Don't buy a TV from Walmart

[Muse]

I ordered an Avera 40" 4K from them a few months ago and the box arrived on my porch with a pretty big ding in a corner and I decided I didn't want to take a chance on it and brought the box to a Walmart store unopened. This was Dec. 12, 2018. The returns line was pretty long. When it was my turn they insisted on opening the sealed box and inspecting the contents and then told me they would only issue me a gift card, wouldn't refund my credit card.

I think they said something about that involving the fact that I'd used Chase Pay when I made the purchase. That was a payment option and something I'd never heard of before and never used since. It was an offering by Chase that gave me IIRC 5% discount when making that purchase.

I figured I had to accept that, wouldn't argue. I made a purchase a month or so ago for ~$12 using the gift card, had $187.09 left on it and checked the balance the other day and it was $0.00! I call Walmart and they tell me to send them an email with details and they would respond within 48 hours. I did and their response was beyond 48 hours, actually about double that and they said they have no responsibility, that I'm SOL:

Thank you for reaching out about this issue, <my first name>. We understand your concern about your gift card being used without your permission. Unfortunately, Walmart is not liable for lost, stolen or compromised funds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For any questions, comments or concerns, please review our Gift Card Terms and Conditions on Walmart.com by clicking on this link: https://help.walmart.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/57/kw/gift card compromised./track/CvMAjgr3Dv94~WIvGoQe~yLp4ewq5S75Mv~9~zj~PP80

My thread in OT Discussion: Walmart apparently hacked!!! I will never trust Walmart for a (for me) big ticket item again.

Closed as this has nothing to do with displays and everything to do with Walmart. You already have a thread about it in OT. Please continue posting in that.

admin allisolm

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, Walmart's a really poor store to deal with in terms of customer service.
I ordered two 12-pair sock packages, they open the pack and sent me 24 loose socks.

I should have received 24 pairs of socks, not 24 socks, in two sealed retail packages.

 

[Muse]

I've had several things go wrong at Walmart but they've never dicked me before. I'm wondering if I can bring them to Small Claims Court. If so, I sort of think they'll just fix me rather than go to the trouble of dealing with it. I don't have a lawyer to ask. Anyone know?

 

[mopardude87]

I used to work at a company that tested electronics that came back from like Amazon and Walmart and well i saw veterans not properly testing items. There was times i would call out said people for not properly testing items. Not trying to get them in trouble kind of deal but so that those exact items don't got down the line to be retested and come back with the team leader on their rear about it. My favorite moment was when i found the serial number on the HS/HX500 Plantronics which was very hidden and so well that 3 team leaders said skip it but when i found it i guess i made more people upset then i should have. Had one team leader sarcastically ask me if i wanted his job. Part of the job is making sure said times are serial number matched to the box and other items.Helps keep track of these items as well as they all get logged in on a computer system.

Saw enough of the housephones to sink a house boat, we tested everything but if they had a dial tone cause you know everything on a house phone will work sometimes but a dial tone if like your phone line got hit by lightning so the jack itself gets fried but nothing else. Very nerve wrecking to put a "fully functional" phone back into a box without testing what is honestly the most important thing cause our workstations lacked a phone jack to even test them.

The above experience certainly has scared me away from buying any electronics online from either Amazon or Walmart .I hear sometimes people would buy new and get refurbished and well now you know how little regard things are tested.I got other examples but geez i could be here all day telling people about them.

 

[mindless1]

This is the opposite of my experience. A few years back I ordered a 4K TV. At the time I didn't know about the whole 3K RGBW nonsense and upon discovering this in testing the TV, decided to return it.

Looked up their return police and found it was 90 days, much longer than the typical 30 days and they take back pretty much anything for any reason. I just took the TV in, told them it's not really 4K and got a full refund. The return line wasn't long either, though possibly this was due to time and day of week? Don't remember those details.

Anyway I would have handled this differently. That is shipping damage, so I would have wanted a replacement or a full refund. I don't think it is legal for them to force a gift card on you for an arrived-damaged product return, so I would not have accepted that at all, whether I had to get a manager or higher up involved, or left with the TV and went to a different store to return it where they knew WTF they're doing.

Then again I know nothing of this Chase Pay. If Walmart has terms and conditions that state Chase Pay cannot be a refund and must instead be a gift card then that might be a strange exception to it being illegal, but I still doubt it. That would open a huge can of worms of every merchant out there making crazy terms, sending known damaged merchandise, just to guarantee a customer had to accept a gift card so further sales or loss of funds was guaranteed.

On second thought, I think I would have just taken the TV home when they refused a refund, contacted walmart and had them pay to ship the damaged TV back and file a shipping insurance claim. The gray area here is a damaged box is not proof of a damaged product, but let them figure that out when the TV gets back to them. If nothing else I would dispute the charge on the credit card, Chase Pay still winds up on some credit card right?

Even now if I were you I would contact walmart corporate and be very much insistent that they make this right.

 

[killster1]

I've had several things go wrong at Walmart but they've never dicked me before. I'm wondering if I can bring them to Small Claims Court. If so, I sort of think they'll just fix me rather than go to the trouble of dealing with it. I don't have a lawyer to ask. Anyone know?

what about the possibility that someone you know used your walmart card.. i guess i can read the other thread but it doesnt sound like a walmart issue sounds like a giftcard issue. I also would have just had them ship it back and not take it to a store. (not sure why not just buy in the store if its so close) time to get the 55" samsung nu8000

whats funny is i bet the TV was fine (they have decent padding when shipped) but you drive so far and wait in long line and got robbed.. so sad.

 

[Sgt. York]

You might want to read their terms of service that you agreed to. If it's like every other company in the world they will have something about arbitration. Arbitration usually means you lose.