We’re going to be more practical this time, and a little bit legalese, as I share what most shoppers do not know but must know. I’ve been reading some comments in Facebook about how some stores refuse to take back purchased defective items because of their No Return, No Exchange policy. This is wrong.

Stores cannot put a No Return, No Exchange clause in any contract of sale, receipt, or any other document evidencing the transaction, nor can they put a signage in their establishment stating the same. Simply stated, they cannot put that misleading No Return, No Exchange phrase in their store or in their receipts.

Why? Because it misleads consumers to think that they do not have a right to return expired or defective goods. You do have the right to return items which have hidden faults or defects, or any flaw you were not aware of at the time you bought the item. So let’s say you bought makeup, a tube of BB cream perhaps. When you opened it at home, you noticed that the cream was sticky and smelly, clearly a defective product. You can return it, even if your receipt has a No Return, No Exchange phrase on it.

In fact, you can return the defective product even without a receipt, for as long as you can prove that you bought it in that certain store. Of course, this is hard to prove so it’s best if you keep receipts of your purchases all the time.

Take care to know though that your right to return has limits. You can only return products that have hidden flaws or defects, or those which you were not aware of when you bought them. It could be a small rip or a stain on a blouse, as long as you didn’t see it when you bought it, you can have it exchanged.

Unfortunately, there are stores which are just too stubborn to recognize these basic consumer rights. If you assert your rights and they still refuse, you can file a complaint with the DTI here.

But of course, prevention is still better than the cure. It is advisable to just carefully scrutinize and inspect every item you intend to buy. Recognizing consumer rights still has a long way to go here in our country, so for now, the best thing you could do is to be wary and careful with your purchases. 

To know more about the No Return, No Exchange policy, you can read DTI’s FAQ. For more on shopping rights, you can read my article in the POC.