Thursday, August 16, 2007

Take a picture, it will last longer

There must be signs outside the Wal-Mart. "Check your intelligence at the door" or more likely "Stoopid pepul shawp hur." Honestly. Who buys two $300 cameras and then "loses" the receipt? How did you GET the $600 to buy the cameras if you're that stupid? If anyone knows, please tell me.

So this yuppie dad trying to look cool in his knockoff leather jacket rolls in with his proto-Paris love child in tow. Honey. Wash your face. Too much make-up for 14. Hell, too much makeup for 30.

There are no pleasantries. He's a haute finance type slumming it at the House of Wal for cheap electronics, so he expects to bark and me to listen. "Her camera broke. We want a new one."

My question of "Um. Do you have the receipt?" is followed by "No. Do we need it? We just want another camera."

Yeah. You need the receipt.

I look up the warranty for this particular brand of cameras - we don't take back Samsung cameras without a receipt. Well we can, but Samsung doesn't give us any money for it. They laugh and call us fools for being stupid.

I print the warranty - complete with the 1800 number for Samsung and explain that him losing his receipt was oh, I dunno, a teensy problem. He bitches, he moans, he creates enough hot air to thaw Greenland and finally leaves.

And ...... we're back 15 minutes later with the receipt. "Found it in my car. I knew I had it." Then why not make an effort and bring it in the first time? Because, you know, I always try to return $200 cameras without any proof I paid for them and it works out so well.

So this time I actually open up the box and look at the camera. And we have more problems. "Sir. I can't accept this return. You don't have the USB cable, the instruction manuals or the CD." Yeah dude, you just threw the camera in the box.

"We just want another camera." Well, I want a steampunk keyboard, a white chocolate mocha and a hot man. I wonder who's gonna get lucky first?

So they go get another camera. And complain about having to wait in line back in Photo. And complain that there are lines at Customer Service. It's a store. There are lines. Be thankful this isn't Soviet Russia. They waited in line just to wait in line.

I open up the box and take out the USB cable, the installation CD and the user manual. I put that in the box with the defective camera and send that one back to Claims. They leave with a new camera.

And proto-Paris is again free to inflict her bad snaps unto the world. At least it wasn't a video camera .....

26 comments:

Heidi said...

I'm glad you took the USB and CD, but I'm really surprised ole Wally Mart actually sends the stuff back to the manufacturer. You'd think it would just be cheaper for them to damage it out and toss it in the incinerator because that's what we did at the salon I worked at.

It was so terribly wasteful. We'd throw out hair appliances that people used once to fix their hair for prom or whatever and then returned. Sometimes, they didn't even use the items but we still had to dispose of them to be safe. I think the salon now has an exchange only policy. They were probably losing too much money throwing stuff in the mall incinerator!

Anonymous said...

Could that possibly be due to health & hygiene reasons, Heidi?

I work at a petrol station and we're supposed to throw out expired food, but I just eat it :D

Grumpy Housewife said...

*sigh*

This is why, no matter where I buy electronic equipment, be it a camera, a phone, a DVD player, or a stand mixer, I HANG ON TO THE DAMN RECEIPT.

Just. In. Case. It. Doesn't. Work.

But then, I will also return the faulty equipment with all the attachments/cables/installation CD/whatever. And I will give a detailed explanation as to what, exactly, is wrong.

I had to do this a couple of weeks ago when I had to replace my A/C power cord for my laptop. The first one I got, well, it apparently had a short in it that was a manufacturer's defect. The guys at Best Buy were surprised when I came in with ALL the packaging, all the parts, AND my reciept, and explained to them that I knew that it was not working properly, it was not carrying a current, because it was not registering on my laptop, and the indicator light was not coming on.

Umm, look, it's not that hard to keep the fucking packaging, people. And? It's not too hard to keep the receipt, either.

Idiots. We are surrounded by IDIOTS!

Anonymous said...

Your blog's become way too bitter to be enjoyable any more, and that includes the hangers-on, me-too commenters. It used to be more informational, now it's just constant whining. If you're so unhappy in your job, and so superior to both your customers and your colleagues (dare I even refer to them in that way?), maybe you should find something that suits you better, and doesn't give you such heartburn. Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

Well possibly you might try maintaining the "happy face" while working at the "wonderful world of wally". Actually I go there often to "people watch" cause its just insane sometimes ,,, a hoot an a half. That said, I will agree that there has been much less of the "infromative stuff" which I too find most interesting. In closing, I find it interesting that you are whining about of all things, someone else whining. HUMMM
If it bothers you so much and is lacking useful info ,,,, depart or at least not bore us with your tripe.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, you don't make the rules here, I'll "depart" when I'm ready, or when the host kicks me off. Meanwhile, look around for a grammar/spell checking utility.

Wendy said...

Ignore the whiny responsesm. Blog on, sister!

Kevin said...

7:04 Anonymous and 7:57 Anonymous:

This is the Internet where people have complete freedom of speech. This is the Internet where you control what URL your browser is pointed to.

If you don't like something on the Internet, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Trolling never solves anything.

Anonymous said...

Ummm, if you equate any comment with which you disagree as trolling, then your circle's kinda small, as is your concept of "freedom of speech" (which is pretty irrelevant in this context).

And I'm sure "sister" can speak for himself, if he so chooses.

Library Rat said...

Hey Anon, hold still. I'll call the Whhaaammmbulance for you.

DolfanDad said...

wahahah please stop being so bitter its killing my buzz. Wahaha

My gosh anons, its like your whining about bbcamerican whining about the customer whining!! Why don't you just start your own blog about the "imformative" aspects that you so dearly miss in this blog.

bbc american Please don't stop. Those who don't like it and also prefer to remain anon don't have a voice. Just ignore it!

btw "Stoopid Pepul shawp hur" was awsome!!

Anonymous said...

A little advice: Find another job.

Anonymous said...

I'm having a little trouble figuring out if the poster is a girl or a guy? I'm so confused!

GrecoRoman said...

I'm having a little trouble figuring out if the poster is a girl or a guy? I'm so confused!

Is it relevant?

And keep bloggin'. I teach 9th graders, and I can TOTALLY sympathize! They're just future Wal-Mart customers, after all.

ShopGirl said...

Don't get another job - unless you want another job!

By blogging bbcamerican is venting and hopefully not taking his/her frustration out on the actual customers. Plus, he/she speaks English! These types are totally needed in ALL retail establishments. Think how frustrated you are now as a customer in so many stores. If those that actually had a brain ALL left, just imagine how much worse it would be...

Anonymous said...

god i wish you were my service desk person. i dont think my service desk assoc. know how to print out the warranty info

Missy said...

My how that girls myspace must have suffered while she had no camera!

If Life Were Sane said...

I truly do not understand why, if you don't like something that is on the internet, you continue to read it. Also, why leave a negative comment that the blogger needs to get another job, or write about something else? If you think you can do a better job (writing a blog, not working at WalMart) - then do so. If you don't enjoy the blog, very simple, don't read it. I for one love the blog and it's a highlight of my day to come and read it!

Anonymous said...

Grecoroman is correct, BBC's gender is irrelevant to the subject at hand.

That being said, to those who would like to know for the sake of avoiding the use of "he/she" (avoiding that shows respect to the blogger), BBC is male and when you see him write that he "wants a hot man"......well you can figure that part out.

Anonymous said...

Listen to the NPR interview, BBC is MALE. I thought it obvious even pre-interview, males typically have a different 'voice' to their writing than females, it's actually quite interesting to study the gender differences in writing.

Did you thank said Yuppie for introducing yet another self-entitled wench into the world? This is the 'beef' I have with my parents, my two younger siblings are at least 12yrs younger than I am. You'd think we were centuries apart, raised in different countries, by different parents. I don't know how anyone stands to live with them, I'd be tempted to smack the self-entitlement right out of them.
:-D

Anonymous said...

Well, I just want to say that now I want a steampunk keyboard too. Man, yet another gadget that I can't afford and want....

Anonymous said...

A lot of the perception people have of return policies are brought about intentionally by the retail industry: a couple of years ago, Circuit City ran an advertising campaign that said, in effect, "Don't worry if you lose the receipt, we'll keep track of your purchases for you." Then they changed their POS systems, and lost the ability to track purchases, and abandoned the campaign, but the impression was still in the customers' minds. Farther back in my career, I worked for a company that ran holiday advertising, that said (no lie) "Merry Christmas, and many happy _returns_"

Many customers feel that it's not their responsibility to keep the receipt. Or they don't even think about it at all.

Anonymous said...

I've always said that all kids should have to work a year in retail, and a year in food service, as part of their upbringing. It'd be nice if everyone had more insight into what it's like on the other side of the counter!

Anonymous said...

For all the people complaining about the complainer, you're just as retarded, of not more so.

Especially those of you that had to mention "free speech" and then act like the guy should have just left and not complained. I mean WTF is that? "Free speech! We have it! Shut up! Don't talk! Just leave!"

What is it illegal to complain about something on the internet now?

"OMG he complained to the blogger! We looooove the blogger! We want to crawl up the blogger's butt and die there!!"

Jesus H. Christ! Get over it! The man can complain if he wants to.

You'd think it was the end of the world or something.

And he's right, the blogger does come across as a pompous bastard who wants everyone to be just like him, but hey, customer service does kill you a little inside every shift you work, so I almost sympathize.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, what was you point?

Hey that post by Anonymous at 7:57 was kewl kewl ... "boring TRIPE" ... too funny and rather intellectual too if you think about it.

Anonymous said...

Same here, Grumpy Mom. I still have the box, cd, accessories and receipt from my FIRST digital cam I bought 4 YEARS AGO. That doesn't work anymore, due to a toddler stomping incident.

I have a big tupperware tote in my attic full of all the original packaging, receipts, warranty cards, buyer protection programs, etc for any electronic I buy. It makes my life so much simpler if/when something is faulty.