Customer Service – The Conversation

(The original conversation took place in Spanish.)

- I’d like to return this item.
- You want to return this?
- Yes, please.
- You’d like to return this?
- Yes.
- For credit.
- No, could you please put t back on my credit card?
- You can’t.
- What do you mean?
- You can’t return it.
- Yesterday before I purchased it, I asked if it was returnable because I wasn’t sure if it would go with what I thought it would. And, I was told I could.
- When did you buy it?
- Yesterday.
- That’s the problem.
- What's the problem?
- You bought it yesterday. If you wanted to return it, you needed to return it yesterday.
- But, yesterday, the girl told me that I could return it as long as I had the receipt.
- Yes, but that was yesterday.
- Right here (pointing to a sign at the register), it says I have 15 days to return an item.
- Yes, you do but for store credit.
- It doesn’t say that here nor does it anywhere in the store. In addition, the clerk didn’t tell me yesterday when I asked about returns.
- She should have known better. It’s always been that way.
- But this is my first time buying something here. How was I to know?
- That's the way it's always been. If I give you your money back, it will mess up my balance. We can only cut you a check and they will take a while because we have to send the request to the main office.
- I’m asking you to place it on my credit card. I’m not asking for cash or a check.
- That’s the only way. Or, you can have store credit.

My failed attempt to reason with the store manager at Estampa today.