PART TWO: Saga of the Used Pants.

Some of you were under the impression that I was the owner of the used pants and in a quandary as to what to do with them but this is not the case. No, fair readers, I was not the consumer but rather the sales associate that was subjected to dealing with the customer who bought the pants, wore the pants, and then demanded a refund.

Cyber Print Reenactment (Sort of):

Customer and his wife approach my counter. They proceed to show me two pairs of navy pants, all tags removed, and want a refund. They have a receipt.The pants have been worn. More than once - they have that 'broken in' softness that comes from repeated washings. I ask them their reason for returning them. Apparently the man bought them for a training course for a job (in law enforcement) and then later his employers gave him an uniform so he no longer needs the pants.

Not sure why this is the store's problem. They pants are not defective. They have been worn so they are no longer sellable. I tell him we cannot take them back. There is nothing defective with the pants, they have been worn and we can no longer sell them. He informs me that 'Yes we can because they are like new.'

I respond by asking him if he would like to buy something from this store that someone has worn several times and has been used.
Not surprisingly he doesn't care for this line of questioning and avoids giving me a direct response. He does tell me however that the store should just suck it up and give him a refund because they are a big company.
I'm a little taken back; the guy buys a product, uses it several times, then gets similar product for free and decides that the retailer should take used product back and give him a full refund. Now, I know from all our levels of Loss Prevention Personnel and Security Teams that they despise this type of customer and basically consider such acts as criminal so I am puzzled as to what field of 'law enforcement' this guy could possibly be employed in.

His wife then asks if they could just get a gift card for the full amount but before I can even respond, her husband interrupts to say No, he doesn't want a gift card because he will never shop here again. I try to refrain from clapping and cheering.

He continues to rant becoming increasingly more obnoxious; his tattoo-covered muscle-shirt clad torso twitching angrily; and I volunteer to call a manager for him. He accepts this and while waiting for the on-duty manager (they are scheduled via rotation to have to deal with the customers from hell), I tell the whole sorry tale to another manager (out of earshot) and she says there is NO WAY this guy should get a refund.

The on-duty Manager arrives and explains: "No we cannot give refunds on merchandise that is no longer sellable that has no defects."

Customer explodes: "Yes you can sell the pants. They look fine!"

Manager calmly: "Would you buy something from here that has been worn?"

Customer: "That is not the point."

Manager: "That is exactly the point."

Obnoxious-rude-nasty-jerk-face customer rants on and on and his wife reads aloud the return policy in its entirety from the back of the receipt emphasizing the part about 'customer satisfaction.'

As I start to explain that the customer satisfaction is referring to the product, and as they were happy with the product but wanted the refund simply because they did not need them any more, her hubby points at me, makes a gesture born on a Jerry Springer stage, and orders me 'to stop talking, and that he doesn't want to hear a word out of my mouth anymore, and he is done with me.'
Before I can stop the words from leaving my mouth, I hear myself saying, "And you're in law enforcement?"

This, of course, gives him fuel for his raging fire. He rants anew with fresh indignity about the lack of customer service, the lack of professionalism, etc. I apologize immediately adding that I shouldn't have made that remark but did not care for his remark telling me to stop speaking. This does not phase him at all. He continues on in a berating insulting way and I leave the scene leaving the manager to deal with him and his pit bull mentality.

She does not give him a refund (hahahahahahaha) and later tells me that I should have probably called security since the guy was such a grade A first class JERK.

She also tells me I shouldn't have made the crack about law enforcement but that is was excellent that I apologized immediately.

And that folks, is my tale regarding the navy pants. I was curious as to what others would do in his situation but I think actually I just wanted to vent about this stupid-butt-head of a customer.

..oh and his job in law enforcement? I'm guessing the goons companies hire to intimidate legitimate strikers on their picket lines. Having witnessed some of those guys in action I am just glad they aren't armed with tasers.

Rant over.