Switch and Return Fraud, What do you do?

[MrFishGuy]

A customer bought two items from us and then emailed us looking to return the more expensive item because it was not working, and he bought a different one locally. We gave him an RMA.

When we got the return, the item was obviously used for months or more before he packed it in the new product packaging and returned it to us.

This is actually a first for us. What should we do? Our return policy states returns must be in original, factory condition.

Can we win a chargeback if it goes in that direction?

[dartman]

If I buy an item and 4 months down the road it quits working it's unreasonable to expect a return in factory new condition. I probably thru away the original packaging also.

For starters I'd make sure to document all aspects of the return to include photos of the product to show use, defect, etc. You didn't specify the timeframe for returns. Is your return policy easy to locate? Does it address defects? Does the item have a mfg warranty?

If he returned it because it was not working then you may have a manufacturers warranty issue. If this is the case and you issued the RMA then process the credit and deal with the manufacturer.

You might need to take a look at your published return policy and try to make sure it covers all return situations you think you might encounter to include warranty returns. I couldn't speculate on a chargeback scenario here except if the customer made a valid return he should get his money back.
.

[akmac]

That would be a tough one to prove. I've heard of some folks recording video of the order being packed, but even then... Do the items have serial numbers?

[MrFishGuy]

He returned it less than a week after he received it, well with in our return policy of 30 days. The product came back with lime deposits on it that would indicate the product had been used for months. It was originally in a sealed package from the manufacturer and it's very doubtful it could have come that way from them.

There's a link to our shipping and return policy on every page of our website and our return policy clearly states that returns must be in factory condition (which we are lax on depending on the situation), and that we reserve the right to refuse returns that don't meet the requirements.

I don't have a problem with taking returns when there's a problem, but when someone is so obviously replacing their old used product with a new one and then returning the old one, it bothers me.

[dartman]

When we got the return, the item was obviously used for months or more before he packed it in the new product packaging and returned it to us.

Sorry, I took your post to mean the customer had purchase the item from you and had it for some time.

Seems odd to get lime deposits as bad as you describe in a week. Again, I'd take photos and document all aspects of the return.

In your case I don't know what you can do with used/abused merchandise other then send it back to the customer as not meeting your return policy. The photos and documentation of the return should help your case in event of a chargeback however you can never be confident that you will prevail in the chargeback process.
.

[lschmidt]

dartman,

I believe he is saying the customer had owned an item for 4 months - it got old and used. Then he ordered the exact same item online (new), and returned is old one and kept the one he got online.

[Bewenched]

Here in the states you can only charge back something within 90 days.

Personally I would charge him a restocking / repackaging fee for the item.

Our policy is that if something stops working within a certain period of time we will replace it with the exact same item or issue a store credit towards something else. We only allow returns for 30 days to get a full credit .. after that it is at our digression.