Home Depot return policy change without notification

[Larry Frank]

One part of the confusion was when the OP stated "I return a lot to HD". This may have confused some people as to the purpose of the post. Maybe, we misunderstood the post.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Here's another twist on HD. Here they don't consider Ace to be a competitor, even though there is an Ace store located half way between two local stores. But they do consider Amazon to be a competitor. Go figure!

[Chris Padilla]

I did a chat with the HD representative and she assured me that if I registered for the HD website (which I was already registered on) and if I put in the credit card I planned to use, they would tie the purchase to me through the credit card and email me a receipt.

She also said that I could register multiple credit cards. I had an old credit card on the account - I hadn't checked the account in a long time. But we shall see the next time I buy something there.

Mike

Cool. I'll have to do that. I'm tired of keeping track of paper receipts although my HD, so far, has let me slide WITHOUT a receipt or two HOWEVER, via my credit card used, they found my receipt anyway so no biggie.

[mreza Salav]

Here in Canada if you purchase with your CC you can return (without receipt) if you have your CC and they can track it down.
I'm not sure if it's good that they keep my CC information but it sure is easy for returns as I really don't need to keep a receipt.

[John Lankers]

IMO, the generous return policies many big box stores are offering are a form of courtesy and in no way are they obligated to do so and if I owned a retail store my policy would be - no receipt no return.
I can't say whether HD has changed their return policy but I could easily understand why they would. Walmart released last years numbers a few weeks ago and they posted (if I remember correctly) $8 Billion - with a 'B' shrinkage due to theft and fraud.
My son worked part time at the local, relatively small, CO OP hardware store while in High School when the lady working the customer service counter made up fake cash returns and was eventually charged with theft over $150.000. She was picked up by police at home while hosting a big family event.
I'm not saying that any HD employees are dishonest, but at our CO OP it was the employee causing great damage. As I am a CO OP member she also affected my bottom line.

[Michael Arruda]

Sorry if I made it sound like I was in HD returning items every week. Most returns I make in the year are to Home Depot, which amounts to 1 a month or so. Let's say 12 returns a year. Of those 12, 3-4 are without a receipt.

I do agree that the whole return policy is a courtesy extended to the consumer, and it can be removed or augmented at will. Though I have utilized returns without a receipt on cash purchases, I can honestly understand why it would be changed, and to that point, I don't take issue. For every person like me that sees it as a convenience, I'm sure there's at least 1 or 2 others that see it as an opportunity for fraud. For instance, I met a guy that got a couple cases of something or another at a trade show. He found out the next week after looking at retailers, that Wal-Mart carried the exact same thing, so he proceeded to return the cans, two or three at a time, over a couple months, and was quite happy with himself to have turned nothing into $200 worth of credit at Wal-Mart. He didn't see a problem with it, as Wal-Mart is still making money on reselling the item, but I told him it's fraud, plain and simple.

The issue I take here is that the policy has been modified without notice. It's pretty sneaky. As far as it being isolated, I don't think so- if you look upstream, one of the first commenters noted they had to deal with the same thing. I was also told this information not only by The Retail Equation, the comply that HD uses to verify returns, but also from HD corporate customer service.

Honestly, I'm surprised so many stores have such lenient return policies, with so many people trying to make a fast buck in our society today. If it was all changed tomorrow I wouldn't fault any of them- just tell your customers and your employees.

-Michael

PS- Home depot tracks ALL credit and debit purchases, their own card and any others you use, as well as check payments, so if you use any of those options, returns will proceed as normal, regardless of receipt or not. This only pertains to untracked sales that can't be looked up- cash, gift card and store credit.

[David C. Roseman]

Guess I don't understand what the fuss over the return policy is. Just make the purchases with a credit card. For me, it's much more convenient than cash, and Home Depot is way ahead of most retailers when it comes to ease of returns of cc purchases. For years they have digitally archived every purchase you make with a cc. Doesn't have to be a Home Depot card. No need to keep a paper receipt. No need to have one emailed to you (who really wants more email clutter, anyway??). When you return an item, just hand the clerk the card you bought it with. He/she can instantly pull up the confirmation, with date and price, and credit the return back to the card. What could be easier than that? Plus, use one of the better cash-back cards and all the purchases will instantly be at least 1 percent cheaper, and made with OPM until the next billing cycle, so long as you don't carry over a balance.

[Mike Schuch]

I understand your frustraition and have some sympathy. There is another end of the spectrum when it comes to returns. Photography is another of my hobbies and I also frequent photography forums. More than a few photographers BRAG about buying the latest greatest cameras and lenses from what ever online store and keep them 59 days to play with then return them for what ever excuse. One photographer was absolutely incrediolous that Amazon canceled his Prime account and black listed him permantly from Amazon for too many returns. The rest of the forum didn't have much sympathy for him.

My girlfriend has a coworker that buys the latest and greatest TV from Costco, keeps it for 11 months, then returns it and buys the next latest and greatest TV... and has been doing this for years.

Too me both these mentalities are little more than theives and add cost to everything that I purchase.

Same girlfriend, had a house completely destroyed by tennants. Over the course of 2 years we gutted the house and completely refurbished it for my gf to live in with her son. We easily spent over $10,000 between Lowes and Home Depot. After the house was (mostly) finished we returned about $800 worth of unused thises and thats. Home Depot had the easier return policy of the two. I do not feel bad about returning that $800 in merchandise. And we do frequent HD more than Lowes because of their better return policy.

It seems to me return policies should be some where between making customers angry for not allowing any returns and letting customers ripp off the store by having too generous of a return policy. I think blacklisting customers from returns should be made on a customer by customer basis under the descression of a human looking at what was bought and what was returned.

Me... If Idon't need those #8 screws this project I am confident I will use them in a later project... as a matter of fact I usually buy the bulk boxes of screws. After 25 years of doing my own plumbing, purchasing the fittings I need and might need then hanging onto the extras in my plumbing fitting drawers I still never have the fitting I need!

[John M Bailey]

I cant imagine being desperate enough to darken the door of Lowest or Home Despot.
I

[Mike Schuch]

I cant imagine being desperate enough to darken the door of Lowest or Home Despot.
I

The local lumber shop is always first for materials.... but they aren't open during the evenings and weekends when I need the quick what ever to finish a project. I have also scored great deals at both HD and Lowes. We picked up a $400 60" quarts vanity top for $25. It had a huge chip in one corner BUT it was going into a 54" opening so it didn't matter.

Before we started the house project I told my GF to assume that what ever a HD/Lowes employee tells you is pure fiction and you will come out ahead 75% of the time!

[Carl Hunsinger]

In that light, it seems the path HD has taken is preferable to alternatives, such as having to check bags when entering the store, or having all bags, pockets, and receipts checked when leaving the store. If you do like the privilege of buying extra items, just in case, then keeping the receipts, using a credit card, or having email receipts sent is a relatively small inconvenience.

Just my hang up, maybe, but if I were ever searched either coming or going, that would the last time they would ever see me.

Carl

[Matt Meiser]

Doubt they want to discourage the "I'll buy extra and return what I don't need" crowd (which I'm part of.) Bet the amount of stuff that doesn't get returned is far greater than the cost of taking the returns that do. I know when I moved I had boxes of extra hardware, electrical and plumbing do-dads saved for another time. Then the other time would come and I couldn't remember what I had so I'd buy extra. Over and over.

[Enrico Caruso]

I have my own gripe with Lowe's 10% discount policy for veterans, which they brag about and, which I, as a proud veteran and American Legion member have availed myself to. On my last trips to different Lowe's stores, I was refused the veteran discount because they will no longer recognize the American Legion card as proof that you are a veteran. They are now requiring a special card which must be obtained from the VA office. There is no VA office near me, and I am unable to drive (40 miles to get one), so I am SOL on getting one. Again a poor example of an unannounced policy change.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Mike, I'm not sure if you can sign up for email receipts on the web site. Looking through my account settings online, I don't see an option where I can opt in to emailed receipts. I had to sign up using the pin pad/card reader in the store.

But maybe it's all linked so that if you have an email address associated with your credit card online, it will identify your email address at the register and give you the option. If so, that would be pretty slick.

But you might need to do it next time you're in the store.

Every time I make a purchase one of the steps at the register is a question asking if I want the receipt e-mailed to me. I know I'm plenty paranoid but I always decline, figuring I don't need to provide another avenue for them to spam to me.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Tip: sign up to have your receipts emailed to you. I assume this is an option for everybody, but here in Seattle, you can do an email receipt. For credit card purchases, it remembers my email address and the prompter asks me if I want my receipt emailed to me. For cash purchases, I assume you have to re-type your email address each time, but if you're worried about the above scenario, this is the only way to go. Or just keep your receipt. Or just us a credit card (i personally go this route since I want the airline miles and I don't like to carry cash). Good to know though!

yes! This works great! I usually get the email before I've left the parking lot. Gmail nicely filters them all into a Home Depot folder too