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Dollar Tree review: Return policy 17

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Author of the review
6:37 pm EST
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Good evening,

My name is Mariela, and my complaint involves Store # 4995, Assistant Manager Rosa.

Your return policy states "We will gladly exchange any unopened item with Original receipt". However that is no the case. I presented myself on 12/21 to return 8 bags of cotton balls that were purchased on 12/17, and one nice store employee said we only do exchanges no store credits, I then selected my items to exchange, and stood over 20 minutes on the long line making an exchange for peanuts and handsope surpassing my original purchase, so that the rude assistant store manager can say that my exchange couldn't be done because they are not the same kind of items. I then respond to Rosa the assistant Manager and inform her that what she is saying it's not on the receipt, and her response was it don't matter it is the store policy. Today 12/22 I called the store to requesting to speak with the store manager, but it was not the store Manager that got on the phone it was Rosa again, and she was rude, and told me I remember you and I already told you yesterday that we can't exchange your items for peanuts and that's not going to change because it is our store policy. My reaction to Rosa was your not the store manager and you need help on your customer service skills because you are extremely rude, and she then says well you can call back in 30 minutes to see if the manager is in.

On my end I totally understand that all stores must maintain policy, but what should be honer is what's on the receipt and not a stupid policy that was made at the store level, and that it's not informed to the customers at the time of placing purchases.

I just want to process my return, if you have any questions please call me [protected]

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Update by Mariela Chapina
Dec 24, 2017 5:26 pm EST

You both are [censor] I train people to know the difference in being able to distinguish how to deliver a message to customers, and not disregard any questions from any customer. The fact that this so called assistant manager already received several complaints from other individuals only confirms that she needs customer service skills. By the way, if I was wrong then Corp wouldn’t had called me to take care of my small problem, so yes thank you Corp for gettin rid people that give your stores a bad reputation. Happy Holidays

17 comments
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Charlene Basden
, US
Mar 14, 2021 11:43 am EDT

I'm an assistant manager at a local Dollar Tree. I'm sorry you received poor customer service. Policy does not state it must be exact item. Unfortunately that assistant manager forgot we are here to give customers a great shopping experience. Happy customers keep coming back.

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Shannon Scala
, US
Dec 30, 2019 2:00 am EST

What if you have an original receipt & the item is open & defective or just opened can you still exchange for like item.?TY

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Drsshack
, US
Jul 09, 2019 8:16 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

If the seasonal stuff is out and its before the holiday then the stores I worked at we would allow exchanges. Many times people would over buy and want to return seasonal items later after the holiday was over. Another thing people tried was returns from the previous summer once our summer stuff was out on the sales floor. It would ring up as a penny instead of a dollar. Dishonest people are everywhere and the profit is quite low when people want the store to take the hit when they make a mistake or buy too much. Seasonal items are held until the next year unless candy or food. We boxed it up and stored it in the backroom. There were few items reduced to sell after a holiday unless it was perishable.

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Drsshack
, US
May 13, 2019 12:43 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I worked for this company for 2 1/2 years as an assistant manager. I can tell you that this policy was a headache for me as a manager, along with the coupon policy. Customers simply try to get something for nothing or if they overbought for a party or whatever it was, they wanted exchanges without a receipt, or wanted to return seasonal items 6 months after the holiday was long gone. This policy is clearly stated on every single receipt and customers do NOT read it before getting rude at the employees when they want us to bend the rules. Honestly, it was the single most frustrating thing for me and the only thing that customers were unhappy about. for the most part EVERYONE is happy-EVERYTHING is really a dollar! We always refunded to difference if it was just tax. This required an override from a member of management. We could not, by law in WI, take food as an exchange-due to the fact that if it may have been tampered with-we could not resell it after the exchange. We would always return if defective or if the customer was dissatisfied, or thought the food item was not good. If the customer had no receipt and the items were clearly not opened and not tampered with in original packaging, we would exchange it without a receipt. Habitual returns from the same customer would not be honored without a receipt, because people did steal from the store and we knew who these familiar customers were. We were not allowed to accuse anyone of theft, but as a manager, I can tell you I knew who they were. I usually would offer them aggressive hospitality instead and soon they would not come into to the store if they saw me working after some time passed. fine by me-I didn't have to watch them for an hour! My advice-take your return with the receipt and don't try to get a food item in exchange for your taxable item. It should work no matter what they try to pull then. Get some toothpaste or some party plates for your cotton balls. and be POLITE! Managers don't make the rules, we just have to uphold the policy, even if we don't agree! I got coached once for refusing to allow a customer to return a plate that was broken, so be mindful if its your fault-its a dollar-just buy another one-if YOU broke the plate!

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Bokchoy
, US
Jul 09, 2019 6:52 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Drsshack

so what about seasonal items? It doesn't say anything on the receipt about seasonal items. I tried returning unopened, non-food, 4th of July items and was told that i couldn't exchange them because they're seasonal.

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Eric Sipfle
, US
Jul 27, 2019 2:59 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Drsshack

If not on clearly visible sign in a prominant location, corporate policy is Larceny by Fraud, and criminal and actionable under the UCC. Ask your lawyers. Putting a condition on a receipt, which is given AFTER the exchange is of no legal value.

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Rozy Roan
, US
Nov 30, 2018 3:31 pm EST

Looks like Dollar tree needs to add "exchange for LIKE or same item" instead of leaving it up to interpretation that an item can be exchanged for anything else. I've never had trouble returning an item. I think I got a refund once. Or maybe it was an exchange.

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Exceptions
, US
Nov 17, 2018 9:59 pm EST

I clearly understand the return policy, but I worked retail for many years and some times you have to make exceptions. I received two makeup brushes in a gift basket, of course I don't have a receipt because I won this gift basket at a fund raiser. I kept everything else that was in this gift basket that clearly was purchased at the Dollar tree, wanted to exchange them for two items that I would use. I shop in this store at least twice a week, so it is not like I'm a stranger to the employees. Well I was there on 11-16-18, was I not only told by the checkout operator (Sue) that I could not do that, then the guy that was managing and standing at the other register told me VERY rudely and quite loudly that I could not do it. I may not be the youngest person, but I'm not hard of hearing! So yes, I do understand the policy, but NOW just the way I was treated, I will most likely never buy another item from that store. There are exceptions to every rule, and when you live in a small town like I do, you truly do not want to lose customers.

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Sulphur7
, US
Dec 23, 2017 10:09 am EST

Contact Corporate for clarification.

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Sulphur7
, US
Dec 27, 2017 6:02 pm EST
Replying to comment of

Keep wondering snowflake, but don't strain your brain too much. You can't afford to lose anymore I.Q. points.

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Jaree
, US
Dec 22, 2017 9:52 pm EST

You must be real young to mistake being told no as 'rude" Just because someone tell you something that you do not want to hear does not mean that they were rude, grow up. She does not need help with her customer service skills, you need to grow up and stop mistaking being told no, as rude and having poor customer service. Also apparently you do not speak English well, because clearly if you knew how to speak English you would know that "exchange" means that they will give you the same item that you purchased not another item, So to put this in a simple way so that someone with the intelligence of a six year old can understand, you can only exchange cotton balls for the same item, cotton balls. You cannot exchange cotton balls for peanuts. Please do not mistake your inability to read and as the manager being rude when she stuck by what the receipt said.

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Joss Stine
, US
Nov 02, 2018 11:14 am EDT
Replying to comment of Jaree

Why would you exchange for the same item unless it was defective?

I understand edible items being off limits, but if you need a package of pencils instead of cotton balls, and item was NOT opened, why not exchange?

Dollar tree where I live is very good about that.

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GURL..r0ckband.last..name
, US
May 12, 2019 11:35 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Jaree

They didn’t exchange because there was tax on the cotton balls and not the food. This happens often. Op just has trouble comprehending language.

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Eric Sipfle
, US
Jul 27, 2019 2:51 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Jaree

You don't speak English very well either, and even your response is rude.

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Eric Sipfle
, US
Jul 27, 2019 2:55 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Jaree

If not on clearly visible sign on a prominant location, corporate policy is Larceny by Fraud, and criminal and actionable under the UCC. Ask your lawyers.

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Wolf909
, US
Dec 23, 2019 4:35 pm EST
Replying to comment of Jaree

STFU.

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Todd Isler
, US
Apr 19, 2021 7:49 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Joss Stine

I do not understand edible items being off-limits. The refund policy explicitly States any item may be exchanged with original receipt. Any obviously means anything and everything in the store no exceptions.