Refunds can be elusive at some stores

Investigate a company carefully before doing business with it; online returns can be tricky

Priscilla Hull paid $725 to have a chair reupholstered. She never received the arm covers she was promised and the seat cushion lost its shape in the first year.

“The Canadian School of Custom Upholstery says it has been in business since 1946. It says, ‘Reupholstery for seniors our specialty.’ I’m 90 years old, so I guess I qualify,” she told me in late October.

“It seems they used inferior foam because when I sit in the chair for any length of time, my back aches.”

Bob Shapiro, the person she dealt with, told me on two occasions last fall that he would rectify the complaint. He didn’t. When I tried to reach the company again on Jan. 3, its phone numbers were out of service, but its website was still up.

I’m afraid Hull is stuck with that uncomfortable chair. Next time, she should get client referrals before trusting that ads can lead her to a quality supplier.

Islay Wyckham assumed that Indoors & Out, a Toronto patio furniture store in business since 1996, would stick around after she bought a $150 gift card in mid-December.

“My daughter went there to make a purchase and found a bankruptcy sign slapped on the door and the contents of the store completely emptied,” she said Dec. 20. “What gives? Is there any solution for customers like me?”

The company’s phone number is still in service and its website is still up. When you call, you’re told that the mailbox is full and can’t accept messages.

When retailers go out of business, any money left from the sale of assets usually goes to secured creditors, such as landlords and banks — not to customers, who are unsecured creditors.

Paying up front for a gift card doesn’t help. Women’s wear retailer Tabi closed its 78 Canadian stores in 2011 after 30 years in business — and wouldn’t accept gift cards at the liquidation sales held by the receiver.

Paying for merchandise in advance can be a risky business. Anis Zuberi bought a wooden filing cabinet for $240 from Cymax Stores, an online retailer based in Vancouver.

“The drawers could not be opened all the way and it was hard to get items from the back third of the drawers. So I immediately sent an email asking for a return,” he said.

He sent pictures of the problem as requested. A month later, he was told that he could keep the cabinet and get a 20 per cent discount ($48.27).

“I wish I’d checked the online reviews before ordering the cabinet. I pleaded with Cymax for a refund, as I’m retired and can’t afford to lose money, but to no avail,” he said.

I heard via email from a Cymax sales and service manager who called himself Steven K.

He said the filing cabinet was made to fit all standard sizes of documents.

The photo sent by Zuberi didn’t show whether it was a defective product or a customer assembly error. (After seeing it, I agreed with Steven’s assessment.)

“I hope you can empathize with the difficulty we had in deciphering what was wrong with the product and if it was, in fact, a manufacturing error. Being an online company only, this sometimes is a challenge,” he said.

If Zuberi wanted to return the product to the manufacturer, he’d be responsible for shipping charges, and a restocking fee would be deducted from his refund. The return policy is displayed at the website.

Cymax agreed to a full refund if he donated the filing cabinet to a charity and sent a donation receipt. This required Zuberi to take two trips to a local Goodwill centre.

Retail refunds can be hard to get, especially when you buy online. Make sure you understand a store’s policies before ordering something sight unseen and running into problems getting your money back.