# Chapters BookStore - no exchange without receipt



## Janndoe (2 Apr 2008)

I accidentally bought the second half of a 2 part series in Chapters on Parnell St. yesterday. I realised my mistake when I got home, and also that I had lost my receipt. I was not too concerned about this, in my experience most stores will exchange without receipt. I went to the customer service desk where I was told there that there was absolutely no exchanging without a reciept. 
Bear in mind that the book had the price tag on the back and the store security tag (which needs to be deactivated at the cash desk) still attached.

I emailed them and got no response,  I then rang and was told that the manager had been consulted and exchanges were still impossible. Their suggestion was that I should bring the book to the used section where I would no doubt have gotten 3-4 euro in credit for my 11.60 purchase of 22 hours earlier.

Am I wrong to be extremely dissatisfied with their attitude?


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## tiger (2 Apr 2008)

Have a look here:
http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Learning_Zone/Guides_To_Consumer_Law/Shopping/
_"You have no rights under consumer law if you simply change your mind about wanting the goods. However, some shops will offer you an exchange as a gesture of goodwill"_


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## z103 (2 Apr 2008)

> Am I wrong to be extremely dissatisfied with their attitude?


IMHO, yes.

Tiger's post above states that you have no statutory right to a refund. Consider as well that Chapters would have to restock and have already incurred transaction costs selling you the book.

Furthermore, I understand them not issuing a refund w/o a receipt, someone could have just shoplifted the product.


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## mathepac (2 Apr 2008)

leghorn said:


> ...
> Furthermore, I understand them not issuing a refund w/o a receipt, someone could have just shoplifted the product.


With a deactivated security tag still attached?


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## jhegarty (2 Apr 2008)

1) Buy in Amazon
2) return in chapters
3) profit !


Hence why they demand a receipt... you have no rights either legal or moral here...


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## z103 (2 Apr 2008)

> With a deactivated security tag still attached?


Some shoplifters run out the door with goods. Used to happen when I worked in M&S. Some crooks would unhook a rail of clothes and make a dash for the door.

Other people used to buy second hand M&S clothes and return them for cash (w/o receipt), until they changed returns policy.


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## bankrupt (2 Apr 2008)

It's useful to know that this is Chapters' policy, I have exchanged books without receipts in Waterstones, Hughes & Hughes and Hodges Figgis.


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## BillK (2 Apr 2008)

Why don't you buy the first part and read it before you read the second part which you have bought inadvance?


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## Brendan Burgess (2 Apr 2008)

Legally you have no right.

But I am surprised at the attitude of Chapters. I would have thought that they should exchange it as a matter of goodwill and customer service and on a discretionary basis. 

Why don't you buy the first half of the book. And then return with its receipt and Part 2?  

Brendan


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## bacchus (3 Apr 2008)

jhegarty said:


> 1) Buy in Amazon
> 2) return in chapters
> 3) profit !
> Hence why they demand a receipt... you have no rights either legal or moral here...


 
OP is not looking at getting a refund but simply exchange part 2 for part 1..


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## truthseeker (3 Apr 2008)

I agree with Brendan, legally you have no right to change it - but one would imagine that Chapters would accomodate you just out of goodwill, especially as it was an exchange you wanted and not money back.


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## Janndoe (3 Apr 2008)

Thanks for the responses everyone, unfortunately they don't have part 1 in stock and you can understand I'd rather not buy it from them anyway. They do have a hardback 1 volume edition which is what I wanted to exchange it for - I told them this and it made no difference.

What really irritated me was that in the circumstances - price tag in place plus *deactivated *security tag (so it had to have gone out over the cash desk, I couldn't have just run off with it), plus I wanted to swap it for essentially the same thing,  any reasonable retailer (I think) should have allowed the exchange.


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## Caveat (3 Apr 2008)

As others have pointed out, no legal rights etc, but I think it's poor attitude on Chapters part especially in your specific circumstances - presumably they can tell whether or not a tag has been actually deactivated in store or merely tampered with?  Maybe not...


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## koconnor (3 Apr 2008)

Hi all,

I was thinking that if he paid by laser/credit card - then he would have proof that he paid for it on his statements. I always thought that a receipt was used to prove you paid for it - and that a bank statement would also prove you paid for it too... 

Don't know where I read this, but as long as you have proof you paid for it, then you should be able to get a refund if the goods are not right.

Kev.


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## z103 (3 Apr 2008)

> Don't know where I read this, but as long as you have proof you paid for it, then you should be able to get a refund if the goods are not right.


In this case, there was nothing wrong with the goods.


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## koconnor (3 Apr 2008)

But they were looking for a receipt off of him, to prove he paid for it. Had he the receipt they would have exchanged it. Having a bank statement would be proof enough I would have thought.


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## annette mac (3 Apr 2008)

In defence of Chapters I have to say that I have never received anything less than perfect service from them. For example last Christmas I cheekily emailed them a list of about 15 books I wanted to buy as presents (including one which I knew was out of print).  They emailed me back about 2 hours later and said they had 12 of them in stock and if I was willing to wait a further 3 days then they'd have all 15 in stock.  I duly collected all 15 at their orders desk, having saved a whole lot of time and hassle tracking them down myself.  I have no connection to the shop but decided to use it long ago because it's an independent bookseller (not part of an anonymous chain) and we have very few of them left, that's what started me using them but what's kept me using them is the quality of their service.


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## Staples (4 Apr 2008)

As has been said, Chapters have no legal obligation to make a refund in this instance.  

However, if they offer refunds with receipts, it may follow that all they require is proof of purchase.  A Laser/credit card receipt would offer the same level of proof, if you'd paid this way.

You could point this logic out to the bookshop but if they're not prepared to accept it, there's nothing you can ultimately do.


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## sparkeee (4 Apr 2008)

an unfortunate situation,bear in mind businesses are pestered with shoplifters,fraudsters and scammers of all types,it is very difficult to see the real mistakes from the others.


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2008)

Janndoe said:


> I accidentally bought the second half of a 2 part series in Chapters on Parnell St. yesterday. I realised my mistake when I got home, and also that I had lost my receipt. I was not too concerned about this, in my experience most stores will exchange without receipt. I went to the customer service desk where I was told there that there was absolutely no exchanging without a reciept.


If you had any other proof of purchase (e.g. credit/debit card slip, cheque stub etc.) would they exchange it (even though they are not obliged to since there is nothing wrong with the goods)?


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## Janndoe (4 Apr 2008)

Unfortunately I paid with cash, so no card slips/bank statements are available.

I've resolved the situation by getting the books i want second-hand from abebooks.com for a fraction of the cost of buying in Chapters (25$ incl shipping for 3 books that would have cost 30-40 euro). I do normally try to support local traders, but Chapters have given me no reason to feel any loyalty to them despite having shopped there for the last 10 years.


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## thundercat (4 Apr 2008)

Really they will only offer refund or exchange out of their own goodwill if there is nothing wrong with the goods. Personally I have had a bad experience with Chapters as well so I suppose we can just let our consumer power do the talking at the end of the day. Maybe that will give them a good reason to change their attitude.


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## April Raine (5 Apr 2008)

Janndoe said:


> but Chapters have given me no reason to feel any loyalty to them despite having shopped there for the last 10 years.


You're right, if they cannot see the difference between a genuine error and a scammer that is their loss. The point of power is always in the pocket.Write them a letter to the ceo/md and tell them you won't buy there any more. you might be surprised how they would react to losing a 10 year genuine customer legal rights or not


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## stir crazy (6 Apr 2008)

Janndoe said:


> I've resolved the situation by getting the books i want second-hand from abebooks.com for a fraction of the cost of buying in Chapters (25$ incl shipping for 3 books that would have cost 30-40 euro). I do normally try to support local traders, but Chapters have given me no reason to feel any loyalty to them despite having shopped there for the last 10 years.



I know having the wrong part of a set is frustrating but in fairness to Chapters when comparing them to other retailers; do you think abebooks.com would refund or replace a bought book if you had no proof of purchase with them ?

If I lost a receipt for something and couldnt prove I bought it at a particular shop, I wouldn't automatically expect a shop to take it back. However if it was faulty and I lost the receipt I would rightly be doubly annoyed at myself and would take a chance at bringing it back but I'd accept responsibility for not having the receipt...

Does anyone find Chapters any cheaper, more expensive or the same price as the other high street book stores ?


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## Janndoe (7 Apr 2008)

I think it's bad business on their part - by not allowing the exchange, they have alienated a good customer, who would on average, buy 2-4 books a month, and mostly in that shop. 

I just don't see how they have decided that it is better business-wise for them to do this, since they would not incur any loss *at all *by allowing the exchange. As I have already said I told them I wanted to exchange it for a different edition of the same book series (a one volume edition instead of part 2 of a 2 volume one). They still get my money, they get my goodwill, to the tune of 20-40 euro in an average month and they lose precisely nothing.

It seems rather petty.

but the books I ordered online will be here tomorrow, so I'm happy


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## ubiquitous (7 Apr 2008)

This thread reminds me of the scene in Naked Camera when the wiseguy goes into Freebird Records at O'Connell Bridge and asks the guy behind the counter can he borrow a few CDs to "bring home & tape them". His reply "if I'm gonna start doing that I might as well jump into the Liffey, mate"


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## Janndoe (15 Apr 2008)

ubiquitous said:


> This thread reminds me of the scene in Naked Camera when the wiseguy goes into Freebird Records at O'Connell Bridge and asks the guy behind the counter can he borrow a few CDs to "bring home & tape them". His reply "if I'm gonna start doing that I might as well jump into the Liffey, mate"



Perhaps I'm being dense but I'm not seeing how this is the same, unless you intend to be insulting?


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## ubiquitous (15 Apr 2008)

Secondhand bookshops make their living from buying used books at a reduced price and selling them at the full market price. If they are going to offer customers a facility to "return" books to them at full price without receipt, this would be likely to undermine their business model. Anyone could walk into them with a used book, and instead of offering to sell it to them at a reduced price, they could just as easily claim they bought it there, lost their receipt, and demand a full "refund", ie get paid full price for the book. Once people cop on to this, the retailer would lose their shirt - just as Freebird Records would do if they allowed customers to "borrow" their CDs.


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## Seagull (15 Apr 2008)

Chapters doesn't only deal in second hand books.


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## Caveat (15 Apr 2008)

I had completely assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the OP was talking about a 'new' item.


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## ubiquitous (15 Apr 2008)

The fact remains: secondhand book purchases/sales are a major element of Chapters' business. They would cannibalise this trade were they to freely offer full "no questions asked" refunds on books retuned without receipt.


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## Ceist Beag (15 Apr 2008)

ubiquitous said:


> The fact remains: secondhand book purchases/sales are a major element of Chapters' business. They would cannibalise this trade were they to freely offer full "no questions asked" refunds on books retuned without receipt.


Ubi why are you straying from the issue in this thread to make a different argument? The OP is neither talking about a second hand book, nor looking for a refund never mind a "full no questions asked refund". I think she made a valid point but as most posters stated, legally Chapters are perfectly within their rights, but I still think it was a poor call on their part as it sounds like they have lost a customer because of it.


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## wheels (15 Apr 2008)

I don't see what the problem is, there is nothing to say you didn't steal the book (obviously you didn't) but the receipt is your proof that you didn't just take it out of the store and try to pull a fast one.


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## ClubMan (15 Apr 2008)

wheels said:


> I don't see what the problem is, there is nothing to say you didn't steal the book (obviously you didn't) but the receipt is your proof that you didn't just take it out of the store and try to pull a fast one.


Regardless of proof of purchase issue the store is simply not obliged to issue a refund unless there is something wrong with the purchased item.


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## ubiquitous (15 Apr 2008)

Ceist Beag said:


> Ubi why are you straying from the issue in this thread to make a different argument? The OP is neither talking about a second hand book, nor looking for a refund never mind a "full no questions asked refund". I think she made a valid point but as most posters stated, legally Chapters are perfectly within their rights, but I still think it was a poor call on their part as it sounds like they have lost a customer because of it.




Okay then


ubiquitous said:


> The fact remains: secondhand book purchases/sales are a major element of Chapters' business. They would cannibalise this trade were they to freely offer full "no questions asked" refunds *or exchanges* on books retuned without receipt.


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## Ceist Beag (16 Apr 2008)

I still fail to see the relevance of your point Ubi. As I said, the OP was not looking for a full no questions asked exchange either. In fact the OP asked to speak to the manager to point out what she/he thought was a fair argument. As I also said, I agree the store was under no obligation whatsoever to accept her argument and offer an exchange - they were perfectly entitled to say no. I also think the person at the customer service desk was right to say no - it is the manager I think who made a bad call in this instance.
However, put yourself in the managers shoes. You run a bookshop. A customer has asked to speak to you (or have you consulted) regarding a request he/she has to exchange a book they mistakingly bought for another book of equal value. They don't have a receipt for the book but the book does have the security tag from the store on the back of it. Here are your choices:
A) Say no, our policy is our policy and we will not exchange the book. This results in you losing a customer.
B) Make a judgement call that the policy is worth ignoring in the interest of keeping a good relationship with the customer in this instance as you trust what they are saying is true. This results in a happy customer and you don't lose out financially - in fact you win in the long run as you have enhanced the customer's relationship with your store.

Obviously if you have doubts about the truth of the customer's story then you don't opt for B but in this instance the OP sounds like an honest person so I don't see any reason why the manager should not believe her.

Now which option would you choose if you were the manager ubi or wheels (or anyone else who thinks the store was right)?


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## ubiquitous (16 Apr 2008)

I don't run a bookshop so I'm not in a position to pronounce with any level of wisdom that the manager in this case either acted correctly or didn't do so. All I am saying is that I can see why this bookshop has a policy of not allowing exchanges or full refunds on books purchased, unless  verified by a receipt. It is up to Chapters to decide whether to have such a policy and if so, how best  to implement it. They are big enough and in business long enough to make these decisions.

There is little doubt that such a policy will aggrieve at least some customers, however anyone who works in business will know that "you can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time". Many of the most successful companies in the world have made their fortunes by following this message. McDonalds & Ryanair are two that spring immediately to mind.


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## Sophia57 (1 May 2008)

Well, having worked for Chapters in another life this doesn't surprise me..and not all of their books are second-hand either, they're returns to publishing houses that are bought cheap in bulk, mangled a bit by staff (under instructions I did it myself) and then doled out on the second hand shelves.

This may just get me banned but they were awful to work for and I just had to say something. Needless to say I'm not a fan.


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## ClubMan (2 May 2008)

Sophia57 said:


> Well, having worked for Chapters in another life this doesn't surprise me..and not all of their books are second-hand either, they're returns to publishing houses that are bought cheap in bulk, mangled a bit by staff (under instructions I did it myself) and then doled out on the second hand shelves.


What's the problem? They sell returns allegedly "mangled a bit" presumably at lower prices than the new/pristine item. Who cares? In fact even if they charged more who cares? If the punter is willing to pay then that's his/her prerogative.


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## John Rambo (2 May 2008)

Sorry, I'm lost...is the book the OP bought new or second-hand?


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## europhile (15 Nov 2008)

Sophia57 said:


> and not all of their books are second-hand either, they're returns to publishing houses that are bought cheap in bulk, mangled a bit by staff (under instructions I did it myself) and then doled out on the second hand shelves.



I don't understand the need to mangle the books in order to sell them.

Remaindered books command a better price than secondhand.


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## extopia (16 Nov 2008)

Sounds like the shop might have made a bad call in this case, for whatever reason. But in general the customer service in Chapters is excellent, as it is in most Dublin bookshops, it has to be said.


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## europhile (16 Nov 2008)

Janndoe said:


> What really irritated me was that in the circumstances - price tag in place plus *deactivated *security tag (so it had to have gone out over the cash desk, I couldn't have just run off with it), plus I wanted to swap it for essentially the same thing,  any reasonable retailer (I think) should have allowed the exchange.



Not, let me repeat, not, Chapters.  But I know of one bookshop where the books are stolen by staff and sold on to other bookshops.


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