Target Sells Defective Merchandise and Did Not Honor Even Exchange! Dover, Delaware

 I purchased a Playstation 3 160GB Console on November 12, 2011 and a 3 year warranty for the system at $29.99. The system came with a promotional offer from Target as to where you brought a PS3 at full price and received a  $50.00 gift card.

 When I purchased the system I also had the $50.00 gift card applied to an entertainment game along with it. I brought the PS3 Console home and set it up in my living room where it remained for nearly 4 weeks untouched,unplayed,and unused.

On the 5th week of owning the system I finally had a break in my schedule to actually play it for once. Upon playing the system (for an average of 1-2 hours a night) I noticed the system would shut off randomly. After several occurrences of this I would check the system to notice it ran extremely hot after very short periods of time (up to 15 minutes even). Although the system was in an open and well ventilated area, the system would overheat and shut down, and at times just freeze up.

I investigated into this issue (Contacting Sony what best I could, visiting Consumer boards etc.)to find that it's a known defect in this model of the PS3. Target sold me a "New Defective" system. Target allows consumers 90 days to return items and as it's implemented on my receipt my purchase was valid for a return. Although I purchased the extended warranty I did not feel it would be logical to use a warranty on a NEW item as something sold as NEW should not require a warranty to be used when it has less that 30 hours of use on it.

I contacted Target in Dover,DE and explained the situation. The CSR informed me to bring everything in and they would exchange it for a new system.  I boxed up their defective system and brought it into the store. They inspected the console visually only to see that as I informed them it was NEW. The representative continued to process the exchange and then told me that they could not do it because it would only be valued at $199.99 since they had the promotion for their $50.00 gift card. Although I paid full price for the system at $249.99 they are so petty that they would charge a consumer $50.00 for it when they are simply trying to exchange a defective item that was sold for the same item.

After unsuccessfully trying to get the stores management to understand how wrong it was to sell a defective item to a customer then attempt to charge them $50.00 for a working one they pointed me in the direction of their "Guest Services" (which is their corporate consumer help department). I contacted their Guest Services the following to which I was able to speak with a representative that didn't know quite how to handle my situation. Her best advice or resolution was that she would forward it to her superior offices. I asked her would someone reply or attempt to contact me. The representative honestly told me "They may not contact you at all". Which I found to be very helpful in knowing I may or may not EVER have my issue resolved.

After being fed up with Target at this point (and who wouldn't be after spending $280.00 on a product that doesn't work) I wished to return the system along with the game that I purchased with the gift card (it was never opened as I never really played the system) for a full refund.

I contacted the Dover Target store once again to speak with a manager to see if I could just return everything for a full refund now that I had the original unopened game purchased with the gift card and they should be able to honor it. I was placed on the line there with a woman who Identified herself as Jenna (Possibly Jennifer as later I would find out this Target has ghost Managers working for them) who informed me that I should be able to get my refund as long as I had everything and the game and brought it into the store and should I have an issue she would contact Guess Relations herself.

After hearing this I assumed everything would be taken care of. If they didn't want to honor an even exchange at least I could return everything I purchased and just get my refund and move on. This was not the case. When I returned to the Dover,DE store for the second time now I re-explained the story to the CSR who tried to get in contact with "Jenna" whom he said was not on shift the day I called in and it might be another Manager named "Jennifer" After he contacted "Jennifer" she had no recollection of speaking to a customer about returning a Playstation 3 system. Which I found very helpful to know I was speaking to a ghost when I called the store the day before or someone who had 24hour amnesia.

After being unable to locate the manager I spoke to the CSR decided to contact Guess Relations who also apparently had never heard of me and did not acknowledge ever speaking to myself about returning a defective PS3 console (again they have ghost answering their consumer lines).

After not having any luck, the CSR decided to contact a different Manager named Paul. At first Paul put on a facade of being friendly but soon his true colors showed as he tried to Tell me they could not refund the PS3 because I had used the promotional gift card. I informed him that the card was used to purchase the game that was unused that I was also returning and also  had a receipt for as the purchase was done in the same instance as when I brought the system itself.

The more I logically questioned the Manager regarding how Target handles "Defective" products that they sell to customers he became irrational and started raising his voice to argue with me without answering any inquiry I had but only irately yelling at me "What did Guess Services Tell You" (They told me nothing actually) and saying "I'm not want to deal with this".

I found this Managers "Paul" behavior to be out of line and beyond unprofessional considering I am a customer that just spent $280.00 on a product that is defective and does not work. You would assume if in any right I would be the one that would be upset since I am the one that took the loss from all this.

Not being an argumental person I calmly countered his irrationalism by questioning his logic that he considered a full refund only providing me $199.99 cashback for the Defective console and offering me a $50.00 gift card for the game I wanted to return to them so that they could provide it as credit towards the full purchase of the system so I could get my full refund back (Please note I paid the full price of $249.99 for the system not $199.99 and $29.99 for the warranty service. I wanted to return the Game so they would have their $50.00 giftcard purchase back so that the promotional offer would be voided out and I could be provided the full refund amount that I paid for the total purchase back.


Under the logic of Paul he wanted me to basically donate a $50.00 game to Target so they could put it back in inventory and resale it at full price and I pretty much get a $50.00 gift card to which I at this point would have actually just have purchased myself since its value is deducted from my original purchase amount of $278.99.

I'm not gaining anything but losing out at this point as I had no interests in dealing with Target and especially purchasing another item from them after seeing how they treat a customer whom they sold a defective product to. Target simply refused to honor an even exchange without attempting to charge me the Full price of the system $249.99 to which I already brought for at the full price of $249.99.

Their Solution is to return the $50.00 game to receive a credit to basically buy a properly working system at Full price because they sold me that was defective as they will not honor an even exchange on the defective system they sold me.

My conversation with Paul ended with him telling me I had 2 options to either listen to him and take his deal or I could leave the store. To which I replied I would take the 3rd option settle the matter by way of legal means. To which he walked storming out the customer service desk.

The CSR that was assisting me herself was shocked by his behavior as it was out of place entirely.
 
I write this RipOff Report so that buyers who are purchasing electronic items under Targets "Promotonal Gift card offers" beware if your item is defective or not in proper working condition as Target will try to charge you full face value of the item if you try to exchange it. Regardless if the conditions of the promotion were that you paid full price for the item to begin with.