H&M - Really bad experience today

[mpbabes]

I had a really bad experience today at H&M. I have sent the following email to their head office looking for an explanation on their store policy:

"
I am writing to you today about a poor experience in one of your stores.
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I went in with the hopes of exchanging a pair of pants my daughter received as a gift for some t-shirts and tights. When I arrived at the counter I gave my items to the cashier and she proceeded to ask me for photo ID, since I didn’t have a receipt, which I did not have. I was surprised, as I didn’t know this was your policy, and explained to the cashier that I didn’t have any ID with me, and why did she require it. “It’s store policy,” she said. I said to her, “ok, but I don’t drive, so I don’t carry ID with me.” At this point, another cashier, who was serving another customer, very rudely responded to me, “I don’t drive either, but there’s other forms of ID you know? Health cards or passports.” I turned to this rather snarky woman, and said to her, “well, if you must know, my health card does not have my photo and I think it’s rather ridiculous to bring in a passport to change a pair of pants.” I proceeded to ask the rude one, “Can you explain to me the logic behind requiring photo ID?” All she could say was that it’s store policy. The cashier who was serving me offered that she could do a straight exchange to a different size of the same pants, but I told her size wasn’t the issue, I didn’t like the never-worn, with tags attached, pants. I put the pants back in my bag and left. I tracked down the person who gave them to my daughter as a gift and asked them to return them and get their money back. I was very surprised at the lack of customer service and the cashier’s inability to, instead of diffuse a situation, make the situation worse. I left the store livid.
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So now I ask you, I want to understand the logic behind asking for photo ID, as this is a ridiculous policy. There is no benefit to this as, what are they going to compare my photo to, my face? There is nothing with the item attaching it to me in any way, not a name, not anything, so why do they need photo ID??? My name and my picture are irrelevant to a return. All you need to know, really, is that I am unsatisfied with the product and want to bring it back. This is not a major legal transaction, this was a pair of $20 pants. I feel very strongly about this, as, it’s not that I went into the store without a receipt out of my own volition. Your stores do not offer gift receipts! So what do you offer to that person who genuinely has no photo identification? A passport is not a requirement. They are completely out of luck????
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I am perfectly happy to adhere to policies that make sense to me and I am perfectly happy to stop shopping at stores that treat me badly. So please explain your policy to me, as I don’t know any other store who treats customers as, quite frankly, thieves."

I have never been treated so badly at a store in my life. The cashier, who wasn't even serving me, was so rude and she couldn't even explain why they need ID.....grrrrr....I can't WAIT to hear back from them.

[reallyloveyourstuff]

That's absolutely ludicrous! That is easily one of the most inane things I've heard like what the ?

[marchBB]

It's increasingly common for mandatory photo ID for no receipt transactions. I've had to show photo ID at Sephora and at another retail store when I wanted to exchange items without proof of purchase. I believe it's to reduce fraudulent transactions...I can see how showing a government issued photo ID can help prevent criminals from providing false information.
I know that carries into the topic fake ID's but companies can still try?

Sorry to hear that their customer service was so rude to you though.

[Sally888]

I'm pretty sure they are not supposed to even ask to see your health card.

[caroman]

I agree with not asking for id of any kind. I see no reason to provide id just to exchange an item w/o a receipt. I don't see the need to fill out your name address and phone number either as some stores have you do. I like easy returns/exchanges and will avoid some stores just for the way they handle these situations.
on an aside- I like H&M for the prices and styles but I find the customer service at mine to be lame. No help unless you ask for it, no customer interaction at the till (talk to me ,I'm buying something in your store!) and just a sense of not caring.

[marchBB]

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[xox2010]

They shouldn't have been rude to you, but asking for photo id when someone has no receipt is a procedure followed by pretty much every store I know of.
Like another poster said, it helps to cut down on fraud.

[glenglen]

It's illegal to ask for a health card in Saskatchewan there was a big story on it here last year,sears asks for I'D when you return something here even with a bill I stopped shopping there as they always want your phone # address when making a purchase,, so dumbbbbbbbbbb

[roseofblack25]

it's pretty much standard now to ask for id when returning stuff...it's unfortunate but this is where our society is heading...

I know for myself where I work we can't accept any refunds unless you have a receipt with the transaction number and photo id...if you don't have one or the other we can't accept the return. Our computer system makes us enter the transaction id first then we have to fill out all of the customers identification (name, address, phone number, drivers license # and expiry date) and if we don't have one of those pieces of information the computer will not let us finish the transaction to do the refund.

Probably fraud prevention, but it's kind of dumb that they couldn't give a reason why...I know I have run into people who have lost receipts or didn't drive or have a passport (our computer isn't set up to accept health cards since a lot of people still have non photo ones) and they are pi$$ed when I can't do the return but I at least tell them sorry the computer won't let us process it with information missing. If they still want to give me grief I hand them a phone number to call and complain since I have no control over what the computer will and will not allow me to do.

Hope you get a reply with an explanation though!

[Nik]

I don't think showing ID is a big deal. In fact, I think it's smart from a LP perspective.

Someone could walk into a store, steal a pair of pants and walk out. Walk back into the same store or a different location and demand their money back or a different item.

I also think that places like walmart should start doing this because I have heard of a lot of people buying items at different stores on sale and then returning them to wal-mart when their prices are not on sale so they make money (wal-mart is pretty leiniant for returns without reciepts - you get a gift card). If they kept track of names etc. they could cut down on the fraud people are commiting.

[TudorChick]

if the item is from that store,has a tag on it,and was given as a gift then no ID is required i don't think.i ask them why they need my postal code at places like best buy and walmart.i say plainly to them "i am giving you the postal code of my post office".i am a private person,i don't like even showing my ID to a liquor store.unless it is police ulling me over i dont show any identification to anyone.this is just me though.no need for their attitude.may be their policy but there was no need for that.

[xox2010]

kinda off topic, but if an item was given as a gift, but the recipient has no receipt then the person returning it still needs to show I.D. Unless, they have a gift receipt for the item...

[mle]

it's pretty much standard now to ask for id when returning stuff...it's unfortunate but this is where our society is heading...

Yup. Not justifying the rudeness of the associates, but this is policy at a lot of stores. They aren't going to make an exception for just one person. It's not a big deal, just come back with ID. I think this is turning a molehill into a mountain.

[Deal_Princess]

Thats normal(to ask for ID) whenever you return something with out a receipt.. I even had a store ask for my name etc when Ive returned with a receipt but I give em a bogus one lol since I have the receipt i don't see why they need my real name.
with out a receipt I know why they ask because some people steal from the store and try to return in hopes of getting cash back but they only get store credit.. so pointless. I think they just like to keep track of someone who constantly returns or exchanges. I think they could honestly allow an exchange with out receipt and no ID. H&M employees tend to be a bit rude in my experiences but thats normal with any low paying retail job.

[marchBB]

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