Wisconsin Better Business Bureau: Tips for hassle-free gift returns and exchanges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2014



CONTACT: Lisa Schiller, Media Relations

PHONE: 414- 847- 6055

FAX: 414-302- 0355

E-MAIL: lschiller@wisconsin.bbb.org



Milwaukee, Wis. – December 26 is a big day for after Christmas sales, but it is a bigger day for gift returns and exchanges.


“Not every retailer has the same return policy and some businesses even implement separate policies around special sales and holidays,” said Ran Hoth, CEO and President. BBB encourages you to read and understand all policies that come with your purchases. Remember, the clock starts ticking the day you buy the gift, not the day you give the gift.”



According to the National Retail Federation, one in three consumers (38 percent) are expected to return at least some portion of their holiday gifts. The same survey indicated that nearly three in ten (29 percent) consumers don’t carefully read return and exchange policies when initially making a purchase in a store or online.



BBB has the following advice for hassle-free returns and exchanges:



Keep your receipts. If you’re giving the purchase as a gift, ask for a gift receipt and enclose it with the present to facilitate returning the gift.

Read the retailer’s return policy before you purchase products. Make sure you understand whether you, or the recipient of your gift, can get a refund, exchange or store credit for unwanted merchandise.

Monitor the ‘return clock’. Many retailers may only allow returns within a certain time frame and that time frame usually begins when the item is purchased, not when it is given.
Understand return policies for sale merchandise. Return policies for sale or clearance merchandise may be different than merchandise sold at full price.

Don’t remove electronics from their boxes. Some stores will not accept returns unless the merchandise is in its original packaging.
Ask about restocking fees. Some merchants charge a restocking fee for returns of particular products such as electronics or large-ticket items.

Ask about return shipping fees. Be sure to read return policies when buying online or from catalogs to find out if you have to pay a return shipping fee. Sometimes merchandise can be returned to a store instead of the online merchant.


For an online version of the story click here



Nominate a deserving Wisconsin business or non-profit for the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics.




For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin or 414-847-6000 (metro Milwaukee), 920-734-4352 (Appleton), 608-268-2221 (Madison) or 1-800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin). Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Twitter, Facebook and You Tube.



ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2013, people turned to BBB more than 132 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 4.5 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org/wisconsin. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 112 local, independent BBBs across North America, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation. BBB Serving Wisconsin was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.