Category: Problem Solved

How can I get the refund that T.J. Maxx owes me?

By Christopher Elliott

T.J. Maxx owes Ekaterina Quinones a refund. That isn’t in dispute. So why won’t the company just give its customer the money it owes her?

Question

I recently bought a clothing item online from T.J. Maxx and returned it in its original condition. I paid online through PayPal.

I contacted T.J. Maxx countless times to ask about a refund. First, a representative promised to refund me in “10 to 15 days.” Then the company said it would be another five days. Then another five days. Then it was “one to three days” to show up in my account. It did not happen.

We went back and forth for over a month. Almost two months after I returned the item, I filed a dispute with PayPal. I enclosed the evidence, including tracking showing the delivery and their signature, email logs, photos of the item in original packaging, and photos of the return shipment with the label attached).

PayPal sided with T.J. Maxx and rejected my refund request.

Why wouldn’t T.J. Maxx just refund me? This money is nothing for a huge retailer. And if they said they would, why wouldn’t they? Please, let me know if this is something you can help with. The help in my case would be figuring out why T.J. Maxx and PayPal have been treating me this way after the seller allegedly agreed to return the money. Thank you kindly. — Ekaterina Quinones, New York

Can my annual Sam’s Club membership really expire after just three months?

By Christopher Elliott

 How is it possible that an annual Sam’s Club membership could expire after just three months? That’s what Steve Atlas wants to know. Can we help?

Question

I recently bought a Groupon for a one-year Sam’s Club membership. The offer was misleading. I thought it was for a year, but this Sam’s Club membership is set to expire in three months. I pressed cancel less than 15 minutes after I made the purchase, and I expected the refund to be applied to my credit card.

Unfortunately, the only refund I received was for $35 in Groupon Bucks. I don’t even know how to use them. I care less about the $35 than about being treated with honesty, integrity, and a willingness to find a solution that is fair to me. Can you help me get my money back for this annual Sam’s Club membership with the unusual expiration date? — Steve Atlas, Merritt Island, Fla.

The photography class is canceled — so where is my refund?!

By Christopher Elliott

If you sign up for a photography class and it gets canceled, you would expect a prompt refund, right? That’s not what happened for Bev Pettit, and now she needs our help.

Question

In early 2020, I signed up for a Raphael Macek Photo Workshop in Scottsdale, Ariz. I sent a $1,250 deposit for the May 2020 event and received a confirmation.

A month before the photography class, I began to receive emails from the company indicating that it canceled the workshop, but there was no mention of a refund. The notice said the class would be “rescheduled” due to Covid. But after one year of not hearing anything and now the company refusing to answer emails, texts, and phone calls, I have resigned myself to the fact that they will not be refunding deposits. I tried to file a credit card dispute with my bank, but they said it had been too long for me to file a claim.

A year after Raphael canceled the photography class, I finally received a reply to my request for a refund from Macek’s wife. She said Raphael would not be rescheduling the workshop.

I want my $1,250 back. I hope you can help me.
— Bev Pettit, Prescott, Ariz.

Will Home Depot let me return this Electrolux refrigerator that doesn’t work?

By Christopher Elliott

If you buy an Electrolux refrigerator at Home Depot and it doesn’t work, you should be able to return it, right? Myra Washington believes so — and our team does, too. Can we convince either company to help this frustrated consumer?

Question

I bought an Electrolux Side by Side refrigerator last month. Home Depot delivered the fridge about two weeks later, but it doesn’t work, and I want to return it.

I tried to get the refrigerator to work for a week. Then I called Home Depot after it was clear that I could do nothing to make it function properly.

The repair technician was a no-show for my first appointment. Electrolux rescheduled. When that repairman examined the refrigerator, he determined it had at least four things that needed fixing. He ordered the parts and said he would come back the following week. But he also advised me to return the refrigerator to Home Depot because that would be a better outcome than waiting for it to be repaired.

Home Depot refused to let me return the refrigerator and said it was Electrolux’s issue.

Why won’t Sears refund my canceled order now?

By Christopher Elliott

Greg Johnson is frustrated. After waiting for months for a new refrigerator from Sears, he finally gave up and canceled the appliance. Now he’s been waiting for Sears to send his refund for almost as long. Can we help?

Question

I ordered a refrigerator from Sears three months ago. The appliance was delayed multiple times. Last month, I decided to cancel the order. I’ve had many phone calls with Sears since then, and I’ve been hung up on multiple times. Through the online chat feature, I never get anyone outside of a bot.

Sears has yet to refund the $1,641 it owes me for the canceled order. Unfortunately, I used my debit card instead of a credit card. Can you help me get my money back? — Greg Johnson, Blackwood, N.J.

I didn’t make a PayPal donation. So where did my money go?

By Christopher Elliott

Jon Lau contacted our team after a $100 PayPal donation showed up in his account. He says he didn’t donate any of his hard-earned money to the total stranger listed in the transaction. Paypal says he did.  Can we help retrieve Lau’s cash?

Question

Earlier this year, PayPal charged me $100 for a donation to PayPal to a person I did not recognize. I could not find out anything about the person through an online search.

But I did not make the donation. I disputed the transaction immediately, but PayPal responded with a message that “we’ve determined there was no unauthorized use.”

I sent an internal message to PayPal to protest its decision. Two months later, PayPal responded, saying that “the decision made at the conclusion of a buyer claim is final and can only be appealed if new information is presented which was not considered during the original investigation.

Can you help me get my $100 back, please? — Jon Lau, San Francisco

Why won’t Home Depot schedule delivery of my refrigerator unless I pay an extra $700?

By Christopher Elliott

Jennifer Gaetjens got a great deal on a refrigerator at Home Depot using a coupon combined with a sale. But a few days later, the company told her that it had no record of her purchase. Now Home Depot won’t schedule the delivery of her new appliance until she pays an additional $700. What’s going on here?

Question

My husband bought an LG Electronics stainless steel refrigerator on sale at Home Depot. After trying to buy the appliance online, we had to go to the store to finish the transaction. The computers were down at the time, but we got a receipt from Home Depot that included the tax and delivery charges. We also had a coupon for 18 months interest-free.

I called Home Depot to check on the order and confirm a delivery date, but a representative informed me that our order had been lost. We needed to return to the store to buy the refrigerator again. My husband went to the Home Depot. But this time, they denied him the original discount. Home Depot wanted him to pay an extra $700 for the refrigerator before it would be scheduled for delivery. The store manager was instructed by corporate not to honor our receipt. We want and need a refrigerator. Can you help us? — Jennifer Gaetjens, Pennsauken, N.J.

The blues festival was canceled so how about a refund?

By Christopher Elliott

Organizers canceled the blues festival in Tampa Bay but refused to give Donna Dandrea and her husband a refund. Can they do that?

Question

In 2019, we bought VIP tickets to the 2020 Tampa Bay Blues Festival. Because of COVID-19, organizers have rescheduled the festival twice. Along this two-year journey, ticket holders were twice offered a refund for the canceled blues festival or to “roll” them over to the next year — and then the next year. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen medical issues with my husband in late 2020, we are now asking for a refund. The organizers will not respond to voice messages or emails other than a “form” letter denying our refund request.

I would like my $1,000 refunded since my husband’s doctor has told us to refrain from going to concerts. — Donna Dandrea, Estell Manor, N.J.

Saks sent me a refund but then took it back! Help!

By Christopher Elliott

The coat that Cornelia Spiegel bought online from Saks isn’t quite right. She asks Saks for and receives a refund for the coat. Then the company charges her for it again. Can we find out what went wrong here?

Question

I bought a coat online from Saks last fall. I returned the item. Saks confirmed the return and issued a refund to my credit card in late December. But, a week later, Saks recharged me $959 for the same item.

Since the October return, I have not ordered from Saks and don’t know why they sent me a refund and then recharged me. I have tried to resolve this with Saks and disputed the claim with Chase Visa three times with no success. The company has offered me no proof of purchase or other confirmation of what it thinks it’s charging me for. My Saks account shows no additional purchase than the October return.

Can you help me get a refund from Saks? — Cornelia Spiegel, New York

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