Complain about a product or service

Kmart

Exchange Policy

Greg of Mesa, AZ, writes (1/1/03):
I recieved a sterling silver chain and bracelet for christmas. A week later I noticed that the silver was flaking off, which told me that this jewelery that was said to be Italian silver was really a knock-off. I took it in with the gift receipt and the original receipt and they still refused to give me cash back for this gift. They offered me a gift card or phone card in place of the cash.

Then when they decided to give me the money they told me I had to have the original credit card that the product was purchased with. If my mother wasn't there then I would have been stuck with fake jewelry or a gift certificate. On the gift receipt and the original it does not state that in a return all you can get is a crappy gift card or phone card. It states FULL REFUND OR EXCHANGE! So their policy is different from what their reciepts state.

Stephanie of Wallington NJ (1/20/02):
I bought a music cd for my 7-year-old daughter. She let me listen to the cd which I heard was defective. I brought the cd back with no receipt and they told me they can't exchange it without a receipt. I drove back in the snow with the receipt and they told me they can't take it back because it's opened.

I asked them how it is possible to know if the cd is defective without opening and listening to it. They told me it's policy. I called kmart customer something and spoke to a man who was very polite and told me straight out I was stuck with a defective cd without being compensated in any way.

It was only $12.88 but I drove back with the receipt because the girl in customer service told me she couldn't take it without the receipt.

Jessica of Safford AZ (1/6/02):
I purchased a Casio Palm Pilot from the electronics Dept.in Kmart as a gift for my husband. The young man at the counter had no clue as to what I should expect from this item to begin with. It turned out that this was not the Palm Pilot which my husband had requested. When I returned to exchange it at the service desk a young -- 16 or 17 year old -- gum-chewing, ponytail-swinging girl named Gina refused to accept this return unless I gave her the credit card which I had used to purchase this thing in the first place.

I told her I did not want a refund only an exchange for the model which my husband had requested. She was so bulligerant she almost had me to the point of tears. She proceeded to tell me this was my own fault for not knowing what I was buying in the first place etc. I ended up leaving the store with the same thing I went in to exchange because she all but refused to assist me telling eventually telling me she didn't have time for this.

My family will NEVER patronize this store again.It seems Kmart has abandoned all desire to keep customers satisfied. This was not the first incident in which I have recived very poor service. Maybe this is why I read in the Sunday paper that Kmart may be filing for bankruptcy in the next 6 months because of poor sales & Wal-Mart is planning to open a new superstore in our town in the next year.

Stacye of Stockton CA (1/13/02):
My husband received a sweater for Christmas, purchased at Kmart (tag had Kmart on it) and it was too small. I wanted to exchange it and was denied exchanging it without a receipt, even though it said Kmart on the tag attached to the sweater.

I am stuck with a sweater that does not fit my husband. I only wanted to exchange it, no money involved. The lady at the return desk said she was sorry but she was rude.

Bertie of Anderson SC (1/13/02):
I received a two-piece pants and top for Christmas, it was a gift. I didn't have a receipt for this. Kmart manager refused to exchange the merchandise. He said we only exchange for the same item. There were serveral items by Basic Editions on the racks. In the meantime I saw two people exchange their merchandise without a sales receipt.

I went to the car and returned with my husband. Mr. F talked very rude. He had two people standing behind him as though he expected a fight. My husband has had two heart attacks as well as cancer and does well to walk.

Ben of Auburn AL (12/25/01):
I purchased a Nintendo Game Cube and a game for it from my local Kmart as a Christmas present. The Game Cube was fine, but the game I purchased had no game inside the box. The box looked as if it was shrink wrapped from the manufacturer as it should be, but had no game inside. I believe the game was taken out at Kmart and then re-shrink wrapped. The directions were not there as well.

First, it ruined my Christmas gift to my brother, second I was out 50 dollars, and third, I have no trust in the employees at Kmart and will never shop there again! How am I supposed to prove to customer service that I did not take the game? I can not. Thanks to some dishonest person, I must suffer on Christmas. If you ask me, Kmart is being robbed blind.

Diane of Lakeside CA (11/10/01):
On Oct. 13th 2001 I bought a digital portable Bell South phone from K-Mart. It had everything I wanted. It was portable. Had Caller ID and an answering machine. It was $70.00. Brought it home and hooked it up and it did not work. Thought it might be the phone jack on the wall so I had it replaced. The phone still would not work. So I exchanged it for another phone same model. This phone worked great for one week. Then people started telling me they had been trying to call and I wasn't home.

Come to find out this phone also stopped working. No ring, no caller ID or answering machine. So again I returned it. The warranty on the phone says 30 day over-the-counter exchange. After two bad phones I wanted a different brand of phone or my money back. Kmart said no. They do not refund on defective electronics, I must return it to Bell South. The 30-day-over-the-counter exchange is only for the very same model phone. No money back on a different brand.

Now I had all my receipts. They had no more Bell South phones so I am stuck with a $70.00 phone that doesn't work and a phone number for Bell South that no matter what button you push you only get a computer announcement.

I am very angry at Kmart for not honoring the warranty on the products the sell. I read the warranty to mean that a defective product could be replaced with one that works. Not another defective product. I will never set foot in that store again. I'll drive the extra miles to Wal-Mart

Melissa of Staten Island, NY, writes:
I bought popcorn and other items such as cottonelle and an answering machine. Some items were gifts. I went to the customer service to exchange for something different, which they said that they no longer took back food or electronics. So I said, "where does it say that?" She said it has always been that way. I never remember anything of the sort.

I asked her what was returnable, and she said clothes. The popcorn was a brand that only Kmart sold and she told me no. It could come from any store, so I took it upon myself to research all the groceries stores, and none of them carried it. They were also very rude. There was no sign saying all these things. And what am I supposed to do with something that someone gave me as a gift? Tell them, "Give me a receipt too???"

Michele of Ontario, CA, writes:
I recieved a camcorder for Christmas from a relative who has returned back overseas. He purchased the camcorder at the Kmart and was told if there were any problems I could return it. Well when the camcorder was opened there were scratches on bottom and door would not open so I tried to return it to the store for an exchange and was told I could not do so without reciept. The box had the Kmart sticker and model info on box showing it came from their company.

The manager Victor refused to talk to me and said no exchange without the reciept, then I tried talking to Debbie who said she was a manager and hung up me at least 4 times and when I called back she put a young man on the phone who pretended to be a manager but when I asked his name he hung up on me. I was treated with direspect and treated as if I was in the wrong.

The merchandise was defective and I was told it was my place to call Panasonic and have it repaired but the recorder was never used, it was a gift and I don't think I should have to have it fixed. I told Debbie I was going to file a complaint with the better business and she said, go ahead they won't do anything to us it's our policy not to exchange defective electronics, then she hung up on me again.

I filled a complaint with the Kmart complaint and have yet to hear from them, when I called back Debbie denied being rude and said it was my problem not hers that their merchandise was defective. When I told her that they were defrauding their customers she said prove it.

Sylvia of Hammond, IN, writes: This is a copy of the email I sent Kmart customer service regarding the problem:

I wish to file a complaint concerning your store that is located in Merrillville, Indiana, located on route 30. Store # 3189.

Today my daughter who is not a child, but a 26 year old married woman who is expecting her first child was treated very rudely by both the manager and head manager of this location. Never in my life have I ever heard of a customer being treated so rudely. Allow me to explain.

Last year in August, I bought my daughter some maternity clothes. She ended up losing her baby before she even got to wear them. Now she is pregnant again, but the clothes are too small. All the items still have the original tags on them and have never been worn. She simply wanted to exchange them for larger sizes.

The first manager (lady, shall I say) was very rude to her, stating that that was not their policy and she could not and would not do that. Offered her $5 apiece for them. Then she literally threw the policy at my daughter's face. This is not blown out of proportion either, as my other older daughter was there as well.

She then asked to speak to her boss. Another manager came out (a red haired thin man) he was just as rude and told her no way and offered her $2 apiece. She explained she only wanted to exchange them for larger sizes.

I can tell you now, Kmart has not met my family's expectations and I feel that you are no longer Customer focused when you treat customers this way. My family has shopped at Kmart for many years and we have always talked highly of your store. I will no longer do so, and word of mouth advertisement is what all companies need. I am totally disgusted with your management and the unprofessional behavior toward customers and I will voice my opinion to all I know.

What has happened to your company? We are a upper middle class working family that work hard for our money and spend it at establishments that know how to treat customers. I am myself in upper management and would never tolerate an employee to treat the customer the way my daughter was treated today. Most of all the thought of treating a pregnant women that way is deplorable. My company's policy is "To meet or exceed the Customers expectations." I can see yours is not. Thank you for listening, Yours Truly ...

They wrote back saying they would have the district manager contact me. As of this day I have not heard a word from the company.

Sharron of Great Lakes, IL, writes:
On January 18, 2000, I finally got around to returning a pair of pants that was bought for my son during the hoildays. Being that the pants were too big I asked for an exchange for the same pants.

They did not have his size in stock so I requested a refund. Without the receipt, I could only get an in-store cedit. I had no problem with that. The problem came in the pricing of the item.

The original price of the jeans was marked $19.99. When I took the jeans for price comparison it came up to be only $9.99 and not the price attached ($19.99).

I questioned the attendant why the difference and she responded, "Without the receipt we have to give you the current sale price". I proceeded to go to another register for a price scan. The same pants then scanned for $19.99.

So I went back to the desk and requested the manager on duty which was a guy name "Jim". I asked him why the difference in price and he told me the same thing. Without a receipt it scans the lowest price. So I asked him why at nother register it came up $19.99 and not $9.99?

He just responded that if I was not happy with Kmart's refund policy to call the 800 number and there was nothing more he could do for me.

I think this is very rude. You can return an item for half price but, buy the same item at full price.

Amanda of Piqua, OH, responds:
Without a receipt our register scans the lowest price the item was sold for in the last 12 weeks. When the pants in question scanned half price it was because of one of our buy-one get-one-half- off sales -- any customer can come into the store, buy two pairs of pants and get the second pair (of equal or lesser value) at half price. Therefore if you are returning pants we will give you half price back because that is the lowest price that has been paid for them in the recent past. To avoid any difficulties keep any and all receipts, and do so for others when you buy gifts in case there is a reason for the recipient to return their gift, they can receive the price that was paid for the merchandise. Any Questions? 1-800-63-Kmart.

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