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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    2

    Default Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Michigan
    My mother in law gave my husband and I a 40" tv for Christmas, it was defective. She had purchased it online at (a famous warehouse store). She emailed me the invoice receipt, (the invoice that was sent to me didnt have the cost listed on it), and I went into the local store to exchange it. They looked up the receipt in their computer and told me I could either get cash back or an in store credit for $937. I told them I wanted to look and see if they had a comparable tv there in the store, and if so I just wanted to exchange it. I found a 42" for $699, and since I still had a credit left, I picked out a tv stand for $198. When I went back up to the desk the associate pulled up the info, and even had another associate, Im assuming a manager come look at it and they finished processing the in store credit. We left the store with our merchandised very pleased that we had gotten our tv replaced for the defective one. We went home and immediately started to put together our new tv stand (which took 3 hours to assemble). We were very pleased with our new products. This all took place on Tuesday, an associate from their store called me today, Friday. They proceeded to tell me they had made an error and refunded us too much on our exchange by $400! Then they told us we had two options, to bring the merchandise back, or to pay the difference. They had also called my mother law, who made the original purchase, and told her that if this wasnt resolved, they would block her membership. They also never told my mother in law that they were the ones who had made the mistake. I feel like we are being accused of doing something underhanded, when we clearly did not do anything wrong. Why should we as the customer be inconvenanced by their mistake. We had no idea what the cost of the tv was, and we clearly stated it was a gift. Can they legally force us to return these items? What about them blocking her membership?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    7

    Default Re: Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    The store made the mistake so they have to eat it. Imagine what kind of negative publicity they would receive if this went public should they try to take action. Also, is there a possible privacy situation here? They looked up your info and called you and your mother in law? By what authority did they have to do that? I would be calling their corporate office and take this up the chain of command. In all liklihood they will write off their mistake. Also remember they marked up all of their stuff so I doubt they lost a penny.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    Yes, I was very upset that they even had the nerve to call. I have worked retail myself for over 20 years (in which majority of it in a managers position), and this just seems unheard of to me. In any store Ive worked at if such a mistake were made, then it would be considered a loss, and would never think of contacting the customer and asking them to bring it back. I just feel very attacked by the way it was handled, like they were accusing us of intentionally trying to be fraudulant. Thank you for your response, and yes I think I will contact their coroporate office instead of dealing with the store. I just want to make sure they are not going to try to punish my mother in law for their mistake by revoking her membership.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    1

    Question Re: Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    I same thing happened to me , I purchased a 42 in plasma t.v at RC Willy store and they called me today stating that it was a mistake so i have to return it. Is that true do i legally have to return it?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    There are two different issues at play here - the first is a mistake in giving a refund or store credit; the second appears to be a pricing error by the store. It's not clear how the error in the first case occurred - having that information would help clarify the store's rights vs. the customer's rights. But the customer may not know.

    mkbrew - if this is not resolved, do you have any additional details you could share? If it is resolved, what was the resolution?

    In the second case, we don't know what state is involved; that can make a difference, as consumer laws vary by state. We also don't know what the cause of the error was - whether, for example, the price on the shelf / unit was correct, but it scanned at a lower price. (That would raise "scanner law" issues, again varying by state). If the problem was that the store put the wrong price on its own merchandise, it's normally stuck with the consequence of the completed sale.

    michor - I suggest you start your own thread, identifying your state and sharing the details of your case.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Key West, FL
    Posts
    2,350

    Default Re: Mistake Made by Store, Should We Have to Pay

    In neither case does the customer have to return the merchandise or pay any alleged difference. This is some store clerk or manager trying to cover thier butt and I am sure their actions are neither authorized by or sanctioned by corporate or legal. This is a cost of doing business stupidly.

    If they retaliate against the card holder, they would really be stepping into it.

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