Autozone return denied due to TRE

[cookand]

Wow! I have never heard about an Autozone refusing a return. Perhaps their policy has changed, but when my son worked at an Autozone, the employees were trained to accept even the most ridiculous of returns. You must really push the limit on returns.

Yeah, guy working the counter said he’d never seen it before. I’ve done several returns, but since I wasn’t requesting my money back and just store credit, I didn’t really see why it would be an issue.

 

[cookand]

TRE first hit the news in 2018, so it has been around a while.

Its client list includes Best Buy, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, ****'s Sporting Goods, CVS, JCPenney, Burlington, and for the ladies, Victoria's Secret and Sephora (no judgement if you shop there as well). (**** = sometimes AKA Richard, but apparently, the filter here has no nuance)

At AZ, it supposedly applies to no-receipt returns, tracked by DL and phone number, and triggered by return rate.

If a retailer asks for some form of ID to process a return, they're collecting that data for their purposes, including this. Membership clubs like Costco already have full transaction records and is also known to deny abusers.

Return abuse is a real problem for retailers, and it has come to this because of consumer behavior.

In most places, return policies exist due to competition, not regulation. In some places, return policies aren't customary; if you bought it, you own it.

What return protections that credit cards offer are borne by them, as with their extended warranties. It's no surprise those perks have mostly disappeared on cards with no annual fees.

Agreed. Since only requesting store credit just didn’t see it as abuse

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Dang, I have a ton of returns to Home Depot and Lowe’s from my plumbing project, I’ll prioritize the most expensive items first.

Maybe I shouldn’t have bought every black pipe nipple size?

I was buying like 500 GFCI outlets for a job then returned/exchanged like 100 for a different color for example. Do that multiple times in a month and they will flag you too. That is until they see you did $25k worth of business that month. I was never cut off completely.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Store Return Policy

How to return a product purchased at an AutoZone Store:

To return a product to an AutoZone store, bring back an item in its original condition and packaging, with receipt, within 90 days of the purchase date to request a refund. Return a defective item within the warranty period. Requests for refunds may be denied if the item has been used or installed.

AutoZone reserves the right to require a valid government-issued photo ID for all returns that will be recorded at the time of the return. Information from your ID will be retained in a company-wide database of customer return activity. AutoZone accepts the following IDs for returns: U.S. or Canadian Driver's License, U.S. State ID, Canadian Province ID, U.S. Military ID, Mexican Voter Registration Card, Passport, and U.S. Laser Visa.

If you are returning an item(s) and you no longer have the receipt(s), contact AutoZone Customer Support at 800.288.6966 to request the transaction information for your order. The customer service representative will also explain the process for returning your item(s) to the nearest AutoZone store.

AUTOZONE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIMIT RETURNS AND EXCHANGES REGARDLESS OF RECEIPT. (bold all caps is their doing)

Thanks for posting. At least there good enough to put it in writing.

 

[nthach]

TRE first hit the news in 2018, so it has been around a while.

Its client list includes Best Buy, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, ****'s Sporting Goods, CVS, JCPenney, Burlington, and for the ladies, Victoria's Secret and Sephora (no judgement if you shop there as well). (**** = sometimes AKA Richard, but apparently, the filter here has no nuance)

At AZ, it supposedly applies to no-receipt returns, tracked by DL and phone number, and triggered by return rate.

If a retailer asks for some form of ID to process a return, they're collecting that data for their purposes, including this. Membership clubs like Costco already have full transaction records and is also known to deny abusers.

Return abuse is a real problem for retailers, and it has come to this because of consumer behavior.

In most places, return policies exist due to competition, not regulation. In some places, return policies aren't customary; if you bought it, you own it.

What return protections that credit cards offer are borne by them, as with their extended warranties. It's no surprise those perks have mostly disappeared on cards with no annual fees.

Costco is usually nice enough to give you a warning. Sephora doesn’t sell cheap makeup at all - it’s also a popular place for organized crime to target and either resell on Marketplace or return to scam them. Now Victoria’s Secret, OK, who returns underwear outside of a quality issue?

Walmart probably has retail surveillance down to a science, followed by Amazon.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I was buying like 500 GFCI outlets for a job then returned/exchanged like 100 for a different color for example. Do that multiple times in a month and they will flag you too. That is until they see you did $25k worth of business that month. I was never cut off completely.

Good point, I’m sure there is a ratio. If they look at my purchase and return history, I rarely return products, maybe 1x year if that.

 

[Hall]

UPDATE: I sent an email to TRE asking if they count core returns towards the threshold to deny a return.

Willing to bet this TRE company will respond with "we just collect the data, our clients determine the criteria".

Some credit cards offer "return protection". Check to see if the card you purchased this with has it.

How does that work ? Does the card company refund your money, debit the store, and no physical return is necessary ?

AUTOZONE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIMIT RETURNS AND EXCHANGES REGARDLESS OF RECEIPT. (bold all caps is their doing)

That's all that matters. Receipt, no receipt, within their return window, etc - they can still refuse to do a return.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Agreed. Since only requesting store credit just didn’t see it as abuse

From the consumer perspective, it's difficult, because the criteria is opaque, and varies by retailer as well. With data brokers having collected aggregated data, individual profiles are also likely a factor that's considered as well, like a more private equivalent of a credit score, with TRE serving as a "return" bureau.

And of course, with retail transactions, the proper application and adherence to policy can be inconsistent.

Costco is usually nice enough to give you a warning. Sephora doesn’t sell cheap makeup at all - it’s also a popular place for organized crime to target and either resell on Marketplace or return to scam them. Now Victoria’s Secret, OK, who returns underwear outside of a quality issue?

Walmart probably has retail surveillance down to a science, followed by Amazon.

At Costco, I suspect the return counter personnel are given some latitude for discretion, and can easily override the system.

With Sephora, AZ, and other retailers of higher value items, returning stolen items for credit is more lucrative.

Returning used underwear? I put nothing past people today, and specific exclusions aren't stated in policies by accident, but by necessity.

Like Costco, Amazon already has full access to its customers' profiles, so it is easy for them. But over its history, the company has long operated with a laissez-faire "too big to have to care" MO, so it doesn't sweat the small stuff and is more liberal with its criteria.

Order something from Amazon now, and the likelihood that the item received was previously returned are higher than they've ever been before, in my experience. Sometimes, it's blatantly obvious, and any effort to vet the item would have caught that it should not have been resold. Sometimes it works as their policy intends, with no signs except for an LPN sticker on the package.

For their part, retailers also hurt themselves by being too generous, with long periods and not requiring proof of purchase, even if redundant.

I don't know if it's corporate policy, but the cashiers at my HF store end every sale with the reminder to keep the receipt or have the sale credited to a phone number in case of returns, which indicates that the return rate is high enough to warrant the practice.

 

[Hall]

Note to self: If doing a return and I have a receipt, always "forget" my wallet (with ID) in my car.

Yes, I know they will probably cross-track with my CC or debit card #.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Returning used underwear? I put nothing past people today, and specific exclusions aren't stated in policies by accident, but by necessity.

I had a friend who worked at Macys 20 years ago and she would get this occasionally. Used underwear / lingerie.

Despite the policy that the store had to accept these returns, she denied them and got into arguments with the customers, often shaming them in the process.

 

[dishdude]

How does that work ? Does the card company refund your money, debit the store, and no physical return is necessary ?

You send the product to a third party administrator that packs the returns up on pallets and resells them to recoup some of the money. The credit card company just credits your account, no involvement from the store.

https://www.americanexpress.com/con...RP_Benefit_Guide_Rev_10-20_10.09.23-final.pdf

 

[repairman54]

I retired from Sears. You know the store with the sign over the front door that said ''Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back''.
People would buy a dress, wear it to a party and bring it back. Buy a mower, use it for a summer and bring it back.
I did get some deals on customer returns though, and with the ''new'' full guarantee. Still have my '95 lawn tractor.

 

[Hall]

You send the product to a third party administrator that packs the returns up on pallets and resells them to recoup some of the money. The credit card company just credits your account, no involvement from the store.

I may have read it too quickly, but there's a $300 cap per return ? My other question was going to be "so AMEX just eats it?", so they do, but in turn, limit the amounts.

 

[KevinMalone]

So apparently you can request your "return activity report" from TRE. It would be interesting to see the amount or ratio of returns that lead to the denial

https://www.theretailequation.com/#:~:text=A RAR shows the linked,at www.TheRetailEquation.com.

 

[4WD]

Stores need to stand up sometimes, but that line will always be fuzzy and pee someone off

They don’t have legs

 

[crashz]

Costco is usually nice enough to give you a warning. Sephora doesn’t sell cheap makeup at all - it’s also a popular place for organized crime to target and either resell on Marketplace or return to scam them. Now Victoria’s Secret, OK, who returns underwear outside of a quality issue?

Walmart probably has retail surveillance down to a science, followed by Amazon.

Wow - organized crime targets Sephora? What happened to the good old days of booze, women and gambling? I hope I don't live to see the day of movies showcasing crime bosses scamming a make-up counter. Good grief.

 

[4WD]

I retired from Sears. You know the store with the sign over the front door that said ''Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back''.
People would buy a dress, wear it to a party and bring it back. Buy a mower, use it for a summer and bring it back.
I did get some deals on customer returns though, and with the ''new'' full guarantee. Still have my '95 lawn tractor.

Or hit a pawn shop and return that messed up tool …

 

[BHopkins]

Good point, I’m sure there is a ratio. If they look at my purchase and return history, I rarely return products, maybe 1x year if that.

Same way here. I'll return a defective item, or if I bought the wrong item and I need to exchange. But for the most part, I have a hard time returning an item that I simply bought too much of, or decided I don't need it as much as I thought I did. For me, I can't see how that is the retailer's problem. That's on me, not them.

I retired from Sears. You know the store with the sign over the front door that said ''Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back''.
People would buy a dress, wear it to a party and bring it back. Buy a mower, use it for a summer and bring it back. I did get some deals on customer returns though, and with the ''new'' full guarantee. Still have my '95 lawn tractor.

My wife has a second cousin that used to do that. She would go to Macy's and buy an expensive dress and shoes for a date. Then she would tuck the tags so they couldn't be seen, and cover the soles of the shoes with masking tape. On Monday, after the date, she would return the dress and shoes.

It worked for a while, until she was put on the return denied list. It really ticked her off when she got stuck with $300 of clothing that she had no intention of keeping, when she bought them.

I thought she had it coming.

 

[MaximumMini]

You may be an honest customer, but there are 100 for every one of you who will buy something knowing full well they intend to return it AFTER using it. Or take parts off of it, or swap parts and on and on and on.

It's become a much bigger problem as the overall culture of the USA has shifted significantly.
I used to own retail stores and theft was a big problem even 40 years ago.
Shrinkage in retail today is staggering.

 

[nthach]

Wow - organized crime targets Sephora? What happened to the good old days of booze, women and gambling? I hope I don't live to see the day of movies showcasing crime bosses scamming a make-up counter. Good grief.

Hey, someone needs their MAC, Fenty or NARS for cheap off Marketplace…