Archived Your Weirdest Scam/Fraud Moment?

[Nauzhror]

Unless I'm missing something, she's right...You just scan the giftcard, and it will be exactly like she was returning with a credit card. The items would be linked to that card if that's the one she used to purchase them. Now, if they didn't come up on the giftcard, that's different, but you can absolutely do a return off of a giftcard.

Oh, I'm well aware.

It wasn't a matter of me being unable to do the return.

I wasn't willing to do it without the receipt because the items in question are typically purchased with manufacturer coupons.

 

[NPC]

Unless I'm missing something, she's right...You just scan the giftcard, and it will be exactly like she was returning with a credit card. The items would be linked to that card if that's the one she used to purchase them. Now, if they didn't come up on the giftcard, that's different, but you can absolutely do a return off of a giftcard.

Of course we "can" do that. We can do whatever we want. There's an override for everything. That doesn't mean we should though.

 

[Nauzhror]

I tend to do it once, if it's questionable.

ie. Another recent time a guest came in with 2 bottles of body wash (I think, shampoo or body wash, bottles from HBA anyway), and 3 razors.

She claimed she bought the wrong items for her daughter. I was skeptical, but the total was under $20 and I didn't recognize the guest so I did the return. I figured it was coupon fraud, but just decided to check after she left and make a mental note rather than deny the return on the basis that it may have been coupon fraud.

I was right, it was - easily confirmed by reprinting the receipt, going off stage for a moment and using InsidePOS to look up the receipt that the items were purchased as a part of initially.

So long as a return is done without using a license it includes a reference to the original transactions the items were purchased in when looked up in the back, sadly to do that requires having already returned the items, so it's mostly only useful to stop repeat offenders. I wish when doing a return that the POS itself would show if an item was purchased with coupons, similar to how an online return will show the online discounts that were associated with that item on separate lines below the item.

 

[LadyCynide]

Of course we "can" do that. We can do whatever we want. There's an override for everything. That doesn't mean we should though.

It's not an override, though, it's basic procedure.

This sounds like more of a case of Nauz being uncomfortable with the transaction, which is fine, but i wanted to clarify because it is absolutely possible, and the normal way to do things.

 

[Nauzhror]

I was never suggesting you can't do a return with the giftcard. But can, and should are not the same thing.

Though it indeed isn't an override. Refusing to do returns in that manner s actually more akin to an override, in that it's overriding the standard procedure.

 

[NPC]

I was never suggesting you can't do a return with the giftcard. But can, and should are not the same thing.

Though it indeed isn't an override. Refusing to do returns in that manner s actually more akin to an override, in that it's overriding the standard procedure.

You. I like you.

 

[RXninja]

Pretty sure with the new coupon policy that we are allowed to refuse returns that are suspected of coupon abuse when the guest doesn't have their receipt. Just because we can do a lookup on a giftcard or debit/credit card doesn't mean we will. I would just insist on the original receipt (not gift receipt) in order to process the return. That way we can determine if it is coupon fraud or a legit return. I just HATE coupon scammers. Our store used to have people returning shit by the cartful (sometimes 2 carts) before our ETL-AP grew a backbone and started limiting suspicious returns.

 

[Firefox]

I have a question for you guys. At our store, if a guest returns an item and a MFR Coupon was used, we are supposed to adjust the return price of the item to compensate for the coupon since it doesn't do it automatically. But the problem is that on some of the receipts, instead of listing the coupon used below each item it's just a mass of 5-10 MFR coupons listed at the bottom of the receipt so I can't tell which discounts were used on which items. Does anyone else do something similar, and how would you handle it?

 

[LadyCynide]

I have a question for you guys. At our store, if a guest returns an item and a MFR Coupon was used, we are supposed to adjust the return price of the item to compensate for the coupon since it doesn't do it automatically. But the problem is that on some of the receipts, instead of listing the coupon used below each item it's just a mass of 5-10 MFR coupons listed at the bottom of the receipt so I can't tell which discounts were used on which items. Does anyone else do something similar, and how would you handle it?

I just try to adjust for the one that seems to be the most logical to me. Like, if it's a case of water, and the options were .50¢, $1, or $7 off, I'd adjust for the dollar one. It's super tricky and annoying to figure out the right one.

 

[Nauzhror]

I have a question for you guys. At our store, if a guest returns an item and a MFR Coupon was used, we are supposed to adjust the return price of the item to compensate for the coupon since it doesn't do it automatically.

To the best of my knowledge that's illegal. At that point it's the store committing fraud rather than the guest since the store is still getting paid by the manufacturer for the sale of an item that wasn't actually sold.

As per Target's coupon policy:

I want a refund on an item I bought with a coupon. Will the refund include the amount of the coupon?
If you used a manufacturer's coupon to purchase an item and decide to return that item, you'll receive a refund for the amount you paid for the item plus the amount of the coupon. The amount of the coupon may be refunded in the form of a Target GiftCard.

If you used a Target coupon to purchase an item and decide to return that item, you'll receive a refund for the price of the item, minus the coupon value.

Returning the amount of the coupon on a giftcard is fine. Refusing to return the item at all is also fine. Lowering the price of the return however is a no-no.

 

[NPC]

Refusing to return the item at all is also fine.

This! That's what my store has been doing. Even still, it's only done in instances of obvious return fraud.

 

[Nauzhror]

This! That's what my store has been doing. Even still, it's only done in instances of obvious return fraud.

Same.

Guest buys lots of items, all with coupons.

Guest later wishes to return 2-3 of these items (lets say they purchased 20+).

We assume they really don't want those 2-3 items and do the return.

They attempt to return them all: No, sorry, those items are now yours to keep.

 

[Firefox]

To the best of my knowledge that's illegal. At that point it's the store committing fraud rather than the guest since the store is still getting paid by the manufacturer for the sale of an item that wasn't actually sold.

As per Target's coupon policy:



Returning the amount of the coupon on a giftcard is fine. Refusing to return the item at all is also fine. Lowering the price of the return however is a no-no.

Interesting. I'd wondered about that, but our STL has been very adamant about adjusting the return price on couponed items.

 

[OffYaPhone]

How would you put the coupon value on a gift card though? You're only going to get a certain set of options at the end of the return, aren't you?

 

[Nauzhror]

How would you put the coupon value on a gift card though? You're only going to get a certain set of options at the end of the return, aren't you?

Yeah, it's awkward, I have no idea how you'd go about that without putting the whole thing on a giftcard.

 

[mrknownothing]

But the problem is that on some of the receipts, instead of listing the coupon used below each item it's just a mass of 5-10 MFR coupons listed at the bottom of the receipt so I can't tell which discounts were used on which items. Does anyone else do something similar, and how would you handle it?

If the coupon appears at the bottom instead of directly under the item, it was mostly likely "accepted anyway," meaning the register didn't associate it with an item because it probably wasn't being used correctly, and the cashier hit K1 to accept it.

How would you put the coupon value on a gift card though? You're only going to get a certain set of options at the end of the return, aren't you?

Yeah, it's awkward, I have no idea how you'd go about that without putting the whole thing on a giftcard.

I rarely work the service desk and haven't done a coupon return, but I was under the impression that the amount actually paid by the guest would be refunded in the original form (credit, debit, cash, whatever) and the POS would prompt you to scan a gift card for the coupon amount. But what the hell do I know?

 

[Nauzhror]

I don't think it works that way. Perhaps it should, but even if it did it'd only work that way if they returned a bunch of items at once, since we can't put an amount under $5.00 on a giftcard.

 

[Firefox]

If the coupon appears at the bottom instead of directly under the item, it was mostly likely "accepted anyway," meaning the register didn't associate it with an item because it probably wasn't being used correctly, and the cashier hit K1 to accept it.



I rarely work the service desk and haven't done a coupon return, but I was under the impression that the amount actually paid by the guest would be refunded in the original form (credit, debit, cash, whatever) and the POS would prompt you to scan a gift card for the coupon amount. But what the hell do I know?

It should work that way, but it doesn't. It just returns the full amount in the form it was paid. Hence the scammer problem at our store. I hate having to deal with coupons... GRRR

 

[Retail Girl]

Firefox, the new coupon return policy says you are supposed to deny those returns...not commit fraud by lowering the amount. But it's your STL's neck, I suppose.

 

[Firefox]

Firefox, the new coupon return policy says you are supposed to deny those returns...not commit fraud by lowering the amount. But it's your STL's neck, I suppose.

Yep, we try to. But there are some guests where denying the return would mean a confrontation that could involve a complaint that would reflect poorly on the store. I think the STL's reasoning is that if we comply with returning the items but minimize the amount of theft, it won't result in an angry call to HQ.

I don't agree with it, but I won't go against my STL's wishes. If I can I will straight up deny a return, but otherwise I'm not gonna tread on her toes.

 

[Retail Girl]

Yep, we try to. But there are some guests where denying the return would mean a confrontation that could involve a complaint that would reflect poorly on the store. I think the STL's reasoning is that if we comply with returning the items but minimize the amount of theft, it won't result in an angry call to HQ.

I don't agree with it, but I won't go against my STL's wishes. If I can I will straight up deny a return, but otherwise I'm not gonna tread on her toes.

I can totally understand that. My STL isn't crazy about the "deny the return" policy. But once I took a chance and did it and the guest escalated it to HQ and they took our side, it got better.

 

[h8guests]

At my store we have so much theft/return fraud we don't return HBO or electronic items without a receipt. So this one time this shady ass guest tried to return 3 HP inks without a receipt with his ID already in his hand. I turned him down and sent him on his way.

LITERALLY MAYBE 10 MINUTES LATER I get a call with a guest saying he wanted to return some ink but guest service didn't even try to attempt the return or look at the receipt. I was like "Oh yea you spoke with me. Like I stated before we need receipts for those items." He asked to speak to the GSA who backed me up...then he asked to speak to a store manager. The LOD at the time was a green, deer-caught-in-the-headlights, new, Front Lanes ETL who said we were going to honor it this time so they don't go to corporate. I warned her he was shady af and that I just turned him down, but when he returned (this time with 4 inks instead of 3 and a new bullshit story) she was the one to process it. Then his buddy, Shady AF the remix, came in with original Shady's gift card trying to fight the ETL to get cash back saying she had to, it was corporate policy. Of course there wasn't AP/TPS/APS that day.

 

[redeye58]

They really need to lock up keep these newbies away from service desk until they're broken in.

 

[3LetterDevil]

We've had people insisting we scan their extracare card for the coupons they've added since "we're CVS now." They don't understand that the items they're purchasing are TARGET items & their extracare card doesn't work at most stores yet, and even if it did, it's only on prescriptions.

 

[RXninja]

I haven't had too many people ask us to scan their ExtraCare cards, although some do think we can pull over their CVS scripts easy peasy. I've been telling them that we can't do that until our CVS software goes live mid March, but we can call them and transfer their script by phone.