MADISON, Wis. (WSAU) — It’s down to the last minute to get those Christmas gifts, but state consumer protection officials are reminding you to get a gift receipt before you leave the store.
State consumer protection administrator Frank Frazetta says receipts are vital if the person getting the gift wants to return it. “We like to remind everybody, get the gift receipt because it’s not going to have the price on it, but it will show that it was purchased at that particular retail operation.” He says that’s important because stores have different policies about actually returning a gift you didn’t purchase. “Any time you’re making a purchase, you have to understand the store policies are on return limitations and deadlines, and if you don’t have a gift receipt it’s going to be very hard to prove that this item was purchased at this particular store.”
Many stores have return policies that make it difficult or impossible to return certain types of purchases, especially electronics, music, and software and you’ll need to pay special attention in those cases. You may also be charged a restocking fee if you can’t prove a date of purchase, or you’ll get the lowest offered price for that product instead of what was originally paid.
Frazetta says it’s important to know the return policies of online stores as well. “You want to make sure who is going to be paying for the return shipping fees if you have a problem with the product. It’s a good thing to know before you end up clicking the buy or purchase button.”
If you have any questions you can call the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection hotline at 1-800-422-7128
