Current Frustration in Philippines

* Return policies at local stores!

They are not posted anywhere... they are not printed on the receipts. You are expected to just know them. (And, I suspect they change on a whim.) It is VERY frustrating!

First of all, you cannot return anything & get your money back... no matter what! You just can't do it. Not even if you bought the item the same day, never opened it & have your receipt with you. You cannot get your money back! You can exchange the item, but that is your ONLY option. So ridiculous! The first time I encountered this, I threw a tantrum in the middle of the store. I got lots of stares & Sam tried to walk away from me to avoid embarrassment. It was stupid! They didn't care that I was not made aware of this policy & they didn't care that it was not posted ANYWHERE or printed on ANYTHING! They just plain did not care! And, I was furious! So, I learned my lesson... the hard way.

Secondly, I learned tonight, that you can only do one exchange and that is it. I bought a pair of new tennis shoes for Samuel, which he desperately needed. We got home & that's when he declared they were too big for him. The next day, I took them back & exchanged them for one size smaller. The next morning, he planned to wear them to school, but said they were still too big for him & slipped off his heel. We decided it wasn't the size of the shoe, but the style. So, this evening, I took them back again to exchange them for a different style. I was still within my 7 day exchange policy (that I DID know about), so all was good. I handed his shoes & my receipt to the shoe department desk, explained that this style did not fit my son well & asked if we could choose a different style of tennis shoe. She said we could, so Samuel & I proceeded to look at ALL the boys' tennis shoes. After an exhaustive (and I mean exhaustive!) search, he found a style that he liked. We tried on 3 different sizes (I still don't understand foreign sizes yet) & finally found one that fit well. I asked him to run all over that store to make sure it didn't slip off his heel, to make sure his toes were comfy, to make sure he liked them overall. Thank goodness, he did! So, he hands them to the lady who proceeds to take them to a manager to get a routine approval for the exchange. After about 10 minutes of waiting, the manager finally comes over to me to let me know that they have a one time exchange only policy. I cannot exchange the shoes that do not fit Samuel for shoes that do fit him. Even though they are brand new, have never been worn (except to try them on at home), and I am within my 7 day return policy. No can do!

So, of course, I am fuming mad again. Why didn't someone tell me that when I first walked in the store & handed them my receipt? Where is this policy printed? How was I supposed to know about it? Do I have any other options? Why can't they exchange a brand new pair of cheaper tennis shoes and allow me to spend the extra money for a pricier pair? I loudly ask all these questions & keep getting the same answer:

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We cannot exchange the shoes. It is our policy."

I want to scream that their policy sucks! It is stupid & pointless! Instead I angrily tell them that they have lost my business forever & I will never shop at their store again. I then turn to Samuel & tell him that we are going to another store to get some better tennis shoes.

It wasn't very Christian of me & in hindsight, I should have probably handled my emotions better, but I still maintain that it is a stupid, stupid policy. I worked in retail. I understand policies. But, there is no valid reason for this. UGH!!!! I'm still bitter, obviously!