A Wal-Mart Beware!

Hey everyone,

I recently had bought the entire set of Sex and the City DVDs from my local Wal-Mart store. They don't come as a full set, but rather you purchase individual DVDs for around $20 apiece.

All of the DVD cases were in great shape, but the cellophane wrapping on them was loose on most and ripped on some. Not thinking it a big deal since it didn't affect the product, I bought them.

Well one week I went and saw that they were all marked down several dollars and there were only a few on the shelf. Since I didn't think I had the final DVD (Season 6 - Part 2) I bought the last one on the shelf and went on my merry way.

I got home that night and realized I had the entire set and so put the on sale one back in my purse to be returned the next time I went to town.

I live WAY out in the country, about a 1/2 an hour drive from town, so a week later when we had call to return to town, I made sure my DVD and receipt was in my purse and off we went. I went to the customer service counter to return the DVD and was told I could not return it as the 'package was already opened'.

*Note: It wasn't.. as I said, most of them had ripped or shoddy cellophane wrapping. This particular DVD had a large rip along the bottom.. the cellophane was tight against the package and it obviously had never been pulled out, but as the SATC sets don't have security seals since the cases are different from most DVDs, I had no real proof. In fact the other copy I had at home was only partially wrapped in cellophane, as well, so neither would be deemed returnable even though I bought both like that.*

The she proceeds to pull it right out of the packaging. I was aware it could come out, but I was also very aware that putting it back in the packaging it would be very visible that it had been removed, thus why I had not done so.

I asked to speak to a manager and this woman came out, asked me very rudely WHY I was returning the OPENED movie after a week (Umm, because that's as often as I go to town, and someone working at a Wal-Mart in an agri town should understand that) also refused to take it back, refused to discuss it with me or listen to what I was telling her, and told me I'd have to speak with the electronics manager and see what she said.

The next day I called to speak to the electronics manager and was told she was on break, so my dad who was by now just as frustrated as I was, told me he'd drive me into town to talk to her face to face. I grabbed the first copy I had and receipt for that one (also with the ripped packaging) to prove to them I already had a copy. We got there and she'd already gone home for the day, so I talked to the CSR at the electronics counter and explained my situation to him.

He understood and said that many DVDs arrived with ripped or torn packaging and that they usually just taped them up, so he took me up front where the same rude manager was standing. Before she even looked at the DVD she ignored me, looked at him and said, 'No, we won't allow it to be returned, it was already opened and she bought it a week ago'.

He plead my case, and told her that they often have DVDs with ripped packages, I showed them the original DVD and receipt and after 10 minutes she finally relented, shoved my receipt at me, slammed the DVD on the Customer Service counter telling them to 'claim it' and walked away. The other CSR working at that counter who was the same idiot one from the day before, grabbed the original DVD and pulled that one out of it's cellophane, too, to prove to the electronics CSR how 'easy it is to make it look like it's never been out', and then couldn't put it back in correctly, and then just handed it back to me with the cellophane in a ball on top.

Then she proceeded to LECTURE me on their policy and told me I'd never be able to return a DVD again, so I'd better understand this was special circumstances.

I have never been more embarrassed or angry about a shopping experience in my life. It was not my fault that the packaging was ripped on the shelf, and why would I go through all the trouble when I already had a copy of the DVD and brought it along to prove it?

Just a word of warning to any Wal-Mart shoppers -- NEVER buy DVDs or CDs with ripped packaging, as they are NOT returnable even though the poor packaging is not your fault.

I was told by another Wal-Mart employee that in most cases if you buy a non-functioning DVD, if it has any surface damage they will blame it on you and not allow you to return it, even if they existed when you bought it.

Beware the Wal-Mart DVD.