My dad purchased an LG fridge from Lowe's on Friday 2/10/17 for approx. $1300. It was a unit that had been returned before, and my dad decided to choose it because it was normally $2400 - ignoring my concerns about whether it would even work. He used a debit card and processed it as credit. When we got it home and installed it and waited 24 hours for it to cool, we found out that the unit was defective and we called LG about it. They sent a service tech on Monday, 2/13/2017, and he said it had a blown compressor and a few other issues, and that it should be returned.
My dad went back to Lowe's after the technician left and raised a fit about them selling him a broken fridge. I wasn't able to go with him, but what transpired was that they offered to sell him the same fridge new-in-box for ~$1800, as well as delivery and installation/recollection of the faulty unit for free. He agreed and he again paid with his debit card. They took the receipt from the first refrigerator and processed the return, but didn't give him his money back, saying they couldn't do that until they had the other fridge back in the store. He was pissed, but he figured the only thing he could do is wait for them to pick up the broken fridge.
They delivered and installed the new fridge on Wednesday, 2/15/17, and took the old fridge back. The fridge cooled fine after we waited 24 hours, however the ice maker and water dispenser weren't working. We called LG again, they sent out a tech again on this past Saturday, 2/18/17, and he was able to fix the issue for no cost - the door sensor was damaged when they took the door off to get it inside the house. Later saturday night, my dad checked his account to see if the transaction was cancelled and the $1300 was back into his account since it had been three days since the first fridge was brought back to the store. The money wasn't there.
His first chance to get back to Lowe's since they picked up the fridge on the 15th was yesterday, and the Lowe's employees claimed that the transaction had already been refunded in cash. They then gave him the run-around, asking why he didn't have his copy of the receipt despite the item being purchased with a debit card ran as credit. They gave him a hard time when he informed them that their employee kept my dad's copy of the receipt from the first fridge when he purchased the second one. I'm going to go back with him today, because he's old and frail and doesn't really understand when people are taking advantage of him.
I've seen his bank statement and it shows both purchases, ~$1300 and ~$1800, and no reimbursement. How do I proceed? If they're claiming that they've already refunded the money as cash, this feels like a big case of cashier fraud. Do I ask them to check their point-of-sale system to see who performed/authorized the return as well as when it was performed? If they do this, do I then ask them to check the security footage that coincides with that terminal at that time? If they aren't cooperative, where do I go from there?
I'm honestly stuck trying to figure out what it is I can do to help besides denying store credit and standing firmly on an actual refund. My dad never wants to buy anything at Lowe's again, deciding after this incident that the extra 10 minutes to get to Home Depot are worth it.
EDIT: Abridged version
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2/10/17 - Dad purchases a previously returned fridge from Lowe's due to it being discounted (~$1300). He paid using a debit card, swiping it as credit and requiring a signature. I help him take it home and find out it is broken, call LG for warranty coverage.
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2/13/17 - LG tech arrives and says the fridge isn't repairable. Dad goes back and wants a refund on the fridge. Ends up buying new-in-box fridge at a discount (~$1800) due to the inconvenience. He again used the same debit card and swiped it as credit. They do not process his refund for the initial purchase, stating it can't be done until the first fridge is back in inventory.
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2/15/17 - New fridge is delivered and old fridge hauled back to the store. Water dispenser and ice maker not functional on the door, LG is called again the next day for service.
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2/18/17 - LG Tech comes back, replaces sensor that was damaged during delivery.
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2/21/17 - Dad goes back to Lowe's to get his money back for the first fridge. Customer Service employee states that the money had already been refunded in cash, refuse to give my dad a refund and question why he doesn't have a receipt. Manager-on-duty doesn't offer him any investigative assistance and personally denies that they had his copy of the receipt, saying employees don't do that unless the return is cashed out.
Submitted February 22, 2017 at 08:03AM by thisisathroawaway http://ift.tt/2kLDDS1
