Yay, credit card mistake!

I ordered a Socket Wireless CompactFlash card for my Axim from Staples (special ordered it from Ingram Micro so that I could pricematch it), but discovered that it was defective when it arrived. So, Staples sent me a prepaid UPS return label. I sent it back, and purchased a perfectly-functional D-Link wireless CF card for my Axim. It was only @29.99 after rebates @ CompUSA. I hate their return policy though.

I ordered it from Staples for $136 - $20 coupon = $116, but today I checked my AMEX account online and it looks like Staples refunded me $136, so I got an extra $20 out of the deal!

There is no way I'm going to call Staples and let them know of their mistake. It's clearly indicated on my invoice that I paid $116 for this card, and if they choose to look past the big black letters stating "$20 off $100" then it's their own damn fault. Moral ATers, don't spout your rhetoric to me.

Nice birthday present for me though!

<-- Loves July 17th.

EDIT: bolded and italicized to (hopefully) keep out the rifraff.

 

[TJN23]

good for you...

 

[chin311]

a free 20$ is always nice :beer:

 

[spidey07]

Way to steal dude. Yay for you.

f'in criminal.

 

Originally posted by: spidey07
Way to steal dude. Yay for you.

f'in criminal.

Yeah, it's totally my fault that the dolts at the Staples warehouse can't read.

I'm assuming your comment was sarcastic.

 

[isekii]

they're gonna charge the right amount in a bit. Don't be to happy yet

 

Originally posted by: isekii
they're gonna charge the right amount in a bit. Don't be to happy yet

Well, I hope they won't, but if they do I have no reason to complain.

 

[Mr N8]

Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

 

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

I jump started someone's car last night...granted, it was part of my job at UMDPS, but I guess every little bit helps!

 

[rutchtkim]

same thing happened to me, returned something that cost over $150, used a $30 off coupon, got refunded the entire original amount.

 

[dman]

Nice. What goes around comes around.

 

[freebee]

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

Yeah, its all coming from the freebee penalty fund of 2+ grand I'm paying back. They found out about some things.....I don't think they would care about 20 bucks though.

 

Originally posted by: freebee

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

Yeah, its all coming from the freebee penalty fund of 2+ grand I'm paying back. They found out about some things.....I don't think they would care about 20 bucks though.

Care to explain? I'm interested.

 

[freebee]

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: freebee

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

Yeah, its all coming from the freebee penalty fund of 2+ grand I'm paying back. They found out about some things.....I don't think they would care about 20 bucks though.

Care to explain? I'm interested.

Lets just say, among miltiple coupon and pricematching, (which was all perfectly legal)....there was also some returns such as you described. (wasn't 20 bucks though..lot more than that). Well, only thing is, being an employee, and they claimed it violated every ethics policy of protecting company assests, intellectual fraud, etc. So, I basically was ordered to pay back 2 grand as an "interpretated ethics violation" rather than any direct illegal action. Obviously I no longer work there.....however, its probably more costly to fight the ethics matter in court, rather than just pay the fee.

 

[stonecold3169]

I'm guessing lots of people will get away with this sorta thing. Basically, as I understand it, when you return something, they put in the transaction number. This number goes through to some dedicated staples server, so that they know what you bought on that transaction (so you couldn't fake a receit, because they know just what you bought that day). Then they scan the item, it checks with the server to make sure you bought it, and then it checks the CURRENT price of the item and spit sthat out as the return value, not the value when you bought it.

Thus, in the process coupons aren't checked, because the way that it displays current price, if the customer had a large order, of say 20-30 items, checking the current price of all of them and totaling it to see if the coupon is still valid, or tallying all the old prices to check and see is cumbersome and not worth Staple's effort.


Of course, in your case where you had 1 item, it seems silly... but in large orders it makes more sense

 

[freebee]

Originally posted by: stonecold3169
I'm guessing lots of people will get away with this sorta thing. Basically, as I understand it, when you return something, they put in the transaction number. This number goes through to some dedicated staples server, so that they know what you bought on that transaction (so you couldn't fake a receit, because they know just what you bought that day). Then they scan the item, it checks with the server to make sure you bought it, and then it checks the CURRENT price of the item and spit sthat out as the return value, not the value when you bought it.

Thus, in the process coupons aren't checked, because the way that it displays current price, if the customer had a large order, of say 20-30 items, checking the current price of all of them and totaling it to see if the coupon is still valid, or tallying all the old prices to check and see is cumbersome and not worth Staple's effort.


Of course, in your case where you had 1 item, it seems silly... but in large orders it makes more sense

There is no dedicated Staples server with transaction numbers. Because everything can be overriden on multiple levels. There are store systems, dot com systems, etc. They don't "talk" to one another. Which is how multi-channel fraud takes place. There are occasionally different CURRENT prices in both systems, even among different regions. Apparently such trading of merchandise is also an ethics violation because it involves inside information.

 

[kmac1914]

Yea, that same thing happened to me once with something i bought from Target...I bought a game using a $15 off coupon, and when i returned it later, they refunded the full amount to my card.

 

[dirtboy]

It never ceases to amaze me that people will sacrifice what little honesty and integrity they have over such a small amount like $20. I'm sure next time when someone makes a mistake that isn't in your favor that you'll come here whining and nobody here will feel sorry for you.

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: dirtboy
It never ceases to amaze me that people will sacrifice what little honesty and integrity they have over such a small amount like $20. I'm sure next time when someone makes a mistake that isn't in your favor that you'll come here whining and nobody here will feel sorry for you.

who cares about ethics, as long as chances are low of getting caught i don't see anything wrong with making $20

 

[dud]

Ylen13, you just proved dirtboy's point. How ironic ...

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: Ylen13

Originally posted by: dirtboy
It never ceases to amaze me that people will sacrifice what little honesty and integrity they have over such a small amount like $20. I'm sure next time when someone makes a mistake that isn't in your favor that you'll come here whining and nobody here will feel sorry for you.

who cares about ethics, as long as chances are low of getting caught i don't see anything wrong with making $20

I care about ethics. For example, last week, I could have walked away with a whole box of Viagra samples. These samples are given free to physicians, so it wouldn't be stealing if I took them right? I tried to rationalize stealing the Viagra, but decided that taking them is WRONG.

I'm not saying that Jumpr's situation is unethical. In fact, why should he go through the trouble of fixing Staples's mistake?

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

I jump started someone's car last night...granted, it was part of my job at UMDPS, but I guess every little bit helps!

Aha! That explains your handle.

 

Think about this for a second. Say the situation is somewhat reversed, and goes like this: I ordered a pack of pens from staples for $0.97 and they mistakenly charged me $10.97 for the pens. Now, say that I'm not a meticulous OCD student who checks his financial records every day, and I just pay my credit card bill without reconciling it every month.

Would Staples come back a month later and tell me that they made a mistake and refund me the $10? They sure as hell wouldn't, unless I brought it to their attention. Key words there: UNLESS I BROUGHT IT TO THEIR ATTENTION. If Staples doesn't bring it to my attention, then I feel that I'm under no obligation to return their $20 to them.

All I'm saying is this: I have an extra $20 now. Woohoo; good for me. If Staples takes it back, then fine - I'm no worse off than I was before, and I won't be upset. Disappointed, maybe - but not upset. If they never bring it to my attention again, then I'm no worse for the wear, and I'll just consider it my own personal 'restocking fee' that I charged Staples for having to go find another good wireless card and sending in a rebate for it.

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: freebee

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: freebee

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Think of it like this:
Staples has ripped so many people off, that you are just collecting a little bit of it back.

What did you do to get this little bit of good karma?

Yeah, its all coming from the freebee penalty fund of 2+ grand I'm paying back. They found out about some things.....I don't think they would care about 20 bucks though.

Care to explain? I'm interested.

Lets just say, among miltiple coupon and pricematching, (which was all perfectly legal)....there was also some returns such as you described. (wasn't 20 bucks though..lot more than that). Well, only thing is, being an employee, and they claimed it violated every ethics policy of protecting company assests, intellectual fraud, etc. So, I basically was ordered to pay back 2 grand as an "interpretated ethics violation" rather than any direct illegal action. Obviously I no longer work there.....however, its probably more costly to fight the ethics matter in court, rather than just pay the fee.

sounds like you knew what you were doing was wrong.

 

[PatboyX]

this tends to be one of those classic moral issues...
but...
i never see it as being a problem. someone messes up in my favor, unless i know im taking from an individual, i wouldnt think twice about keeping that 20.