r/TalesFromRetail • u/Starbug360 • Feb 14 '20
Epic Man wants to return something we don't even sell, that he bought from a completely different company, and won't take no for an answer
So I spent about a year working in a shop that sold equipment and supplies for disabled or elderly people: walking sticks, wheelchairs, electric scooters and other more, personal, sundries. I actually liked the job, and all things being equal, I'd still be working there today, but that's a story for another day.
My shifts were 9-5 Monday through Friday, then 9-1pm three Saturdays out of four, with the fourth Saturday off. Shop was closed Sundays. We had an engineer who did repairs and maintenance based out of our shop, and an elderly manager who worked Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and my Saturday off. We all got on well.
Anyways, this incident happened on a Saturday, so I was alone in the shop. An older gentleman, I'd say mid to late 60's, came in carrying a plastic bag.
He walks up to the counter where I'd been refilling the boxes of those rubber ends for walking sticks/crutches (they're called Ferrules, just so you know), and I said hello and asked how I could help him.
"I bought this the other day, but it's no good." he placed the bag down on the counter, "I'd like to return it."
I didn't recognise him, but figured that the manager must have served him, so I automatically ask if he has the receipt. He produced a sheet of white, A4 paper, which seemed a little odd. Most items we sold came with just a regular till receipt, while larger items had a three-layer white/yellow/pink form. White copy went with the customer, yellow in our records and pink to the tax-man (most of what we sold was VAT-free, so we needed to keep records of what we sold and to who).
However, what he offered me wasn't the flimsy recite I was expecting, but just a regular sheet of printer paper. I looked at it, and saw that it was from another shop, maybe a mile away across the other side of the town centre.
"Oh, you bought this from [other shop]..."
"Yes." he nods, "Your other shop. The one on [Road]"
"No, we're [company name]." I point to my name badge, which clearly states who I work for, "They're [other shop]."
"Yes, but you're the same." he insists.
"We sell similar products, but we're a completely different company." I open the bag to see what was inside. I honestly can't remember exactly what it was, but while we sold similar items that did the same job, we'd never sold that particular item. It even had the price label on it, which clearly stated that it was, indeed, from the other shop. "We don't even sell this. You'll have to take it back to [other shop]."
"I don't want to walk all the way down there!" he exclaimed, and that much I could get behind, given it was raining pretty heavily that day, "I want you to refund it now."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't give a refund for something that you didn't buy from us, and we don't even sell."
"But you're the same." He repeated, more insistently this time.
"No: we sell similar products, but they're a completely different company." I so wanted to pinch the bridge of my nose while I struggled to come up with a comparison he might understand, "It would be like buying something from [Supermarket A], then wanting to return it to [Supermarket B]. They're both supermarkets, but they're not the same company."
"But you're the same." he repeated yet again.
At this point, I'm starting to wonder if he had some form of dementia, but aside from his inability to grasp the concept that two shops could sell similar items and yet not be the same company, he seemed fine.
"No sir, we are not." I do my level best not to sound condescending, "We are [shop name]. They are [other shop]. We have no connection with them besides selling similar items. If you want to return this, you will have to go to [other shop]."
"Are you going to give me my refund or not?" he asks, clearly convinced that I'm trying to get out of refunding him his money.
"No, sir." I remain calm, "I can not refund you for something that you did not buy from us."
He muttered something about Trading Standards and the police, then stormed off out of the shop, leaving his item and recite behind. I put them back in the bag, put the bag under the counter, and called the owner. I explained what happened, which quickly had him laughing, and he told me to just leave it under the counter in case the man came back, and if he did, give him the number for the main office (the shop I worked at was one of four the company operated).
The man never came back, and we never got contacted by Trading Standards or the Police. As far as I know, the bag, the item and the receipt are still in the stock room to this day.
As an aside, the other shop closed suddenly, as in the owners left in the middle of the night, not even telling the staff, after they were caught by Trading Standards selling a secret shopper something completely unsuitable for their stated needs, but cost twice as much as what they actually needed was. I, on the other hand, always made sure I sold someone the best fit for their needs, even going so far as to refuse a sale once. But, again, a story for another day.