SOMERVILLE, Mass. — A new, local survey of retail return policies for the 2021 holiday season shows many prominent companies continue to offer expanded return days, giving shoppers more time to return unwanted purchases.
The 18th annual return policy survey by ConsumerWorld.org reflects patterns that show holiday shopping season keeps starting earlier and earlier.
“Many major retailers continue to recognize the longer holiday shopping season and are giving customers more time to make returns. But at the same time, a few have cut back on their previously more generous policies,” said Edgar Dworsky, Founder of Consumer World, which is a consumer education website. He’s also a former Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Dworsky says two big chains, Walmart and Home Depot, reduced their return windows and he adds that what hasn’t changed is the complexity of stores’ return policies that are designed in part to reduce return fraud.
According to Consumer World, these are some of the noteworthy changes and unique returns rules for 2021:
· Amazon continued its expanded holiday return window by allowing returns of most items shipped starting October 1 to be sent back as late as January 31. It now allows 30 days return for opened TVs. And it more than tripled its mattress return period from 30 to 100 days. Some products such as groceries, pet food, plants, opened mattresses, and some other items are refundable but do not have to be returned.
· Home Depot, which had doubled its regular return period to 180 days for most items in 2020 because of the pandemic, restored it to 90 days. It continues its novel policy of allowing one year to return purchases made using the Home Depot credit card.
· TJ Maxx and Marshalls continue their policy to add 30 extra days for returns should a store be required to close because of COVID-19.
· Walmart shortened its return window by two weeks starting the holiday return period as of November 1 instead of on October 16 as it did in 2020.
· Staples expanded its return window by three weeks, accepting returns until January 24 for items purchased since November 8.
· Target continues to offer a one-year return period for house-branded items.
Consumer World says return policy law varies from state to state and that a store can set up any return policy it wants, whether it is “all sales final”, “merchandise credit only”, or “all returns in 30 days.”
Consumer World also offered some tips for “hassle-free” returns:
· Don’t fight the crowds on the return lines the day after Christmas. Go back a day or two later, or better yet, see if the store provides free returns by mail. To improve your chances of getting full credit, provide a sales slip or gift receipt, return the item in new condition, unopened, and with all packaging material. Returns without a receipt are subject to the posted return policy, which might result in your receiving only a merchandise credit for the lowest price the item has sold for recently, or possibly no refund or exchange at all.
· If the item to be returned is defective, some states such as Massachusetts, require the store to give the consumer his/her choice of one of the three “R’s”: repair, replacement or refund, irrespective of the store’s posted return policy.
· Consumers who have a problem returning a gift, should first contact the store manager or customer service department of the retailer. If a satisfactory resolution is not obtained, then a complaint can be filed with the state Attorney General’s office or local consumer agency.
Editors Note: Edgar Dworksky will be a guest on Boston 25 Morning News on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. to talk about retail returns.
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