Is it legal for a retailer to return a unfulfilled but paid for product order without consent?
kelleheralrch asked:
If a big-box retailer takes a special order for an item that takes a while to come in and then without the customer’s consent returns their money in kind without product fulfillment or signature consent is it 1) legal or 2) grounds corporate letigation?
If a big-box retailer takes a special order for an item that takes a while to come in and then without the customer’s consent returns their money in kind without product fulfillment or signature consent is it 1) legal or 2) grounds corporate letigation?
July 26th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
If you mean, can they cancel your order and refund your money without notice, Yes they can and Yes it’s legal. Certainly not very good customer service.
July 26th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Yes, it’s legal. No, it is NOT grounds for corporate litigation.
When I was a retail manager, this happened all the time. Most often, a product was no longer available but they hadn’t informed us at the stores or we had an outdated catalog. Generally, I would call the customer and see if there was an alternate product that we could order instead of just leaving them with nothing.
If you have to special order it, there is a reason the store doesn’t carry it as usual merchandise: low demand, hard to get, at the end of the manufacturing cycle, etc. They do not need your consent to cancel the order if they can’t get the item. If the order can’t be fulfilled in a timely manner or can’t be fulfilled at all, they have an obligation to cancel it and return your money.