what you’re getting. Last year my dad asked for a pair of khaki pants, pretty easy. I “dotted” that item and sent a not-so-subtle email after Thanksgiving asking for his pant size.

I am not a huge fan of shopping at the mall and during my Christmas shopping I chose to buy my dad his khaki pants from Fawcett’s Boat Supply, our local Annapolis marine chandlery which I thought would be cool because we’re a family of sailors and I prefer to buy from local stores when I have the chance. I found a pair of practical, comfortable, and reasonably priced Royal Robbin cargo-type pants which were a hit with dad on Christmas morning.

My parents live a mere 20 miles from me yet our busy lives make scheduling regular get-togethers difficult at best. We usually succeed in at least a monthly dinner. Since Christmas though, I’ve seen them just once when my husband and I went to their Kent Island home early February for dinner. We often have some sort of exchange of items since the last time we saw each other whether it’s articles, tupperware, or books, but this time I was handed back the khaki pants. Alas, they were one size off from what my dad needed. My parents don’t often have a need to come across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge so I offered to make the return.

Unfortunately, a few weeks after Christmas I felt confident that all my gifts had worked out and recycled my receipts so I no longer had the receipt for the khaki pants. Thinking that stores these days have become slightly more forgiving in “lost receipt” circumstances I didn’t really concern myself with the missing receipt and kept the pants in my car for the next time I would be passing the waterfront store.

The Attempted Return

I happened to be downtown for a meeting today and found it a good opportunity to return the pants. I was the only car in the parking lot and thought for a moment the store might be closed. When I walked in there was not a soul in sight. I stood quietly at the front desk for a moment waiting to hear where someone might be in the store and heard a shuffling toward the back. Walking toward the sound I found an employee, Carol, putting away some merchandise. I said hello, smiled, and explained that I was there to return some pants and apologized that I didn’t have the receipt. I wondered what my return options were or if they could offer store credit?

Perhaps she was having a bad day. Maybe she was bummed because of slow traffic in the store in general. For whatever reason, Carol chose to be rude and condescending to me, stating how long ago Christmas was and that there was nothing she could do to help me. She argued that there was no way to prove that I bought the pants from that store and even if I did have the receipt I would be charged a re-stocking fee. I was truly amazed at how irritated she seemed to be with me and simply dumbfounded that in a very empty marine chandlery store in the middle of winter, this associate could not find some way to help what could have been a returning customer for years to come.

By the time I was halfway home all the things I wish I would’ve said started coming to mind. Isn’t that always the case? I don’t mean to write this post just to vent, though it does make me feel a little better. It seems as though all my unfortunate customer service cases are really my own fault, but it certainly doesn’t give someone license to be rude. I can understand Fawcett’s policy to not allow a return of an item without a receipt. I was surprised, however, that store credit wasn’t even an option. Every other store I’ve ever received store credit in made me feel like I had “free” money to spend and I inevitably spent more than the credit was worth. In the case of these $50 pants, store credit would likely have resulted in my dad also purchasing docklines, a magazine, a flashlight, a chartbook, who knows? In addition, if any effort had been put into providing a helpful and positive customer experience, this post would be about that and would be endorsing the local boating supply store.

Lessons learned?

The lesson for me: Even if it makes me feel like a pack-rat, keep receipts for a year and possibly go the extra mile to learn return policies when making purchases.

Lesson for Fawcett’s: In a down economy and in your slow season, consider finding ways to help, and keep, customers. If you can’t help them, at least be nice to them.