Wal-mart
Snowthrower return refused because gas had been put in the tank

I purchased a snowthrower this Christmas for my parents. Here in Wisconsin the winters can be harsh. I purchased it on December 02,02.

Well of course, it didn't snow in our area all December. Finally on January 05,03 it snowed about 3 inches. My father tried with all his might to start it. Finally I came over to try. No luck! After my husband return from work, he did get it started. It took him two tries and a lot of manpower.

But by the time it started the snow had melted. After a short discussion we decided to return it and purchase a better one.

Being a cautious consumer, I called the store nearest to me. I explained the situation. The associate said that as long as it wasn't used it was returnable. I did still have the owner's manual and the price tag was still attached! (It sat in my parent's garage unused)
After loading it the truck (not easy because it is very heavy) we headed to Walmart. After an associate check the machine he questioned if we had put gas in it. I replied "YES". He began to shake his head. Then stating that the manager would have to be called.

The manager did finally show up after several pages. He stated that it couldn't be returned. Just like that! No "hello how can I help you" no explanation. Well I asked why. It was because I had put gas in the tank. Well hello how would I have started it? There was nothing wrong with it. The machine is hard to start that was it. After 15 minutes of trying to get my point across, I finally just gave up. Oh yes, he did give me the General manager's number. But that got me nowhere. I really think that high priced items like this should have specific return policies.

Had I known that it was so hard to start I wouldn't have bought it. Had I known that once I put gas in the tank it became unreturnable I wouldn't have bought it. I guess "Buyer beware" It only take a few minutes to clearly state these policies on the service desk. Or to even mention to a customer "Well once you put gas into it's not returnable". BUT they don't do that because they would lose alot of sales.

Company: Wal-mart
Country: USA
State: Wisconsin
City: Whitewater
Address: 1348 W Main Street

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