Credit Card Refund Question?

Question

I bought my husband a tennis racket in a sporting goods store today - it wasn't in stock yet so I prepaid for it with my credit card and said I would pick it up tomorrow. When I got home my husband told me he didn't want the racket - the store has signs all over the place that said "Returns are for store credit only" but if I didn't actually take the racket home can I ask the store owner to refund my credit card? Help! It's $300 - it was for his birthday and I can't afford to lose that money.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

If the store won't credit it to your credit card, then contact your credit card company directly and immediately dispute the charge. Do not take any merchandise or a credit slip from the store - it makes the refund process longer. In etiher event, do not let the credit card company stone wall you. They are obligated to refund your money in this case - you never received the services or product you paid for. Should be easy, but sometimes isn't.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I would probably give it another 3 to 4 business days, then check again. It always seems like money is debited from credit cards much faster than it is credited back. However, the bottom line will be when you receive your monthly statement, and I would wager that if you just received the card, at the end of your first billing cyle, your bill will show the amount you charged, plus the amount of the refund, and the final amount should be correct. You should be fine. Just be sure to keep your charged, and refunded receipts, just in case.

Answer 3

You can ask. And if it wasn't a special order, was just a stock item that wasn't in stock at the time, the owner might even go along with it. But I'm far from sure your credit card company will let you just dispute the charge and have it removed, since it's your changing your mind, not the store failing to do what they said they would, that's the problem, but you can ask them, they might.

Answer 4

I would call the store. If you don't get an answer you like, call your credit card company and explain the situation. If you have a good relationship with them (no late payments, pay-off total amount every month, etc.), they should be able to help you.