I received a Kushies crib sheet as a baby shower gift that had the Sears price tag still attached to the back. When I opened the package, the crib sheet had a rip in the seam, so I took it back to Sears to exchange it.
The woman told me she would not do a straight exchange without the receipt even though the Sears price tag was still attached. I explained I did not have the receipt because it was a gift, but that all I wanted was a straight exchange for the exact same Kushies crib sheet because the product was defective. She told me I would have to "return" the item and get a refund for the lowest sale price (30% less than what was paid for it) and then buy a new one at full price. She said that was their "return" policy.
I tried explaining again and again that I was not "returning", but rather I was "exchanging" defective merchandise. I talked to the manager, but she just reiterated what the first woman had told me - that was their "return" policy, despite my insistance that this was an EXCHANGE.
I live in the country about half an hour away from the nearest Sears, and I had dragged my newborn out in the winter to deal with this. So I didn't want to go home and have to come back to deal with this... waste of gas and time. It just so happened that day the Kushies crib sheets were on sale for 25% off, so I "returned" the defective crib sheet for the lowest sale price (30% off retail), then bought another exact same crib sheet paying 25% off retail. It ended up costing me a couple of dollars to get a new crib sheet, but in hind sight I should have just sewn it up myself. I just felt like I deserved a new one and Sears was going to be the one to give it to me, I guess...
I filed a complaint with the BBB, but they closed the file saying that was Sears' policy - end of story.
So, I contacted Kushies to let them know how Sears was handling their products. They were DISGUSTED with how Sears had treated me and told me that Sears gets reimbursed for defective merchandise returned to them.
Basically Sears is running a giant money-grubbing scam collecting money for exchanged defective merchandise, then getting fully refunded from the supplier as well.
Kushies was FANTASTIC!! They told me they were going to file their own complaint with Sears about refusing to exchange their product, they apologized profusely for their defective merchandise, and sent my daughter a really nice Kushies toy to help make up for it.
I do not shop at Sears anymore and never will. I only shop at places I feel comfortable knowing that in the unlikely event that I am not satisfied, I have to be certain that company will make it right. Places like Costco accept all returns, refunds, whatever, with or without the receipt - I never hesitate to buy from them.
But never, ever will I set foot in Sears again. They're your best friend until they get your money... just like every other scam artist out there.
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