K-Mart Des Moines Iowa Rip -Off Artists

I got a Phantom vacuum cleaner around Christmas time. I used it the first time New Year's weekend. Three weeks later it was not working. I live 15 miles from the nearest K-Mart and decided to pick up another vacuum one evening when I was in town, intending to return the other when I got the chance. That was less than a week ago. Saturday I turned the new vacuum on and guess what? It did not work!! Didn't even get a chance to use vacuum #2. It had been three weeks or so since I had been able to vacuum and my carpet REALLY needed cleaned, so I packed up both vacuums and went to K-mart. My intent was to exchange the non-working vacuums for one that worked.

I keep receipts for my major purchases, and thought I had both original receipts with me. The service person told me I would have to wait a week or so to return the newer vacuum because I had written a check that they needed to wait for the check to clear. I've never heard of this before, but said OK because I don't write bad checks. Figured it was just a matter of time. The same person told me I could go ahead and exchange the older vacuum for another one. As it turned out, the receipt for the older vacuum was a photocopy. I had made a copy of it intending to turn the vacuum in to my tax person as a rental property expense, and didn't realize I had picked up the photocopy. I explained this to the service clerk and offered to drive home for the original receipt. So I drove another 15 miles to get the original receipt.

While I was gone, the vacuum I had left with them was marked as damaged and taken to the back room. When I returned, I gave her my receipt; she now said I would have to take it to the K-Mart I got it from. And I had told them in the beginning that the vacuums were purchased at different stores and was told it would not be a problem. She claimed the receipt did not show a "method of purchase."

So then I drove another 10 miles to the other K-Mart. As I walked in the door with the box, a buzzer went off. I don't understand that - that didn't happen when I left the store after purchasing it, or when I entered or left the other store where I initially tried to exchange it. All I can think of is that when it was marked as damaged and tagged, that something was done? I don't know.

I explained the situation to the person at the service desk - that they needed to look up the register number to find out the method of payment before I could exchange - that the other K-Mart had sent me to their store. (And I don't understand this either - I wasn't asking for a refund - I was just asking to exchange the faulty vacuum for a new one.) He called over the weekend manager, and handed him the receipt. This guy actually looked at my receipt and told me the vacuum didn't come from that store, and that the receipt was a copy!! I asked him to explain how it could be a copy with the K-mart logo on the back of the receipt and that store number at the top, and he said. "This is not our paper. Our paper doesn't tear off at the bottom like this, and our receipts show a method of payment." He called me a liar.

I am not an employee and don't know what the receipt SHOULD look like. How could I? Why SHOULD I? I don't pay that much attention to receipts because I don't often return items. I asked him if it didn't show method of payment because the purchase was made in cash. He didn't really answer. Just kept calling me a liar!!

If I had written a check, I'd have proof of purchase. If I had put the purchase on a charge card, I'd have proof. The only proof of a cash purchase is a receipt. And this jerk is claiming over and over that this receipt was not issued by their store and that I'm lying. I AM NOT LYING.

I told the weekend manager that the other store had mentioned looking up the receipt on the system and that it would show method of payment. He claimed it couldn't be done. So I called the other store from my cell phone and spoke with the supervisor at the first store I went to. She said if they couldn't do it then they didn't know what they were doing. Explained that it had to be done from the office - that the purchase date had to be put in - and that there were a number of screens that would display. This guy claimed they don't have an office! Oh yes, they do. My daughter lost her purse once at K-Mart, and they put it in their office for safe keeping. (Why was he continually lying to me?) He asked the kid to enter the receipt number from a cash register. When it came up invalid, I reminded him that the supervisor said it had to be done from the office and involved entering the date of purchase. He told me, "This receipt is invalid. It didn't come from our store. You are a liar."

So then I said I wouldn't leave until I got the name/number of someone I could call concerning this dilemma. He refused! But instead, he called the sheriff claiming someone was trying to return an item with a photocopied receipt, and was making a scene because they wouldn't do it. MORE LIES. I told the sheriff I just wanted a contact name and number because I HAD made the purchase at this store - that I didn't like being called a liar and I intended to pursue this. This manager (this joke of a manager) claimed that I had never asked for contact information (another lie). But he gave it to me when the law showed up.

I drove back home. I had now driven 60 miles and wasted almost three hours of my time. In the morning I drove another 30 miles to a Target, where I purchased a vacuum cleaner that WORKED!!!

So as of today, K-mart has not only sold me two worthless vacuums, but wasted three hours of my time and caused me to put 90 miles on my car. And insulted my integrity - repeatedly calling me a liar.

Tonight I plan to return to K-Mart with my receipt. I am going to ask to speak with the regular manager. If I can get him to look up the stupid receipt number, he'll see that the receipt WAS issued from their store. And I no longer want to exchange the stupid vacuum. Now that I spent almost $300 on another one at Target, I want MY MONEY BACK. I believe they also owe me something for the rudeness I was subjected to - my time - my mileage - my frustration.

I will be copying this report to another document, because if I don't get satisfaction tonight, I will be forwarding this on to the Better Business Bureau, small claims court, and our local investigative TV channel for further consideration.

I see today on MSN that K-Mart has just filed for bankruptcy. Gee, do you suppose they are losing customers because of the way they treat them?

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