- Well, let’s go ahead then and take care of that… Would you be interested in exchanging it for another one just like it or similar?

“Possibly, but I’m not really sure. What do you have in stock?â€?

- Well, we certainly have a vast array of sizes and half-sizes. Maybe they would suit you better. The only thing is that we only have baby blue, navy blue and pink left in stock.

“Oh well. That’s okay.. maybe I should just return it now and maybe I can come back some other day and browse a bit..â€?

- Okay. That’s fine, no problem. I’ll just need the receipt and we’ll get you all set.

“I’m afraid I don’t have it. My sister told me that the gift receipt should have been in the bag, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.â€?

- I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding returning items. If you do not have a receipt, there is really no way I can verify that this item was purchased in this store.

�Well you can clearly see that this is exactly the same item that your store carries in stock – surely, there must be something you can do!�

- Well, I am willing to look the other way for you, but I am only going to be able to give you a store credit. I hope that’s okay with you…

“Not really. But if that’s all you can do, I guess I’ll have to make do with what there is..â€?

How many times have you tried to return an item in exchange for a full refund and failed? Sometimes you even have the receipt and the only thing they offer you a store credit which you are really not interested in. Why can’t they just give you a full refund? I mean, you gave them cash (or someone you know did) and they should have the responsibility of returning you the full amount, right?

Well, if you are like me, the answer to this question is an astounding YES! IT’S OUR RIGHT! We have to take full responsibility for paying our purchases in full, why shouldn’t stores have the obligation to give us back the same?

All right, this is certainly not the first time this has happened… but I just remembered … all it takes is one bad apple to ruin the batch! And I’m afraid there are unfortunately a lot of them out there… I am not going to point any fingers right now, but let’s be honest for a change… How many times have you had to buy a really expensive item or piece of clothing for let’s say.. one night or an afternoon – that one special occasion – and you went to your local department store “El Corte Inglésâ€? and bought it, used it, and then tried to return it for a full refund?

Now this may be a shot in the dark, but I am betting 90 percent or more of people reading this have done this not just once, but many, many times. My question for them is this: Do you really think the store doesn’t know that the item you are returning has been used? Now maybe what you are saying is true… I only just bought it yesterday right… What are you trying to insinuate?

We have finally come to believe our own lies… So instead of being gracious customers or faithful clients, we have been renting tuxedos, dresses and other items, only to refuse to pay a rental fee. Shame on us! (Or shame on you?)

This episode reminds me of an even bigger fraud… the man who bought a new suit and insisted on returning a “different� suit the next day.. I am quite sure he got away with it too..� The customer is always right, right??

Well, obviously, that’s part of it.. I mean, that’s really all of it. There you have it! So when you are expecting to return an item, with receipt in hand and are looking for a full refund – just think about two things when you don’t get it – “Do I really deserve a full refund?â€? And my favourite number two, “I hope the cashier doesn’t notice I bought this in Corte Fiel!â€?