Target Carrying Rock-Filled iPod Boxes?

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How bad would this suck? On your fourteenth birthday, instead of an iPod, you get a box of rocks. Ouch. Since Target isn't going to do anything about this, maybe someone at Apple will read this and get the girl her birthday iPod.

Upon opening it up, the gal's 14th birthday party took a turn for the worse as Regan Ritter found nothing but rocks packaged neatly inside. After demanding a refund and getting rejected, store employees were able to locate another iPod at a different Target location. As you can probably guess, that box was also stuffed with rocks.
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You visit Gizmodo a lot don't you? ;)


LOL at rocks in a box.
 
I almost feel bad laughing so hard about this. Who wants to make the joke about it being proloaded with RockBox?
 
The full article says not only did she find one box filled with rocks, but she went to a DIFFERENT store entirely and got a SECOND box filled with rocks instead of an ipod. At that point, after she found two boxs filled with rocks at different locations she decided she just wanted her cash back.. It says Target even offered her the chance to buy other stuff in the store (basically how about a gift card/store credit) and she's upset because she wants pure cash back.
 
surely she must have been smart enough to open the second one in front of Target employees? Anyways, why doesn't she just wait until they get more in-stock, and use the store credit to purchase it? AND open it while still in Target? Surely her daughter is mature enough to learn to wait, if she is mature enough to own an ipod video instead of a cheap $49 mp4 player?
 
Ualdayan said:
The full article says not only did she find one box filled with rocks, but she went to a DIFFERENT store entirely and got a SECOND box filled with rocks instead of an ipod. At that point, after she found two boxs filled with rocks at different locations she decided she just wanted her cash back.. It says Target even offered her the chance to buy other stuff in the store (basically how about a gift card/store credit) and she's upset because she wants pure cash back.
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I don't blame her. Obviously somone have been hitting up all the local stores... it's a waste of the customers time and money to be lead around store to store on a fault that was targets... as they didn't not inspect the box/or returns.
 
Ualdayan said:
The full article says not only did she find one box filled with rocks, but she went to a DIFFERENT store entirely and got a SECOND box filled with rocks instead of an ipod. At that point, after she found two boxs filled with rocks at different locations she decided she just wanted her cash back.. It says Target even offered her the chance to buy other stuff in the store (basically how about a gift card/store credit) and she's upset because she wants pure cash back.
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That sounds like a more then reasonable solution to me. I mean she wanted an iPod for her daughter she could have gotten one with the Gift Card. The thing is that this isn't unheard of, well the rocks is, but not getting an empty box or an item that is not what is suppose to be in the box. I remember a couple years ago, people at Best Buy were buying $600 video cards only to find a Card worth less than one hundred in the box. I think this is more the stores fault than anyone, They accept a return and don't know enough about the product to verify it is what its suppose to be then placing it back on the shelf, or not even checking it at all.
A while back I bought a video game from Wal-Mart, got home opened the box and nothing inside, take it back to the store and go back to electronics with the manager and find 3 more that are the same way. You could not tell it had been opened without very close scrutiny. This I blame on the manufacturer, sense there packaging can easily be opened in the store and there are no obvious signes it was opened. They need a better tamper proof seal like they use on DVD's and Music Cd's.
 
Why does everyone have to have gadgets glued to their asses all the time ? Ipods, palm pilots, cell phones etc. How long before we fill every orifice we have with some kind of gadget ! HEH....Do any of you ever feel the need to just disconnect once in a while? I got rid of my cell phone as a 1st step and I don't regret it at all. Driving down the road all relaxed and RIIIIINNNNGGG. It felt like I was never really getting any alone time. Yes you can turn it off but then you get "Why did you turn it off ?" I really think that we are becoming too damn dependant on machines.

Dont get me wrong because I do love my gaming and overclocking hobby but sometimes I just have to turn it all off and take a walk in the woods. Too connected to machines and too disconnected from the world. Strange paradox....
 
I worked at Target for several years and had a similar situation occur. Customer came in with her child and a PS2 box, inside the box was a bottle of apple juice and some canned goods. She claimed that she had purchased the item for her son as a birthday present and upon opening the gift the boy found food items instead of a PS2.

I called for a manager and he agreed to the return and processed it under his employee number. Several weeks later we received a letter from CRC notifying us that we had indeed returned a PS2 box filled with food items and that we needed to review the return policy and procedure.

I noticed as time passed that what we could do in the store as far as returns and exchanges was becoming less and less. I had many people attempt to return outdated products and demand we get the manager to process the return when the system balked at us. The thing is that managers, even the store manager, don't have a magic override code. The only recourse is to call for return authorization regardless of your store rank. They, return authorization, held all the cards as the system wouldn't process the return without an authorization number.

I would do what I could to help out the customers, or guests, but there wasn’t much to be done. Eventually I had my fill of angry customers and took an overnight position that paid more. It’s been a several years since I worked for Target so I wonder how the return system has “progressed”.
 
SPARTAN VI said:
The iRock is out already?

I thought that was slated for Q1 '08.
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Don't give Mr. Jobs any ideas. If he sees this he will surley believe that people are willing to pay so much for a box of rocks. :D
 
Ockie said:
Don't give Mr. Jobs any ideas. If he sees this he will surley believe that people are willing to pay so much for a box of rocks. :D
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Too late, its next gen smaller counterpart, the iPebble has been announced with iSand around the corner. :eek:


..okay, I killed it. :D
 
sounds like this chick is a con artist in the making
 
The big problem here is you have no way of knowing if they are fooling you or if a previous customer did it.

My Cowon came just fine. Parents, do your kids a favor: don't get them an iPod. Get them something else.
 
Techx said:
sounds like this chick is a con artist in the making
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How so?

If you had followed thru to an original article (like this one), it said the box was shrink wrapped, and when they went to the second Target store, they opened it in front of Target employees.

Since your average consumer doesn't have access to a shrink wrap machine, it was either an inside job or someone had "returned" the iPods and neither store checked the box before shrink wrapping it and putting it back on the shelf.
 
Why assume she is the con artist? With it happening at two different stores, it sounds more like someone at one of the distribution warehouses is stealing the things out of the box and replacing them with rocks so it feels like a full box. Not the first time something like that has happened. I think all electronics companies need to start putting clear areas on their boxes so that you can actually see what is inside. Sort of the way Nintendo used to do (not sure if they still do it) where you could see the serial number of the console through a hole in the box. That would go a long way to stopping this sort of thing.

And policy or not there is no reason that the Target store manager couldn't have given her a cash refund when she opened the second one. If you think she is conning you, you don't give her anything. If you're willing to give her store credit, then there is no reason not to give her cash.
 
Instead of the new stereo I spend too much money on.

Hey back in the 70's the "Pet Rock" was IN!

DM
 
Ockie said:
Yeppers. Most of these articles are either a day or a few minutes behind gizmodo :D Which was why I was mentioning it :)
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Ahhh, but it was an Engadget article that I linked that is why I was like " :confused: Okie is smoking crack again." So, shouldn't it have been "You sure do like Engadget" ?

Unless we are giving credit to the first person that links the story, which would be the Houston Star-Telegram who actually broke the story before it was reprinted in 99,999 locations (Gizmodo, Engadget and I being just a few of the 99,999) ;)
 
jwp27577 said:
And policy or not there is no reason that the Target store manager couldn't have given her a cash refund when she opened the second one. If you think she is conning you, you don't give her anything. If you're willing to give her store credit, then there is no reason not to give her cash.
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Most stores won't give you a cash refund if you paid via credit card because they lose out on the fees they paid to the cc processor for the transaction. Her "mistake" was using a Target store card so she could get a discount. Unlike a Visa card where she could have spent the money elsewhere, they would only refund to the Target card she paid with. If you use a regular cc, you can always dispute a charge and the cc company is usually on your side, not so with a store card.
 
I find it funny that people assume it ISN'T a con because it happened at two different stores. More then likely they pulled a switch at the second store to try to "prove" that the first one had rocks also.

Reeks of scam. She just brought in an iPod box full of rocks then brought it to the front counter.
 
Nemesis999 said:
I find it funny that people assume it ISN'T a con because it happened at two different stores. More then likely they pulled a switch at the second store to try to "prove" that the first one had rocks also.

Reeks of scam. She just brought in an iPod box full of rocks then brought it to the front counter.
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We assume it isn't a con because:

So on Regan's birthday, her mom drove her to the second Target. Inside, they explained what had happened and asked whether they could open the box before making the purchase. An employee said they would have to buy it first.

So they did, and then Melanie Ritter opened the box in front of Target employees.

Rocks were in that box, too.
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http://www.star-telegram.com/news/columnists/dave_lieber/story/260075.html
 
Would be a heck of a thing to do right in front of the employee, aren't those ipod boxes shrinkwrapped?
 
Tekara said:
Would be a heck of a thing to do right in front of the employee, aren't those ipod boxes shrinkwrapped?
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Shinkwrapping isn't exactly a high-tech ultra-secret procedure. ;)

Of course they would do it right in front of an employee the second time. They're trying to prove that the first had rocks in it.

Step 1) Buy iPod.
Step 2) Remove iPod, fill with rocks.
Step 3) Complain, bring an extra iPod box of rocks.
Step 4) Swap the real iPod from the store with the box of rocks. (Just hide the real one on a shelf somewhere)
Step 5) Ask to open the box in front of employees, pretend to be amazed when it has rocks in it.
Step 6) Use this "proof" to get refunds on both iPods, thereby getting a free iPod (The original purchase).

It's an ooooolllllllddddd scam.
 
Back when the Nintendo 64 was still a modern system, I got a copy of Pilotwings for my birthday. New, shrink wrapped, sealed, the whole bit. Turns out it only had only a couple of batteries in the box! I still have no idea how that happened, and neither did the store, but they exchanged it.
 
Nemesis999 said:
Shinkwrapping isn't exactly a high-tech ultra-secret procedure. ;)

Of course they would do it right in front of an employee the second time. They're trying to prove that the first had rocks in it.

Step 1) Buy iPod.
Step 2) Remove iPod, fill with rocks.
Step 3) Complain, bring an extra iPod box of rocks.
Step 4) Swap the real iPod from the store with the box of rocks. (Just hide the real one on a shelf somewhere)
Step 5) Ask to open the box in front of employees, pretend to be amazed when it has rocks in it.
Step 6) Use this "proof" to get refunds on both iPods, thereby getting a free iPod (The original purchase).


It's an ooooolllllllddddd scam.
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All the Targets I've seen ipods at (Walmart too for that matter) have them in glass enclosures.
 
Steve said:
Ahhh, but it was an Engadget article that I linked that is why I was like " :confused: Okie is smoking crack again." So, shouldn't it have been "You sure do like Engadget" ?
Click to expand...

Bah, Steve just put Ockie in a headlock and flex your bicep. Problem solved.
 
Well, rocks in a box is an old con and heat shrink wrap isn't hard to do. Of course if it is happening at two different stores then yes it seems like a problem further up the distribution chain.

As far as store credit vs. cash……I mentioned in my earlier post that the system gives few choices. If the system was only prompting for a store credit there is no override for cash back, even for a store manager. The best you can hope for is calling return authorization and hoping to appeal to them.

The “Target” cards were being transitioned to Target Visa cards years back so I don’t know if those “regular” Target cards are still valid. Lethal is correct in that when returning with a CC the system prompts to put the money back on the card with no option for cash. IIRC debit cards had a cash option for a bit, but I believe they have stopped that as well. So it’s back to the card or a target gift card/store credit.

I don’t see why they don’t simply exchange it for another unit.
 
Silentbob343 said:
. . .

I don’t see why they don’t simply exchange it for another unit.
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Judging from the article, there weren't any others as the mom had to go to another store. My guess is that she initially asked for her money back after being told that she wouldn't be able to exchange the ipod.
 
Silentbob343 said:
I worked at Target for several years and had a similar situation occur. Customer came in with her child and a PS2 box, inside the box was a bottle of apple juice and some canned goods. She claimed that she had purchased the item for her son as a birthday present and upon opening the gift the boy found food items instead of a PS2.

I called for a manager and he agreed to the return and processed it under his employee number. Several weeks later we received a letter from CRC notifying us that we had indeed returned a PS2 box filled with food items and that we needed to review the return policy and procedure.

I noticed as time passed that what we could do in the store as far as returns and exchanges was becoming less and less. I had many people attempt to return outdated products and demand we get the manager to process the return when the system balked at us. The thing is that managers, even the store manager, don't have a magic override code. The only recourse is to call for return authorization regardless of your store rank. They, return authorization, held all the cards as the system wouldn't process the return without an authorization number.

I would do what I could to help out the customers, or guests, but there wasn’t much to be done. Eventually I had my fill of angry customers and took an overnight position that paid more. It’s been a several years since I worked for Target so I wonder how the return system has “progressed”.
Click to expand...

I worked at Target for 4 years, up until the end of this August. The return policy there is total horse shit, and it only gets worse every 6 months when they roll out new policies. For starters, if you don't have a receipt (and it cannot be looked up), don't waste your time, they won't do shit.

In this case, even with a receipt, they won't do shit. Why? As you said, because CRC is a bunch of lame asses with the strictest damn guidelines ever... no way would they take that back. So, since CRC won't pay for it, that Target store would have to eat the cost by returning it, something they aren't going to be willing to do. Oh, and for you non-Target people, CRC is the Central Return Center. When we get defectives, they come up either Destroy (most food, chemicals, and such), Vender Pickup (any food/product stocked by venders), Salvage (most random shit, it gets sent to the salvation army), or CRC (mostly electronics, software, jewely, or other items of value... these are the only returns that the store actually receives payback for). CRC has strict as fuck guidelines. Since this would not pass them, the store has to subtract that $350 from their stores income, and they aren't going to do that. They should, but they won't.

In my time with target I too saw something like this happen. An old man comes in with a HTIAB box, I ask whats wrong with it, he says open it and you tell me. So I open it, there is an old VCR and some weight in it. He said this is how he bought it. Either he was trying to pull one over on us, or someone else bought it, swapped the stuff, re-taped and returned it, and some idiot associate didn't check it. Whatever the case may be, we exchanged it for another one, and ate the $200 cost.
 
Silentbob343 said:
Well, rocks in a box is an old con and heat shrink wrap isn't hard to do. Of course if it is happening at two different stores then yes it seems like a problem further up the distribution chain.

As far as store credit vs. cash……I mentioned in my earlier post that the system gives few choices. If the system was only prompting for a store credit there is no override for cash back, even for a store manager. The best you can hope for is calling return authorization and hoping to appeal to them.

The “Target” cards were being transitioned to Target Visa cards years back so I don’t know if those “regular” Target cards are still valid. Lethal is correct in that when returning with a CC the system prompts to put the money back on the card with no option for cash. IIRC debit cards had a cash option for a bit, but I believe they have stopped that as well. So it’s back to the card or a target gift card/store credit.

I don’t see why they don’t simply exchange it for another unit.
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Yep, credit card purchases can go back on the card, or a gift card, thats it. With a debit card, you can now get it back as either cash, or a credit back to the card. Store managers can't over ride it, and to think that return auth would is a joke. They won't approve shit. As far as the VISA goes, yeah, the old cards are still valid, but you will get shaken down every time you use it to upgrade.

The underlaying problem is not a matter of getting cash back versus getting a credit to her card. As I said before, its a matter of the fact that CRC isn't going to pay for it, which means the store eats the cost of that iPod. Really, that is a decision that would need to be made between the STL and APTL, but if they are asshates (and I will wager they are, they work for Target), of course they are not going to approve the return. Hence, the lady is SOL. She won't get her money back, and she won't get an exchange. Hopefully apple will step up.
 
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