Can You Believe Some People?
@BelleStarr (61102)
United States
February 6, 2016 6:07pm CST
On Wednesday we drove down to the Kohls in Lady Lake to buy a steam cleaner for our carpets. Yesterday morning my hubs opened the box. What the what? The machine was dirty, it had obviously been used. This is a $250 machine, I expect it to be brand spanking new.
I called the store in Lady Lake, it is 26 miles away. I don’t feel that I should have to drive that far to correct a mistake they obviously made. They were very nice and arranged for one to be held for me here in Ocala so I only had to drive 8 miles.
You can be sure that before I took the new one home, I opened the box right in the store to be sure it was brand new!! Can you believe the nerve of people who buy a steam cleaner, clean their rugs and then return the steamer?
But beyond that, I think whoever took that return should have checked the steamer before putting it back on the shelf. Can you believe this is the second time this has happened to us? Maybe 10 years ago we bought a hoover steamer at Walmart and when we got home we found a similar situation.
42 people like this
41 responses
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
7 Feb 16
I had not heard of that situation, but when I worked at Wal Mart a friend in softlines said that people actually bragged that Wal Mart was their closet. Buy it, wear it, return it.
8 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
I have heard of people doing that with designer dresses and accessories but it is horrible really and so dishonest.
5 people like this
.@topffer (42156)
• France
7 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I can understand this. But it is difficult to believe that they did not controlled it if a client returned it
.
.2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
@topffer I suspect it must have been in the rush after Christmas when the lines are long and people are rushed.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
Usually here if they sell a floor model it is stated and would be at a very discounted price. I didn't want to start off cleaning someone else's dirt.
3 people like this
@rebelann (112780)
• El Paso, Texas
8 Feb 16
Everywhere I've made returns the customer service agents ALWAYS inspect what I give them @BelleStarr this should never happen.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
8 Feb 16
@rebelann I think it was Lori who said that Kohls tells its customer service people to take all returns but of course after taking this one it should not have been restocked.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
8 Feb 16
I must have a sign on my back, sell her used steam cleaners lol sheeeees!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
10 Feb 16
It is disappointing that customer service is just so bad these days.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
11 Feb 16
@simone10 though I suuspect the fact that they took it back originally was considered good customer service toward that person, had they not put it back on the shelf , it would have remained good!!
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
11 Feb 16
@BelleStarr It really is. When I was first starting to work, good customer service was the most important thing.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40288)
• Laguna Woods, California
7 Feb 16
That is horrible when they don't check things before restocking them. There could have been missing parts or anything could have been wrong. I'm glad you made them correct the mistake.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
I didn't pay for a used machine so I certainly wasn't going to let them get away with selling me one. I need to report this incident to the head office.
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Feb 16
Another example of people not doing their job. They should check it even to just see all the parts are there.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
And of course they give you samples of the cleaner you need which obviously were used as well.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I'm glad they brought the new one closer to where you live. It's the least they can do for their error.
2 people like this
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
7 Feb 16
Sorry to hear that it wasn't spanking new like it should be.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
Yes it was annoying and it took quite a lot of time to drive to the store and replace. I sort of thought they should have done something else for me.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
11 Feb 16
@BelleStarr At least with second one , you made sure it was brand new already .
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
11 Feb 16
With the second one we opened the box at the store to make sure that it was brand new.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37350)
• Toccoa, Georgia
7 Feb 16
Some people just don't think of others , they only think of themselves. And, the store is unprofessional to not check the cleaner once it is returned.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
10 Feb 16
I agree but it says a lot about the honesty of people doesn't it.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37350)
• Toccoa, Georgia
10 Feb 16
@BelleStarr True, many are not honest.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
8 Feb 16
I know silly me, I want to buy it and keep it!!
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
8 Feb 16
That's a bad reflection on the company..., and shows a lack of care and dilligance....
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
It does but on the plus side, they have a very liberal return policy.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
7 Feb 16
This reminds me of the people who steal from mini-bars in hotels. The drink the spirits and fill the little bottles with water and put empty chocolate wrappers in the fridge. Then you - as the next person in the room - have to tell the hotel so they don't think that it's you.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
I would never even have thought of such a thing. No wonder some hitels charge you as soon as the item leave the slot, they are electronic.
You are such a "guy". 
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
10 Feb 16
It is really jerkish and selfish and should be illegal but these days it is buyer beware for sure.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (218548)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I don't buy a lot of "stuff," but when I do, I tend to go with stores/brands I trust, like LL Bean.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
7 Feb 16
I had a worse incident with Argos a while ago. I bought a table that was designed to be used for a bed, which I wanted so that I could use it for my laptop when on the sofa.
When I arrived home and opened the box, the wooden surface was completely broken in half.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
13 Feb 16
@BelleStarr Most definitely not, it was quite clearly a used item that had been returned to the store. Somehow they managed to mix it in with the saleable stock.
Fortunately they never even questioned my request and exchanged it there and then, although it was very inconvenient having to take it back on the same day.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
That is annoying, I wonder if it broke in transit to the store?
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
7 Feb 16
I am sometimes amazed that when I return an item for myself or one of my clients that they don't check to see it has been used.
When I have used something and it breaks or doesn't work up to the expectation I return it and say that it had been used and why I was returning the item.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
13 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I just returned a stick vacuum to Walmart for a client. He claimed that he used it once and he smelled smoke. They took it back with the receipt. It had only been purchased a couple of days prior to the return. Had he not had the receipt I couldn't have returned it for him. Company policy.
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
When something is broken it needs to be sent back to the manufacturer and that would have avoided this issue.
1 person likes this
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
15 Feb 16
@BelleStarr Well at least they should take it back. You just shouldn't have to go through that.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
15 Feb 16
@mommaj They did exchange it for a new one.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
15 Feb 16
No it is not good business at all.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
7 Feb 16
I have had a similar situation happen to me, where I bought a supposedly new item from Lowes and when I got it home and opened it up it was obviously used. The local store tried to explain that if an item is returned within such and such a time it could be resold as new. After a threat to call both the state attorney general's office and Lowes corporate head quarters, we received a brand new, never been opened, version of the item, an electric drill.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
That is really bad as well and just how long does one get to use an item before it can be sold to someone else as new? What the heck is wring with customer service these days?
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
This one appeared to be new, the box gave no evidence it had been previously openned.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
15 Feb 16
@LadyDuck I guess I will never know but it definitely was a lapse in their customer service.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471354)
• Switzerland
13 Feb 16
@BelleStarr This is very strange, I wonder what exactly happened.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (82710)
• United States
7 Feb 16
The customer service really should have checked the return before reselling it. Glad you were able to get another one but didn't have to travel all the way back to the first store
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
13 Feb 16
I can't even tell you how upsetting this was. Not what you expect from a quality store.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
15 Feb 16
@Marilynda1225 I spent a ton of money there every year and this just disappointed me.
@Marilynda1225 (82710)
• United States
13 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I agree as I happen to like Kohls and figured they have a better quality of customer service than you experienced
1 person likes this
