Returning Gifts Pain-Free

Regina Lewis Offers Advice

(CBS)  One in three consumers say they expect to return or exchange holiday gifts this season. This year, many of those gifts were likely purchased online, by catalog or from a specialty retailer who may not have a presence in your town.

But online or in a brick-and-mortar store, when it comes to returns most of the same rules apply.

AOL Consumer Advisor Regina Lewis shares options you have for the less-than-perfect gift you may have receive.

Surprisingly, more men than women plan to haul their gifts back to the store. And the younger the shopper the more likely it is that he or she will return holiday gifts: 42 percent of 18-34 year olds will return gifts, 39 percent of shoppers age 35-44, and 33 percent of shoppers 45 or older.

Online and offline, when it comes to returns most of the same rules apply. Lewis says the biggest mistake people make when it comes to returns is being defensive. She says there's no reason to feel guilty about returning something. Any retailer will tell you it's the cost of doing business. They get it and in many ways it's an opportunity for them. A well-defined policy and a pleasantly surprised consumer is a return customer. Retailers can't stay in business if you only shop with them once a year.

There are, however, people who abuse the system so several large retailers have tightened their policies to curb abuses such as shoplifters attempting to return stolen merchandise for cash, or people using a video camera or fancy dress for a special occasion and then returning the item.
That's why you'll see things like must not be opened and must have tags.

Deadlines
If you have a receipt, the time probably doesn't cost you. If you don't, it very well could cost you since you won't be able to prove the purchase price. So you'll end up redeeming at just the current value of the item, which post-holiday almost always goes down, not up.

Either way, watch for "10 and 30-day deadlines" - sometimes that's from the time the order was placed or taken out of the store, so if you got a gift the clock may have started even before you took the wrapping off. Having said that, most major retailers would make exceptions around the holiday and start the clock Dec. 26 with return periods lasting well into January 2004.

Receipts
If you don't have the receipt, depending on the item, most likely you'll get the real-time value. If it's a gift and the person who gave it to you bought it at last year's post holiday sale that might mean, those cashmere gloves are $12.99 now at best. With current merchandise it's easier. You can go to the retailer Web site and see if the item is still there and what it's going for. There's your answer.

No gift receipt may mean you can only exchange it for that amount. Some retailers keep terrific records, so they may be able to look up sales in lieu of a receipt. Also, read the fine print. You may run into exceptions on seasonal items, for instance, which may not be returnable at all.

Online shipping costs
Follow the instructions on your online purchase receipt carefully. You'll likely have to pay for the postage to return the item, but you don't have to pay for the postage for the item being shipped to you if it's an exchange.
Hang on to the paperwork inside the box. Use the information and instructions they provide. Some provide pre-paid self-addressed envelopes; some will even pick up the item from your home. But the biggest trend is returning the item in-store. Barnes & Noble, JCrew, Banana Republic all do this - just be sure to bring the paperwork with you and keep it boxed up if you can.

If you want to exchange something quickly, Old Navy and L.L. Bean offer a new express exchange service. You call an 800 number to order the new product, which they'll ship out for free the following day. You'll be charged for the new item, but they'll credit you for the returned product as soon as they receive it. If you don't have time or patience to wait on line at the post office, Speigel.com sends a SmartLabel with your order that you can affix to your return package and either drop it in the mailbox, give it to your postal carrier or take it to the Post Office. You pay nothing upfront, and when Speigel receives the package, they'll deduct the shipping charge from your merchandise credit or refund ($6.00 for packages that weight less than 5lbs, $8.50 for over 5lbs.)

Broken or damaged merchandise
At Circuit City, if you call the customer service department, they will send someone by to pick it up. But, they have to come look at the item to see how it was damaged. If they think it wasn't damaged in shipping, you're bound to be stuck with it. Also with some electronics, personal computers for example, if not damaged and you just want to return it, you may run into a 15 percent restocking fee.

Monogrammed items
Pottery Barn won't return monogrammed items, but Brooks Brothers will, so here again, you need to check with the retailer.

Merchandise from stores not in your area
If you know the store name, check their Web site for return policy information and/or pick up the phone. You might have better luck if you wait a few days after the big return rush.

Also, the graceful/gracious thing to do is figure it out yourself, never involve the gift-giver if you can avoid. Few things are more rude than asking for the receipt. There's good news on that front though, more and more consumers are taking advantage of gift receipts, receipts without the price on them, so the recipient can more easily return or exchange.

Gift Cards
Gift cards were one of the most popular items this season, to the tune of more than $17 billion. Redeeming is easy, but gift cards can almost never be returned or exchanged for cash. But, CertificateSwap.com and Swapagift.com are two new sites loosely based on eBay let gift-card holders post their certificates at a small discount and sell them to the highest bidder.

Consumers ship directly to each other. So, a $100 gift certificate to Tiffany's goes for $90 bucks. There is no better time than now to use those gift cards. Post-holiday clearance sales are in full-gear online (they actually started Christmas Day) and in-stores, so you can get a lot more for your money right now.