I've been officially banned from returning electronic goods to Office Depot in Playa del Carmen. It's quite a funny story and is humorous to tell with tongue in cheek like it is some sort of scandalous tale. That being said it does make shopping difficult in a city with limited retail outlets.
It all started last December when my old HP all-in-one was having trouble receiving faxes. I really didn't want to spend money on a new one, but could not run a business without dual fax capabilities, both spending and receiving. Eventually I paid cash at the Office Depot in Playa for a new Lexmark all-in-one. When I returned home and plugged it in, I noticed that the fax component worked, but it jammed every time I tried to print. After 2 hours of troubleshooting with Lexmark I decided to return the machine.
The first return was complicated. Office Depot has a 7 day return guaranty as long as all the manuals and goods are still in the box, and since I was in the 7 day window I was good to go - or at least I thought. I brought the printer to the counter, said it didn't print correctly and that I'd like to return it. The sales associate called over a tech who took everything out of the box, plugged the printer into a computer and began installing the software. When I questioned what was happening I was surprised to hear that they were testing the printer; I said it did not print, so they were going to see if it printed well. If so, that was essentially their proof it worked and that I could take it back home with me.
I ardently argued that I spent 2 hours on the phone with a tech trying to get the printer to work with my system, and that perhaps the printer would work in a different environment, but since it did not work well with mine I wanted to return it. After a manager was called over, it was finally agreed that I could have my money back.
I took the cash, returned home and unsuccessfully tried to reconfigure my old fax machine so it could receive faxes. When that failed it was time for another trip back to Office Depot to purchase a difference model machine. This time I settled on an HP all-in-one and used my debit card. Once I returned home, installed the printer and tested the fax component I quickly realized it was experiencing the same faxing issue: it could send faxes but not receive.
I wondered whether it was an inherent problem with my system and not the actual HP device itself. Regardless I was not going to spend $200 on a machine with fax issues; I already had one of those at home.
This time when I tried to return it within 7 days of my purchase they refused to accept it since I had "used it". I explained that it could not receive faxes. As expected they pointed the finger at my system. When I mentioned their 7 day return policy they said I could exchange the item or take a store credit. Considering their policy states I can get all my money refunded back, I began to argue, that I was abiding by their return policy and wanted a full refund. Furthermore, Office Depot even goes through the trouble of placing a large green sticker on all electronic purchases saying they can be returned within 7 days for a full refund.
The manager finally relented, but insisted that I was now banned from returning electronic goods at their store. I would only be allowed store credits or exchanges. Also, since I paid with a debit card I would have to receive cash back and not a credit to my card. Since there was not enough money in the teller at this time I would have to wait until someone made a big purchase, like a computer in order to provide enough cash for my return. Wait? Not enough money in the cash register? You've got to be kidding me?! No, he was not.
I knew the manager was just playing with me. He could have given me the money if he really wanted to. But since I treated him disrespectfully by arguing with him, that was my punishment. I spent about 1/2 hour aimlessly wandering the store and then returned to the register only to find out there was still not enough cash. I went home and came back a few hours later. Still not enough cash. They had just emptied the register. Is this a joke, I wondered.
For the next hour I browsed the aisles and checked out the office chairs and tried to find which one was the most comfortable. Finally I approached another manager and pleaded my case. Luckily he was a bit more understanding, went out back to the safe, got me the cash and sent me on my way.
I still shop at Office Depot, but now if I have to return anything I go to the store in Cancun, 1 hour north. We just purchased 2 Microsoft wireless keyboard sets only to realize they are all in Spanish (duh!?!), and all the keys are in different places. This time I sent Allan to the Playa store to place the return. He played the dumb American who doesn't speak Spanish. The sales clerks gave him a hard time and a lot of dirty looks but eventually gave him a full refund. So much for their no hassle return policy.
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