Walmart has long garnered viral attention for its return policy.
Per the company’s website, “Returns are available for nearly everything Walmart sells.”
“You’re able to return or replace items purchased in store at your nearest Walmart store within 90 days of receipt,” the site reads, though it does note that there are exceptions to this rule.
Given the relative lenience of this return policy, some shoppers have been caught engaging in some fairly controversial return behavior.
For example, one Walmart worker claimed that their co-worker accepted a return on a frying pan that had cooked eggs still in it. Another Walmart shopper alleged that they caught someone engaging in a return scam, where they asked other shoppers to buy them items like baby formula before returning them for cash.
Now, another Walmart shopper has sparked discussion after revealing her own Walmart return experience.
A Walmart return gone awry
TikTok user Theresa Rowley (@littledrownedrat) previously caught the internet’s attention after recounting a dramatic incident that she says happened on a Carnival Cruise. Now, she’s garnered interest once more after recalling her experience attempting to return a Dyson AirWrap.
According to Rowley, she had purchased the item refurbished from Walmart’s website. However, within a week, the item had broken, leading to Rowley attempting to return the AirWrap at a local Walmart.
When she arrived at the Walmart, she says she handed over the item and was given a FedEx tracking link to chart when her return would be processed. However, a few days later, she checked the tracking link to discover the item had not been processed. Upon chatting with customer service, she says she was told that there was “no record of that return.”
Hearing this, she decided to go back to the store to figure out what happened. It was at this point that she learned that, according to a worker there, the “customer service rep from before was never supposed to take it from you at all. She was just supposed to print the FedEx label, slap it on, and give it back to you for you to send.”
Rowley says this led to an over an hour-long process in which she had to talk to multiple workers, got told she had missed the return window by a single day even though she had returned the item a week prior, got her old package, and then got the return processed. Even when it came to the point that she was to get her refund, there were issues.
“She takes me over to the desk again. She goes, ‘I can give you a gift card,’” Rowley recalls. “I said, ‘You got to do me one better, babe.’ She goes, ‘I can then cash out the gift card and give you cash.’ I said, ‘Great. Let’s do that.’”
After all that trouble, Rowley says she left with “No Dyson AirWrap. $378.86 in my pocket. Shred of dignity to my name.”
@littledrownedrat Turns out it’s wednesday. #storytime #customerserviceproblems ♬ original sound – Theresa Rowley
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on Rowley’s experience.
“The second she said that the return day was yesterday I would have exploded. I salute you for for keeping it together,” wrote a user.
“I work customer service at Walmart. this story is terribly accurate from start to finish of what it’s like to do this job,” added another. “I applaud you for not taking out your frustrations on the employees.”
“I think the reason that they make it so complicated is so that people will just give up,” declared a third. “I RESPECT your resilience!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via media contact form and Rowley via email.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
