How to Return Almost Everything Without a Receipt
Whether you receive a gift that you really don’t like, or you just tend to lose receipts, returning items without a receipt can sometimes be a minefield. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get your money back.
This post was originally published on October 26, 2011.
Unfortunately, there is no one way to get your money back every time – your experience will differ from store to store and even from customer service representative to customer service representative. The best thing you can do is prepare for your departure and prepare a good case if you are asked for a receipt. Here’s what you need to think about beforehand.
Check the policies of this store
Before doing anything else, please check this store’s return policy so you know what you will run into. Many stores don’t really care about getting a receipt – Wal-Mart, for example , will let you get cash for anything under $ 25 and keep credit for anything above that – no receipt is required. Target , on the other hand, can find any purchase using your credit card or gift card. If you shop at stores like Costco that require a membership, they can easily track your account purchases. Amazon even has a gift return policy , which is great if you don’t have a receipt. Basically, don’t waste time building a case if you don’t need it – check your store’s policies, see if you can sort out everything you need to get your money back, and off you go.
Get it back as soon as possible
With a few exceptions, you will get better results than before you try to return an item before the date of purchase. This is especially important if the store has a 90 day or other specified return policy. However, if you are after that date, you can try to return it without a receipt and say it is a gift – if they cannot track the purchase date, then they have no way of knowing how quickly it was returned. The presence of the original packaging also helps.
Be nice and calm
It is very important. No matter how frustrated you are with a company, a customer service representative is rarely to blame for having to wait in line, or that your product was defective, or that you don’t have a receipt. Most of the time, they want to be there as little as you do, and you’ll make them want to help you a lot less if you’re rude – and since you’re trying to go against store policies in many cases, you want them to be on yours. side as far as possible. Being honest is great too, but be careful, it doesn’t hurt your chances of returning an item – if you knew the item was non-returnable and said so, you probably have a harder time convincing them. However, you can tell them that you have lost your receipt if you support it with other evidence (see below).
Give other evidence
The old line “it was a gift” works very often. You can try this, but if it doesn’t work, try again with a different proof of purchase (from a different store or from a different representative). This means at least bring the credit card you used to buy the item, or (even better) a bank statement showing the purchase on a specific date. It doesn’t always work, but it’s good to come to the store as prepared as possible (and this method clearly doesn’t work with what was actually a gift). The more information you give them to help them find a purchase in their records, the better. Photo by Dave Dugdale .
Show that you are a regular, loyal customer
If you shop regularly at a small store, you are much more likely to return an item. Build relationships with the people who work there. If that’s not an option, you can always provide proof of your loyalty. Bukis’ web blog provides a great example:
Be charming but authoritative (you need to know what you’re talking about). Real life example: “Good afternoon, I want to interest you with my problem. My wife and I received these Tiffany candlesticks for our 5th anniversary. When I lit them last night for our 7th anniversary dinner, the top of a crystal stick broke off from the base of one of them. Obviously there was a weak point in the crystal. My wife is very heartbroken. She loved it so much that every time the family has a wedding, she presents the couple with the same candlesticks – yes, I’m sure Tiffany has records of such things and she can see how many candlesticks and other items we purchased more of the year. In fact. all baby gifts are from Tiffany too. Can you replace it? I’m sure the factory will want to look into this. “
Another thing you can really do to help here is trade it for something in the same store, or at least buy something else while you return the item. Even if they are completely unrelated – say, you return a computer keyboard but buy multiple DVDs – it will show that you are a regular customer in the store and are not trying to buy a fast one.
Do not accept a negative answer, especially if it is faulty
All of this assumes that you are simply returning the item because you no longer need it. If the item is defective, there are in fact laws that protect you from marriage. These laws differ from state to state and from country to country, so you will have to look for laws for your specific area. A consumer website that outlines some of the UK clauses of these laws:
If you buy a product that turns out to be faulty, you can refuse it: return it and get your money back. However, the law only gives you a “reasonable” time to do this – which is reasonable depends on the product and how obvious the error is. However, even with a vehicle such as a car, you usually have no more than three to four weeks from the moment you receive it to abandon it.
Most states in the United States must follow very similar laws , but they differ from place to place. The bottom line is that if the item is defective, you are much more likely to receive a refund, so be very firm in returning the defective item, even if it has been a while. While the formal grace period may be short, you can often convince some people to honor much longer agreements. Bukisa gives another great example :
Most stores will simply return the defective product back to the manufacturer. If it is the store’s own brand, compare the product to that of a higher brand, but show disappointment that the quality is not the same. “I really love these pillowcases, the cotton is almost as soft as mine (another similar manufacturer), but I am very concerned that the cotton, although soft, is of such poor quality that the fabric started to tear, even after washing holes are formed. They are only 2 years old! I have had bed linen (from another manufacturer) for over 10 years. and I expect (Manufacturer Name) to be of the same quality and standards. Of course (the manufacturer) will want them back to fix the problem. “
The longer you wait, the more likely it is, but you have nothing to lose if the item becomes faulty after a year or two, and this is something that should last you a long time. Photo by Paul Hussey .
Understand that store credit is often as good as it gets.
Choose your battles. If you can get the store to offer you store credit, you’ve probably won the battle. You won’t be able to get every store to give you a refund or credit card refund, but the willingness to compromise can take you pretty far. Whether it’s a store loan, an on-site exchange of an item, or (if it’s faulty) getting a repair or replacement, you’ll get more of your money with a compromise than just leaving an item you don’t need. Photo by Diaper .
One last effort: wait for the holidays
I stress this at the end because generally you want to try to return an item as soon as possible for the best possible result (especially if it is defective). However, if you’re out of luck, try waiting until the end of the holiday season. If it’s a more timeless item (that is, something that clearly didn’t sell earlier this year), late December is a great time to return items, even if they weren’t Christmas gifts. You may need to queue a little longer, but since so many people are returning gifts at this time, stores tend to be much more lenient with their return policies. However, use this only as a last resort; you should at least try the tricks above as soon as possible before waiting 6 months for the holidays.
Of course, your experience may be different from all of these tips – each store’s policies are different, and you might even get different results depending on the customer service representative you’re talking to. In the end, the best thing you can do is keep receipts for the items when you buy them, at least until you know they work the way you want them to. Life is a little more complicated when it comes to gifts, but you rarely have to suffer for storing this item, especially when the holidays are around.
Get your own tips for returning goods without a receipt! Share them with us in the comments!
Photo remixed from original by Ben_onthemove .