Before buying, ask about returns
Do I have a right to a refund or exchange when I’m not satisfied with a purchase?
This is a common question with a complicated answer. To help you understand how return policies work, I’ll use a few examples from my mailbag. I bought two pairs of sandals on sale. One pair didn’t fit my orthotics, so I returned them to the store to exchange them for a more expensive pair. The original sandals were then on sale at a lower price ($90) and the owner refused to give me a credit for the $110 price I paid. Can he do this under the law?
It may be unfair, but not illegal. Retailers in most provinces have to give refunds or replacements under the Sale of Goods acts when a product is defective and doesn’t work properly.
You say there was nothing wrong with the shoes, but you changed your mind after taking them home. Retailers can set their own return policies in a case of buyer’s remorse.
Some stores do not allow refunds or exchanges when you have a change of heart. If all sales are final, you should be notified in advance.
Some stores give refunds or exchanges under certain conditions. They may say the package can’t be opened or you have to pay a restocking fee to put the product back on the shelf.
You had to give up $20 when you returned the sandals and the sale price dropped even lower, but the store has the right to adopt such a policy.
It’s always better to ask about returns before you pay for a purchase, especially if you have doubts (as you did about how the shoes would fit with your orthotics). I chair a board for a stroke recovery group. Our fundraising produces a lot of coins. Local banks offer papers that will hold coins, but they are tricky to master for our clients with cognitive deficits.
I went to a Dollarama store and bought plastic sorters for $1, $2 and 25-cent coins. The total cost was $1.50. Three weeks later, I learned that only a few of the sorters would snap shut, and even then, they also snapped open and the coins spilled everywhere. When I asked the store to exchange them for paper sorters, an employee said her manager does not allow returns or exchanges, even when a product is defective. At a second store, an employee said she couldn’t exchange an older purchase.
Retailers have a legal duty to give exchanges or refunds for defective items. They can put time limits on returns, if they like.
Dollarama is Canada’s largest discount chain, with more than 1,000 stores. To keep prices low, it has a long-standing policy of not allowing refunds or exchanges, a message it posts on checkout screens and sales receipts.
Store managers and staff are not supposed to allow exceptions. But when I wrote about the company’s strict policy in March, I found you can get reimbursed if you contact the head office in Montreal.
“If a product is defective, we are the first to want to know,” spokesperson Lyla Radmanovich told me. “This ensures that dedicated personnel can evaluate and address problems.”
Customers can contact customer service by toll-free phone (1-888-755-1006, #1000, outside the Montreal area) or through the company’s website, dollarama.com/about_us/ contact-us.
Several readers told me they got a Dollarama gift card (up to $10) after sending the sales receipt and a photo of the damaged item to the head office. I bought a stainless steel knife block from Cookstore- .ca for $170. I love it, but the height and slot angle makes it unusable in my kitchen.The company gives refunds only for items that have not been opened. How do I know it’s intact if I don’t open it?
I was offered an exchange, but there’s nothing I require. I don’t want to deal with this company any more.
When buying a product, you enter into a contract with the retailer. This means you can be held to the written terms and conditions if you later decide the purchase isn’t suitable for you.
Since online stores tend to have more restrictions, it’s always smart to check the return policy before buying.
Cookstore.ca has a clearly written return policy that says: “All items returned must be unopened, unused, and in their original packaging within 30 days of purchase for full credit or exchange.”
You could have gotten your money back if you had left the item in the package. But when I asked about the outcome, you said your partner found a spot in your kitchen where the knife block works esthetically and practically.
My advice: If a retailer won’t give a refund or an exchange, you can file a dispute with your credit card company. The transaction may be reversed and your account credited if the retailer has misrepresented the product in its advertising.