I am a victim

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(koa @ Feb 17 2007, 12:33 AM) [snapback]391853[/snapback]</div>

It costs money to stop a check, and it also "assumes" that CC will not accept your story. People who "act" honest are more likely to be believed than people who go off half cocked and put the other person on the defensive immediately.

 

Stan: When you go to the store on Monday, be firm, but be calm and extremely polite. Nothing will do you more harm than showing anger. Remember that the manager didn't make the switch, nor the store either. Polite language and a smile go a long ways toward putting he manager on your side, as well as letting him know that you know it's not his fault.

As far as debit cards vs credit cards, I doubt if it would have made a difference in this case, because it's not a question of fraudulent usage of the card (you made the charge) and not strictly a question of a warranty, because the issue is what was actually in the box. You cannot stop payment on a credit card any more than you can on a debit card. Credit cards do have advantages. But I don't think this case is one where they would have.

My bank protects me from fraudulent use on both my credit card and my debit card. If the card is stolen, or someone obtains the number, and I can demonstrate that I did not make the charge, I am protected. If your bank does not offer this much protection on your debit card, you need a new bank.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Feb 17 2007, 10:17 AM) [snapback]391994[/snapback]</div>

You're misinformed about the federal law protections afforded to credit card holders. The buyer did not get what he bargained for and the credit card charge can be ligitimately disputed, a procedure that is part of the Fair Credit Act. This is the same if you ordered something online and the contents were not what you ordered.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Schmika @ Feb 17 2007, 04:45 AM) [snapback]391989[/snapback]</div>

CC already did not accept his story since they said they needed to wait for someone "higher up". I am surprised they didn't refund or exchange and apologize immediately.

People who are honest generally "act" honest. On the other hand if you put a psychopath and an honest person in a room together even you would have a hard time figuring out who was telling the truth.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stanlwyjohn @ Feb 16 2007, 07:38 PM) [snapback]391796[/snapback]</div>

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Believe it or not, this is called a "brick-in-the-box" return, and it happens sometimes. It's not usually an inside job. What usually happens is this: a lying, thieving assh&^% buys a new monitor, takes it home, takes their old monitor, puts it back in the new box, and then returns it, saying "I never opened it. I just changed my mind." The poor unsuspecting customer service associate returns it, puts it back into inventory...then the next poor guy gets the wrong model.

Talk to the Store Director or Operations Manager. They will be able to research the inventory path of the unit, and see when the last return was done. Hopefully, they will work it out. And hey, if they don't, please e-mail me with your information (ticket number, store location, etc.) I can do some research for you. (If you haven't figured out by now, I work for CC.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Feb 16 2007, 11:25 PM) [snapback]391937[/snapback]</div>

:lol: Good one!

There are a few occasional gems in the rough there though. There is a Vietnamese woman in the components department at the Sunnyvale store who clearly has a lot of experience building systems. It's hilarious to me when I'm shopping there and I see her schooling people with MSEEs from top universities on what kind of memory they need, or why the CPU they want to buy won't work in their motherboard, or why they need to upgrade their power supply. Personally, I'd be embarrassed to have an EE degree and not be able to build a system from scratch (not that an EE degree has anything to do with building your own PC - I just consider it a basic skill you'd pick up in high school if you were going to pursue a technical degree in college). But yeah, for most of them, the most useful thing they can do is wheel the ladder over and get something off a high shelf for me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stanlwyjohn @ Feb 17 2007, 04:50 PM) [snapback]392108[/snapback]</div>

Glad everything worked out in the end.

Pretty lame store policy not to 'allow' you to open the box that you are buying...and then to give you a hassle when you bring it back because it's the wrong thing inside and not corrected the situation right on the spot.

 

Congratulations. At least the free delivery makes up for the aggravation of the wrong item, the overnight worry and the inconvenience of having to wait. And I hope they nail the guy who switched the monitor.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Feb 17 2007, 07:17 AM) [snapback]391994[/snapback]</div>

Your advice on meeting with the manager is right on, but not your understanding of the protections with a credit card. You are also protected against fraudulent charges made by a merchant. It is indeed fraud when Circuit City sells you a box with one thing on the outside and the product on the inside doesn't match! You can put the charges into suspension by providing a letter with your payment, and deducting that payment from your card (I actually always call the credit card company first, get a complaint number, and then use that as a reference). Then you enter into arbitration.

This is probably not going to go that far. The manager will assess the situation, decide if the it is reasonable, and then provide the right product for the customer. If they are lucky, they know who returned the monitor by the serial number, and they can go back against the thief. I think monitors are serialized.

 

I stand corrected on credit cards vs debit cards. My bank protects me against fraudulent use, but that may not be the norm.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stanlwyjohn @ Feb 17 2007, 01:50 PM) [snapback]392108[/snapback]</div>

Great news that they dealt with it honestly! Congratulations.

As for opening the box: They cannot prevent you from opening the box after you pay for it, and before you leave the store. Pay. Move out of the aisle so the next customer can pay. Set your box down on the floor and open it with the cutter you brought with you for the purpose. If it's not the right thing, you walk back to the clerk and point it out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Feb 17 2007, 07:26 PM) [snapback]392147[/snapback]</div>

This is true. The ONLY problem with doing this is , if you choose to return it later in the day simply because you had buyer's remorse, you would be subject to a 15% restocking fee because the box had been opened (the restocking fee is associated with computers and computer related products, cameras, and camcorders). So, if there's any thought that you may return the item simply because you change your mind, DON"T OPEN IT IN THE STORE!

I've also had people that open their box in the store, take out their product, drop it accidentally, then expect me to replace the item they just broke because they happened to do it in the store.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Feb 17 2007, 04:36 PM) [snapback]392159[/snapback]</div>

So you have to decide whether you're more afraid of finding the wrong product in the box, or of changing your mind about the purchase.

Or else just shop somewhere that does not have the 15% re-stocking fee, and where salespeople and clerks routinely open the box before you pay for it, to make sure it's the right product, and has all the accessories.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stanlwyjohn @ Feb 17 2007, 01:50 PM) [snapback]392108[/snapback]</div>

Great !!!!

And yes there is, the nay sayers do not see it though.

 

I agree with Daniel. If you can't open the box to make sure that the components are not broken, or they only allow store credit when they don't have what you want after you find out that it's broken or whatever, just don't shop there anymore.

Most stores don't want to ruin their reputation by word of mouth so they are probably more than willing to bend over backwards to rectify a situation like that.

It's interesting to note from other posters that you can't put a stop to the use of a debit card; but dang on if you go over the amount you have in your account, they can certainly charge an over draft fee somewhere in the vicinity of $35.00 or more. According to the bank personel where I do my business, they say that they make a lot of money off of the overdrafts on the debit cards.

Personally I don't have a debit card, and probably just as well as DH & I write too many checks to possibly keep up with a debit card. It would be my luck to forget to post it. But then on the other hand my DD says you can look at all your transactions online.

Oh well, to each his own.