Advice Please

[SwizzleStick]

Our family recently returned from a cruise. Before we left, I bought medicine and five sets of Sea Bands for motion sickness to have with us just in case. Hubby wore a pair of Sea Bands preventively (Eagle Scout in him and being prepared and all) the first day on the ship, but stopped wearing them when he realized he didn’t need them. None of the rest of us wore bands or needed them or the medicine at all. Anyway, yesterday, I returned the four unopened packages of Sea Bands and the medicine to the store. The total refund was just over $43.

Well, after the transaction, the lady at the counter put the items aside saying they were defected. I said that we hadn’t opened or used them, the medicine was sealed, the bands new. She said it didn’t matter, that any pharmacy items returned, even unopened items, could not go back on the shelf, that they were categorized as defected and treated as such. In retrospect that makes sense I guess, but I didn’t realize it before the return. Unfortunately, I’d already made the return and the transaction was complete, so there was nothing I could do then. We didn’t use those bands or medicine and all were new and unopened, so I thought I could return them and get the money back, and I could, but even so, the store lost the $43 (or whatever the store’s actual cost was) with the refund. I feel guilty. I didn’t do anything wrong, but neither did the store.

Thoughts? Advice on what I can do? Should I do anything?

Thanks, all!

 

[john78]

There is really nothing you can do it is their policy,

and so you know and this has been brought up in the news before, but i have seen it first hand and so has anyone working in big retail chains,

items that are over stocked and can not be returned or are just old, do not sell, they get thrown out, they are destroyed and tossd into a trash compactor.

perfectly good books, cloths, toys, things of that nature. which could be dontated.

sassygrrl32.hubpages.com/hub/Walmart-Destroying-Clothing

this is just one article i found through a quick search, and it isn’t just walmart, all major retailers do it.

I do not understand the reasoning behind it, and many others dont hence the outrage.

 

[Luna_Lovecraft]

Our family recently returned from a cruise. Before we left, I bought medicine and five sets of Sea Bands for motion sickness to have with us just in case. Hubby wore a pair of Sea Bands preventively (Eagle Scout in him and being prepared and all) the first day on the ship, but stopped wearing them when he realized he didn’t need them. None of the rest of us wore bands or needed them or the medicine at all. Anyway, yesterday, I returned the four unopened packages of Sea Bands and the medicine to the store. The total refund was just over $43.

Well, after the transaction, the lady at the counter put the items aside saying they were defected. I said that we hadn’t opened or used them, the medicine was sealed, the bands new. She said it didn’t matter, that any pharmacy items returned, even unopened items, could not go back on the shelf, that they were categorized as defected and treated as such. In retrospect that makes sense I guess, but I didn’t realize it before the return. Unfortunately, I’d already made the return and the transaction was complete, so there was nothing I could do then. We didn’t use those bands or medicine and all were new and unopened, so I thought I could return them and get the money back, and I could, but even so, the store lost the $43 (or whatever the store’s actual cost was) with the refund. I feel guilty. I didn’t do anything wrong, but neither did the store.

Thoughts? Advice on what I can do? Should I do anything?

Thanks, all!

I don’t understand your quandary. You did nothing wrong in returning a product for a refund. That the store is required to destroy the merchandise (probably to comply to product tampering laws or something similar) is beyond your control. Although I’m not 100% sure about this, I would be surprised if the store’s insurance didn’t cover this kind of loss.

What were your options:

• Keep the products and hope you use them before the expiration date. That’s fine, but if you didn’t use them before they expired you would have added them to the waste stream anyway, and probably in ways that are more harmful to the environment than disposing of them the way the store will.
• Try to give them away. But charities aren’t supposed to take off-the-street medicine donations. You could give them to family and friends, but there again you run the risk of having them expire before they’re used.
• Return them per the consumer protection laws in your community. And this you did.

Can you think of something else you could have done with the medicine?

Luna

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I would feel exactly the same if I had done the same thing. I have no idea why accupressure bands would have to be declared defective since the package was not opened and they are not medicine per se. Maybe that clerk was wrong about store policy, maybe the store policy is over-cautious because of all the medicine they handle…who knows? I would stop using that store, just in case I had to return something else. It distresses me to see perfectly good things destroyed when I work so hard to recycle/reuse/rehome my things.

 

[Catholic1954]

Our family recently returned from a cruise. Before we left, I bought medicine and five sets of Sea Bands for motion sickness to have with us just in case. Hubby wore a pair of Sea Bands preventively (Eagle Scout in him and being prepared and all) the first day on the ship, but stopped wearing them when he realized he didn’t need them. None of the rest of us wore bands or needed them or the medicine at all. Anyway, yesterday, I returned the four unopened packages of Sea Bands and the medicine to the store. The total refund was just over $43.

Well, after the transaction, the lady at the counter put the items aside saying they were defected. I said that we hadn’t opened or used them, the medicine was sealed, the bands new. She said it didn’t matter, that any pharmacy items returned, even unopened items, could not go back on the shelf, that they were categorized as defected and treated as such. In retrospect that makes sense I guess, but I didn’t realize it before the return. Unfortunately, I’d already made the return and the transaction was complete, so there was nothing I could do then. We didn’t use those bands or medicine and all were new and unopened, so I thought I could return them and get the money back, and I could, but even so, the store lost the $43 (or whatever the store’s actual cost was) with the refund. I feel guilty. I didn’t do anything wrong, but neither did the store.

Thoughts? Advice on what I can do? Should I do anything?

Thanks, all!

There is nothing you can or should do. Once the store accepts your returns, the rest is up to them. They may be able to return the products to the manufactor for credit, but such an agreement does not concern the consumer.

 

[Schieffelin]

You didn’t do anything wrong. After finding out their policy, I would have asked her if I could have the money and the seabands so I could give them to a friend or something

 

[Veronica97]

Even if her chickens die, there is nothing to stop her from getting more chickens. Are you sure she doesn’t have more dogs and cats than the law allows? Then you could get animal control involved. They may then find that the inside of her house has unacceptable living conditions and action will have to be taken. Or honestly I’d call nuisance abatement anyway and complain about the smell and the filth. They may come out and give her a citation. Meanwhile, pray both for this woman and for a solution to your problem. If something is happening to us(or not happening) then we must accept it as God’s Will. God either ordains something or permits it for a greater purpose. What that purpose is you may not know until much later (or even until the afterlife!) Perhaps this woman needs your prayers desperately and that’s why she’s playing such a big part in your life right now. Perhaps God is teaching you a lesson in patience. Also, I’d go out of my way to be kind to this woman. Perhaps take her a plate of cookies? You may be the only “Jesus” she will ever know. Sorry that probably isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I know I’d be upset and frustrated too. But we must remember that God is in control and sees the larger picture.

 

[trinichiqn]

I would feel exactly the same if I had done the same thing. I have no idea why accupressure bands would have to be declared defective since the package was not opened and they are not medicine per se. Maybe that clerk was wrong about store policy, maybe the store policy is over-cautious because of all the medicine they handle…who knows? I would stop using that store, just in case I had to return something else. It distresses me to see perfectly good things destroyed when I work so hard to recycle/reuse/rehome my things.

Actually it is a prudent policy because you don’t have to open a package to tamper with it, as well as there are “talented” people out there who can open and close with leaving a trace. The likelihood of it happening may be minuscule but with medication the potential danger outweighs the cost so blanket policies like that exist.

 

[Joe_5859]

You did nothing deceptive and the store allowed you to return the items under their return policy, so I cannot imagine that there is anything wrong with what you did. If the store had a problem with it, they would adjust their return policy to state that “All pharmacy sales are final.”

They may have “lost” $43 on you, but I doubt very much they’re losing out overall. Having a liberal, no-hassle return policy is something that attracts consumers and encourages them to lower their threshhold of what will encourage them to buy something (since they figure they can always return it later if they change their mind). Stores wouldn’t have such a policy if it didn’t bring in more money than it cost them.

I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[Neofight]

Our family recently returned from a cruise. Before we left, I bought medicine and five sets of Sea Bands for motion sickness to have with us just in case. Hubby wore a pair of Sea Bands preventively (Eagle Scout in him and being prepared and all) the first day on the ship, but stopped wearing them when he realized he didn’t need them. None of the rest of us wore bands or needed them or the medicine at all. Anyway, yesterday, I returned the four unopened packages of Sea Bands and the medicine to the store. The total refund was just over $43.

Well, after the transaction, the lady at the counter put the items aside saying they were defected. I said that we hadn’t opened or used them, the medicine was sealed, the bands new. She said it didn’t matter, that any pharmacy items returned, even unopened items, could not go back on the shelf, that they were categorized as defected and treated as such. In retrospect that makes sense I guess, but I didn’t realize it before the return. Unfortunately, I’d already made the return and the transaction was complete, so there was nothing I could do then. We didn’t use those bands or medicine and all were new and unopened, so I thought I could return them and get the money back, and I could, but even so, the store lost the $43 (or whatever the store’s actual cost was) with the refund. I feel guilty. I didn’t do anything wrong, but neither did the store.

Thoughts? Advice on what I can do? Should I do anything?

Thanks, all!

Take the refund and put it in the poor box at your church. If you are convinced you are some how guilty of something, take it to the Lord, thru the sacrament of reconciliation, for forgiveness (if He deems forgiveness is necessary), or at least for spirtual healing (if you have harmed youself through your feeling of guilt).

“Let God and Let Go”

He loves you, if you did wrong (and I have no idea if you did or didn’t…that’s God’s call), he will forgive you and will heal you. If you did no wrong, you still have shown how much you love God by your concern and by coming to Him for His for his divine grace.

Pax

 

[dixieagle]

Take the refund and put it in the poor box at your church. If you are convinced you are some how guilty of something, take it to the Lord, thru the sacrament of reconciliation, for forgiveness (if He deems forgiveness is necessary), or at least for spirtual healing (if you have harmed youself through your feeling of guilt).

“Let God and Let Go”

He loves you, if you did wrong (and I have no idea if you did or didn’t…that’s God’s call), he will forgive you and will heal you. If you did no wrong, you still have shown how much you love God by your concern and by coming to Him for His for his divine grace.

Pax

Of course she didn’t “do wrong” and certainly doesn’t need forgiveness; these were unused items and she had every right to return them. She had no way of knowing the pharmacy policy and did this in good faith.

 

[Neofight]

All I was saying chatty, is that Reconciliation is more than for confession, its also for healing. So, if she did no wrong, but she can’t let go of the guilt, the sacrament is the way to go, for the peace she will find.

You or I, saying, “You’ve done nothing wrong,” holds no comparison to the grace that God offers through the sacramenets.

Pax

 

[PatriceA]

I’m honestly surprised they even gave you a refund.

 

[SwizzleStick]

There is really nothing you can do it is their policy,

and so you know and this has been brought up in the news before, but i have seen it first hand and so has anyone working in big retail chains,

items that are over stocked and can not be returned or are just old, do not sell, they get thrown out, they are destroyed and tossd into a trash compactor.

perfectly good books, cloths, toys, things of that nature. which could be dontated.

this is just one article i found through a quick search, and it isn’t just walmart, all major retailers do it.

I do not understand the reasoning behind it, and many others dont hence the outrage.

The waste is partly the reason I feel bad, but the money is also partly the reason. The store took a small loss because of the refund. I know that is part of doing business, but I got my money back and they lost money through no fault of their own.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I don’t understand your quandary. You did nothing wrong in returning a product for a refund. That the store is required to destroy the merchandise (probably to comply to product tampering laws or something similar) is beyond your control. Although I’m not 100% sure about this, I would be surprised if the store’s insurance didn’t cover this kind of loss.

What were your options:

• Keep the products and hope you use them before the expiration date. That’s fine, but if you didn’t use them before they expired you would have added them to the waste stream anyway, and probably in ways that are more harmful to the environment than disposing of them the way the store will.
• Try to give them away. But charities aren’t supposed to take off-the-street medicine donations. You could give them to family and friends, but there again you run the risk of having them expire before they’re used.
• Return them per the consumer protection laws in your community. And this you did.

Can you think of something else you could have done with the medicine?

Luna

It was just such a waste. And, no I don’t know what else I could have done. Had I known they would just throw perfectly good medicine and Sea Bands away, I would have absorbed the loss and kept them, though I can’t imagine we will ever go on another cruise. This was a once in a lifetime trip.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I would feel exactly the same if I had done the same thing. I have no idea why accupressure bands would have to be declared defective since the package was not opened and they are not medicine per se. Maybe that clerk was wrong about store policy, maybe the store policy is over-cautious because of all the medicine they handle…who knows? I would stop using that store, just in case I had to return something else. It distresses me to see perfectly good things destroyed when I work so hard to recycle/reuse/rehome my things.

Yes, I agree. I don’t understand why the bands couldn’t be returned to the store shelf either. That makes no sense to me.

Though it was new and sealed up, I guess I understand that since the medicine left their property they could not just put it back on the shelf, but it is just wasteful to throw it out. It just seems wrong, but I guess it is a safety thing and probably a wide-spread policy. I’ve never returned any medicines or anything like that before, but now I know.

 

[SwizzleStick]

There is nothing you can or should do. Once the store accepts your returns, the rest is up to them. They may be able to return the products to the manufactor for credit, but such an agreement does not concern the consumer.

Thank you, the idea that they may be able to return the products to the manufactor for credit makes me feel better. As with most things, the mark-up is probably pretty high, so the actual loss for them is probably not even close to the $43 I spent and was refunded. I hope.

 

[SwizzleStick]

You didn’t do anything wrong. After finding out their policy, I would have asked her if I could have the money and the seabands so I could give them to a friend or something

I just feel bad about the waste and my not using the items ended up costing the store money. It would be nice if someone could have actually used them.

 

[PatriceA]

Yes, I agree. I don’t understand why the bands couldn’t be returned to the store shelf either. That makes no sense to me.

Though it was new and sealed up, I guess I understand that since the medicine left their property they could not just put it back on the shelf, but it is just wasteful to throw it out. It just seems wrong, but I guess it is a safety thing and probably a wide-spread policy. I’ve never returned any medicines or anything like that before, but now I know.

Its the policy at EVERY pharmacy in my area. You can not return any type of medicine, even if its an alternative non-drug type medicine which is what the bands would be considered, once it leaves the store premises.

I myself would NOT feel bad as you seem to be experiencing. Its the store’s policy, they must have their reasons for doing so and I wouldn’t feel bad at all if they want to take a loss on such products. Like I said, I’m really surprised you got a refund because that would not happen in my area

 

[SwizzleStick]

Actually it is a prudent policy because you don’t have to open a package to tamper with it, as well as there are “talented” people out there who can open and close with leaving a trace. The likelihood of it happening may be minuscule but with medication the potential danger outweighs the cost so blanket policies like that exist.

I guess you are correct and the policies are probably widespread. I didn’t know, though, because I have never returned any medicines before. And, I won’t be doing so in the future either now that I know.