Have you had terrible experience getting your money back from a store and your bank?
I returned a TV in Best Buy on February 24. I bought it from a different branch but Best Buy accepts returns bought from their other stores. I needed two HDMI cables so the staff took $80 from my original $700 purchase. I got an exchange receipt showing a return, valued at $657.21.
A week passed by and the money had not shown up in my bank account. I went to Best Buy in person three times during the course of another week only to find out they really can’t do anything else. They pointed me to my bank, Wells Fargo.
Wells Fargo told me to wait 15 days(?) It usually takes only a few days but sometimes there are cases when fund return transactions do take that long. It did not happen. Eventually, they told me to call Claims Assistance. That was a good break for me. They gave me a provisional credit of $657.21 which showed up the very next day. All I needed to do was fax them a copy of the exchange receipt. And I did, the very next day.
From that day sometime in March, I foolishly assumed everything was fine. I think it was first week of June when I got a letter from Wells Fargo that they were still working on the claim. I was stupid enough to ignore it. So they were slow, I thought.
Then a few days ago, I got another letter saying they haven’t received the documents they needed to process the claim and they would take back the provisional credit the next day! Oh, crap.
Called them up and pleaded to not do that and I’ll fax that very same day. Luckily I still have the receipt. Someone told me I should have followed up. ( If I got accidentally exposed to Gamma radiation, well, I’m sure she wouldn’t like my reaction )
I called to make sure they got the fax. They did. Two days passed until I discovered they took the money back anyway. I called to appeal. At this point I wished I was exposed to Gamma radiation. They told me the fax was ineligible. Can I send a clearer copy? I asked for their mailing address. It is now, June. Four months since this nightmare began.
Do you think I could still get the money back? And where could that money be at this point? In electronic limbo? Any advise you could provide would be very much appreciated.
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9 Answers
This is when you need someone at Best Buy customer service (corporate, not the store) and Wells Fargo claims on the phone with you at the same time. Best Buy should be able to tell Wells the details of the return credit, Wells can see where it went if they got it.
Good Luck.
A call to your state’s relevant consumer protection authority might be in order, because you’re being taken for a ride by either Best Buy or your bank or both.
I used to take credit cards at my apartment and this exact same thing happened. I didn’t have the money and neither did the resident. The bank did not take responsibility either. We ended up not using Wells Fargo anymore because they refused to do anything for us. I also no longer take credit cards.
You wrote: “And where could that money be at this point? In electronic limbo? ”
Your money was spent on fuel for this guy’s new boat.
I applied for a $75 rebate for the new modem for my computer. Six weeks went by, and got a card saying it was denied because they didn’t have PO or the model number. I called back and politely told them they were full of shit. And further more, I had made copies of the stuff before I sent it off. Kid says, “Oh yes! We have everything we need! I don’t know why they sent you that card!” He promised I’d have the check within 30 days.
It’s been 45. I called, and went through an electronic things,said it was still being processed, and would be finished the next day.
We’ll see. Sometimes I wish I was an attorney.
One night, after researching the new Toshiba Satellite laptop for about a week, I went into Circuit City and bought the laptop with a 17” screen without opening the box to check it out. I put it on the card and went home. That’s usually how I shop. I research the item, go in, get what I want and get out.
When I got it home and eagerly opened the box, it wasn’t a Satellite at all. It wasn’t even a Toshiba. I calmly repacked it just as I found it and took it back to Circuit City within minutes. No problem, I thought; somebody simply made a mistake and this would be easily remedied. When I explained to Customer Service what had happened, they said to go and pick out the Satellite of my choice, but I would have to pay a 15% returned item fee. I had purchased the damn thing only an hour previously. When I pointed out the injustice of the deal, I was led to a 25-ish year-old store manager who was adamant that I should pay the fee even after I’d shown him the time-stamp on my receipt. I pointed out that if he ran my card number in the store computer (I’m not sure if this can actually be done), he would see how much I’d spent at that store in the past (I had the habit of buying most of our office supplies and some basic computer periferals, etc., for our small research facility on my card, then getting refunded by the lab, so the amount purchased over the year was quite significant for an individual.) This had no effect on him. It was store was policy and that was that.
The child-manager not only stood on this rediculous policy, but actually began to get snarky with me. I nearly became livid. I might have raised my voice a bit. People were gathering around us like a train wreck or some other form of ugly entertainment. I had never before came so close to absolutely losing it in public. I began to appeal to the customers around us, asking them if they thought it was a fair deal. Crickets. This didn’t help my case. Before there was more of a public scene, and about an hour into this thing, the little twerp realized he was either going to have to call the cops to have me removed (I can’t believe I actually risked arrest over this, but I was beyond thinking clearly at this point—I couldn’t believe this was happening!) or just simply send me on my way with the right computer sans fee as I was ready to stay after closing to press my case. I wasn’t going anywhere. He wisely chose the latter. I finally got my computer just before closing and have told this horror story at every opportunity in an attempt to hurt this store. I have never come so close to violence in my life over a business transaction. This isn’t me at all. I’m not proud of this, but, like I said, I nearly lost it. The fee was nearly $150 as the laptop cost around $700 at the time.
I have never shopped at Circuit City again and trash it every chance I get. That specific store has since closed as I would like to think it couldn’t stand up to the competition from the Best Buy across the street. I think the chain has actually gone out of business now. I would really like to think I had something to do with that, but I’m sure that is foolish. Man, I’ll never forget that night. Freaking nightmare.
If you’re still having difficulties getting your money back, you could try contacting one of your local news channels. They may have an investigations department specializing in investigating companies who are ripping people off. Usually, companies don’t like negative attention and will most likely respond quicker if a news station gets involved. Sad to say, but true.
More than likely, someone at your bank is failing to take responsibility because they’re too lazy or lack of communication between persons over there. Can you just send in the receipt by certified mail? That way someone has to sign for it.
@zenvelo Just talked to Best Buy “post purchase assistance” and was told the “back office” staff wants me to go back to the store and talk to the manager. I’m wary the manager would just tell me to go check with Wells Fargo. This time I’m bringing in my bank statements to prove there was no refund made from Best Buy.
I got on chat with a CS rep regarding my rebate. I told him I was taking screen prints.
Considering the chat box was as big as the screen, and in a size 14 font, it was easy. I said that if we didn’t get this resolved ASAP I was going to take it all to my attorney. I said, “You know, it isn’t even about the money any more. This is about ripping people off.” I could tell the poor guy was hollering for his bosses to tell him what to say. Which was just more BS, of course.
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