H&M - Really bad experience today

[ashmaster]

Im not going to get on your case that your health card doesn't have a picture on it as neither does mine; as for your lisence, If I was you; I would just get it, its only like 100 dollars and if you get the special one you can use it in place of a passport.


that being said, you should always carry id; what if something bad were to happen to you?
and the reason they ask you about photo id is because alot of other stores might carry their products on consignment or something of the sort (like liquidation world)
where you verywell could have bought that for 2 dollars and bring it back expecting 40 dollars store credit, the picture is pretty much there so that if something like that were to happen, they could alert the authorities.

[Darth Penguin]

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.

IMHO, wanting a CSR to deviate from store policy, regardless of how stupid it is, recks of entitlement. It's better to go up the food chain and deal with a manager who has far more latitude in thier inter-actions with customers.

[mpbabes]

I have heard back from H&M. They apologized for the rudeness of the associate but did not provide an explanation for their store policy. I have followed up thanking them for their response and bringing to light that they missed the major point of my email....the explanation. I feel my request is fair being that a) I'm their customer and b) from my experience, in the industry I work, we are advised by government bodies to get SIN, Photo ID, etc for the $500,000 plus transactions we deal with, however, we still can't refuse anyone their transaction. The only thing we can do if we really suspect fraudulent activity (and believe me, fraud and money laundering happens a lot), our responsibility is to notify these bodies so that they can investigate. So my mind has a difficult time wrapping around this.

FWIW, I know this used to be the Gap's policy as well, I believe they have changed it as the last time I went in to return 1 item for something completely different (this was Christmas of 2009) they didn't request ID. And the time before that, though they asked for ID, when I said I didn't have any, they just overrode their system. So I know things, in some cases, can be done.

I've been in places (I think the passport office) where they've accepted my credit card as ID, when I was dropping off some stuff there......I have no problem showing H&M my credit card. Heck, if there was a balance, I'd pay with that card!

Long story short, I just want an explanation...and I'd really like it if they'd just start handing out gift receipts....I've been annoyed from the get-go that they don't (so paranoid to buy gifts there!!!) Gift receipts would make things so much easier.....

[mle]

Well, it's good H&M replied. I think it's good that they were responsible for the rude associates.

The posters on this thread have pretty much explained the policy. In short, to avoid losing profits in instances where people shoplift and try to return product for cash, and perhaps counterfeiting, returning things purchased past the return date etc. they ask for I.D.. If they notice you have been returning things an awful lot they'll probably investigate.

Just bring I.D. next time. I imagine that would be more simple than writing to the company about their policy.
& I believe they do give out gift receipts, but you have to ask like usual. It's the choice of the person purchasing the gift.

[Caliza]

The return policy is right there on the H&M Website:

Returns without a receipt
Unwashed, unworn or defective merchandise may be returned with a valid photo ID. Merchandise returned without a receipt will be refunded at the last sale price or the current selling price, whichever is lower, in the form of a merchandise credit, if the total value of the return exceeds $5.00. Merchandise cards are not transferable.
http://www.hm.com/ca/customer-servic...ts-and-returns

I don't think stores should have to explain WHY a policy exists, so long as it is reasonable (which this one is) because policies may have been created for reasons that the company may not want public (for instance, perhaps they had been the target or fraud in the past...)

If I am returning something to a store, I always check the policy before I go, as not to be surprised or caught off guard later.

[TheBays]

Oh you must here my story. I live in a small city(population 5000) where everyone knows everyone. I worked in the post office for 25 years ,with a gal we'll call Josie-for 20 of those years. Canada ppost recently implemented this policy where you have to produce picture ID before you can pick up a parcel. So I get a parcel and Josie will NOT give it to me until I produce picture ID. Let me tell you I nearly went postal! So you see there is stupid stupid people out there.

[roseofblack25]

Oh you must here my story. I live in a small city(population 5000) where everyone knows everyone. I worked in the post office for 25 years ,with a gal we'll call Josie-for 20 of those years. Canada ppost recently implemented this policy where you have to produce picture ID before you can pick up a parcel. So I get a parcel and Josie will NOT give it to me until I produce picture ID. Let me tell you I nearly went postal! So you see there is stupid stupid people out there.

ah it's the same with us...I can't even give a parcel to a relative without asking for id...I will of course always ask for it because if some other customer overhears me just handing a parcel to someone without asking for id I can be in huge crap if they complain...stupid but it's their rules and we don't get a say LOL

[brittani]

Where I work we do it because people will obtain a whole bunch of stuff form our store (from thrift stores, dumpsters (where returns go) so it probably just means that some jerk has been abusing return policies.

[djdee]

Their snarky attitude is not acceptable. But the asking the I.D part when no receipt is present pretty much applies to a lot of retail locations now to prevent from fraud and stuff. I worked in retail before so I know the procedures.

[jmontreal8]

I don't understand how it's unreasonable to ask for an ID when you don't have a receipt.. In fact, one of the reasons that they ask you for the phone number/postal code is they may get audited for their returns. When I was younger, I worked at Footlocker and MANY people tried to return obviously worn shoes and would yell for hours at us but there was nothing we could do! Or if they bought a shoe on sale then they'd try to return it at regular price without a receipt and would get angry when we needed a receipt!

[squark]

You do have to remember that sometimes stores train their employees and say "HERES THE RULES NOW FOLLOW THEM" without giving any explanation on why.
In my job there are alot of policies that I don't understand why they are in place but it is my job to follow them.

Not saying you are wrong because nobody wants to be treated like that. The fact the first lady tried to smooth it over by offering a straight up exchange was a step beyond what she should have done. The other however should have minded her own business and to put it bluntly should have kept her trap shut.
But by giving you the exchange could have cost her her job.


Hope you have a better shopping experience in the future.

[abbasgirl]

It's a good idea to get photo ID in some form anyway. Even if you don't agree with needing it for a return, you'll still need it for other things. You need it to vote for example or, as others have said, to pick up a package at the Post Office.

[Xirena]

Sorry to hear about your experience with the associate. At the very least you got an apology from the head office. Though I do think it would have been easy for them to just give you the explaination that most of the posters on this thread have said.

I do not agree with the attitude that you got from the associate. If she were helping another customer, I hope she finished with that person before coming to you. The only reason I could think of that would prompt her to start communicating with you would be if she were more senior than the associate helping you. But I don't think that is the case since the one helping you would not have offered you a straight exchange if she were newer.

I do agree with photo ID being required for exchanges though. I never really got why ID and taking down your information was needed until I worked at Bentley (the bag store not the cars). Basically when I worked there two-three years ago the return/exchange policy was really really really loose and lenient. Customers were able to return or exchange their purses and merchandise within 60 days of purchase as long as they had a reciept. Even when they did produce proof of purchase we were still required to take down their name, address, phone number etc. The computer system would not allow us to proceed without this info.

Now because of the loose policy we actually had customers USING the purses and then coming back in two months and exchanging them for a newer one because they simply wanted a newer style they saw. In this way, they would be paying for ONE bag but they would be able to get 6 a year if they were smart enough to exchange it at different stores in the city. We were unable to re-sell the returned merchandise because it did have obvious signs of usual wear and tear, but it wasn't defective like stitching comes loose or zippers breaking. It was usually the same customers coming in over and over again to do this and we basically would have lost out on more money if we did not ID those who did these frequent returns.

Eventually though, after stores were not making their budgets, a new policy was set in place after I had left where customers can change their minds after 14 days OR they can exchange only within 60 for manufacturer defects and NOT if it appears by discretion of the manager to be normal wear, which did make it ALOT harder for those same customers who tried to get 6 purses a year and only pay for 1.

I do admit that I did take matters in my own hands at times and politely confronted a few of those I found were doing the frequent returning (I went through reciepts and reports with my manager often) and even though I technically cannot deny them, our store was not performing as it should. It was really us bringing this to the district's attention and showing the reports of who was returning/exchanging merchandise that really got them to change the policy.

Basically. I think it's a good thing and I have no problem giving that info. I do trust that it is kept confidential.

Sorry for the long post....>.<

[stabmyhead]

There are secret shoppers that go to stores disguised as customers to test the employees on their knowledge of policies, customer service, etc. If they are caught doing something against their policy - they could lose their job. It may be a "low paying retail job" but these kids still need to start from somewhere and I'm sure they don't want to get fired.

I agree that the employee wasn't polite. But to be honest, if I was working retail I would not have accepted it either.

I don't understand what the big deal is with showing ID - like others have said, all most all stores do it now. When you are purchasing an item with a credit card, many places will require a secondary piece of ID with your photo on it. Honestly, the amount of identity theft out there - it's safer for the customer and store.

I would highly recommend getting a piece of photo ID. They have provincial IDs, a learners driver license (just pass the knowledge test) and other options if you do not drive.

[iggysbabysitter]

When I worked retail (a purse chain store) we had one lady coming in with her leather fanny pack, crammed overfull, with a busted zipper EVERY 3 weeks. She would use one of the probably 20 locations (Edmonton), and demand a replacement. We would kindly replace the $10 item, which she'd CRAM full and have trouble closing. And then she'd just go to another location a few weeks later. I realized this was an on going issue when I became the regions "float staff"... If we had a better way of tracking refunds/returns we would have caught her sooner. She'd been doing the same scam for ages. A name on a return is so easy to fake, but a picture... well, the regional manager seeing her picture so many times would have been able to step in.
What bugged me is I walked into the drugstore, and asked to pick up my Grandparents prescriptions... I WAS NOT ASKED FOR ID! Wow. I could have been anyone, and just walked away with thier meds.