The massive retailer Walmart is not accepting some returns in California, and hasn't been for months. Fed up customers say they want their money back, and have been reaching out to the NBC4 I-Team to find out why they can't get it.
“I'm a busy mom. I work full time. When I go there I can get pretty much groceries, beauty, pick up socks, whatever I need,” Toni Zinn-Taylor, a Walmart customer, said.
Zinn-Taylor says she spends hundreds of dollars a month at Walmart, so she was irritated when she recently tried to return two items and the giant retailer refused.
Unknown to many customers, Walmart temporarily changed its return policy during the pandemic. It said customers, for the time being, couldn't return items like food, cleaning supplies, beauty products and clothes for the safety of employees and customers.
Nearly six months into the pandemic, the retailer is allowing returns in all states except California and Illinois. It didn't say why California is one of the exceptions.
“For me, we're talking about $20 worth of stuff. For somebody else it might be $200 or $300,” Zinn-Taylo said.
The attorney general's office told the I-Team that changes in return policies are okay because refunds and exchanges aren't required by law.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
So will Walmart reinstate its return policy? The retailer said yes -- it just doesn't know when.
The answer is a frustrating one for its loyal customers.
If you do have a return to make, check Walmart's return policy on its website. When it does start accepting returns again, that’s where it’ll be posted.
