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Mail Order Item Received with a Security Tag

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  • 02-11-2011, 10:05 AM
    TheArgumentative
    Mail Order Item Received with a Security Tag
    This is a highly unorthodox request, to be sure, but I'm in a bad mood and asking it makes me feel better.

    I ordered a new garment from a well-known retail chain. Because there are no stores belonging to that chain near me, I ordered it online. The confirmation email informed me that it would be shipped from a store somewhere in the region, rather than from a distribution center. I figured this wasn't really important.

    Then it arrived at my door with an anti-theft tag still attached. I called the company, and they told me I'd have to take it to a store to have the tag removed - which is hardly a convenient prospect, given the dearth of stores previously noted - or that they could call UPS, have them pick the garment up from me, take it back to them, and then I'd have to wait a week or so for them to credit the purchase back to the gift card and rewards credit I'd used to pay originally, and then I'd be able to order a new one.

    In the meantime, I'd be without said garment for over a week unless I paid for a new one by credit card and forfeited the gift cards and reward credit. They insisted I had to process a lengthy return or I'd have to take it to one of their stores; they insisted that another retailer couldn't remove the tag— not even one of the associated retailers owned by the same company and which share a lot of administration.

    So, in a forum full of shoplifters— is there anyone who can tell me how to remove a security tag?

    It's easier for me because I actually paid for the item, so I don't have to worry about getting caught.

    I can even ask other retailers to do it; if I show them the packing slip with my proof of purchase, I'm sure most would be willing to clean up a competitor's mistake and possibly win new business.

    The traditional thing to do would be to send the garment back and write a letter to the company to complain about the mistake and maybe win another gift card out of it (as if I would ever shop there again anyway), but that takes a long time and I'm angry now which is why I'm posting this.

    PS— Can I at least wear the security tag'd garment until UPS calls me to arrange the pickup? Or will I set off every security alarm in every store I enter?
  • 02-11-2011, 10:17 AM
    flyingron
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    You have the option of waiting for a reship or getting a credit. I'd have worked my way up the customer service chain on the nonsense of the credit. That should have been immediately refunded. There's no excuse and some idiot customer service person should be fired for making that excuse.

    As for removing the antitheft tag, it all depends on the tag. Usually it's just a matter of having the tool that can pull on the right part of the tag retainer with out damaging the product or dispensing the ink that some of the tags have.

    Just let it be known that it isn't limited to mail order. A friend of mine bought a suit at a store when we were travelling. I have no idea how she managed to get it out of the store, but when she put it on later I pointed out to her that the security tag was still on the back of the jacket.
  • 02-11-2011, 10:48 AM
    free9man
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    I bought a pair of swim trunks at Belk one time for vacation. Got in the water on said vacation and noticed a strange weight to the trunks. Turns out they forgot to take the tag off. Took it back to the store, didn't even have the receipt, and they took it off for me. If there is any way for you to get to one of the stores, it will be an easy enough fix.

    As flyingron pointed out, how to take it off depends highly on the tag. I'm sure you can find directions on google/youtube but it is a very delicate process, especially on the ink-loaded ones. One slip up and your goods are ruined and you will likely get NO help from the seller at that point.
  • 02-11-2011, 12:37 PM
    Security Consultant
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    In such a case as you have described - I know many retailers who would have sent a management staff person to you house to remove the tag for you and given you a giftcard. You can take the garment to a a store that has the same system and ,with a receipt, they should be willing to remove it. And...yes if you wear the garment into a store with a compatible system it should make the alarm go off.
  • 02-11-2011, 04:33 PM
    PandorasBox
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    I've had that happen with an item I bought at a store. Went in with my receipt and the item....got a $5.00 coupon for my trouble. You could also go to Customer Service, get the tag off, and ask for a small gift card for your trouble.
  • 11-29-2011, 07:54 PM
    TheArgumentative
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    Just found my old thread again, and thanks for your various advice.

    In case anybody actually cares what happened almost a year later, the store's higher/est levels of customer service ultimately said: "We'll give you a full refund, without expecting the thing back; if you can remove the tag yourself, it's yours to keep." But then the cat threw up on it so I just tossed it in the garbage.

    So now I think I have $20 worth of frequent-shopper rewards credit still unspent. I never did shop there, let alone frequently; I earned the credit by joining a focus group. And I have a gift card with a re-credited balance. I should probably look for it; unspent credit is liable to expire at some point.
  • 11-29-2011, 08:44 PM
    PandorasBox
    Re: Annoyance of a Wayward Tag
    I wonder....if you had taken it another store...say Penney's...with the receipt and correspondence from the store, if they could have removed it for you?
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