Return policy wars: the lady who wanted a refund on a 3 year old hose

So this happened last Tuesday at the store I manage. A customer walks in with a garden hose that is clearly been through two winters, cracked, faded, the whole deal. She slams it on the counter and demands a full refund because it 'didnt last forever'. Our policy is 90 days, but corporate says we can bend it for 'customer satisfaction'. My coworker was about to just refund her the $24.99 to avoid a scene. I stepped in and told her no, we cant take back a hose that sat outside for 3 years. She started yelling about how she shops here every week and we 'owe her'. We gave her a store credit for half off a new one just to get her out of the door. But I keep going back and forth on whether we did the right thing. On one hand, you keep the peace and maybe she comes back. On the other hand, people learn that throwing a tantrum gets them whatever they want. Theres gotta be a line somewhere. How do you all handle the 'customer is always right' thing when its clearly nonsense? Have you ever held firm on a return and lost a regular, or did you give in and regret it later?

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sandra_black16d ago

Caught a similar story on a retail podcast the other day, they called it the 'hose of theseus' problem. Basically once you bend once, that customer tells their friends and now you got five more people trying to return 3 year old sprinklers. Half off store credit sounds generous, honestly. I'd have let her yell, offered the 90 day policy printed on the back of the receipt, and told her we can do an exchange for a different brand if she pays the difference. Losing a regular over a $25 hose is dumb, but losing your whole return policy over it is dumber. That's how you end up being the store that accepts a half-eaten sandwich back.