Got my $ back, but still have issues...

I know... some people are never satisfied. I should be hootin' n hollerin' 'cuz I got my money back from a retailer that says 'no refunds'. But I'm just not satisfied....yet.

Since my $31.80 was safely returned to my credit card, I'm thinking with a clearer head. And in doing so, some things have become apparent to me about being 'kiosked'.

The receipt itself. Check out one from any store - it has the store name, address, telephone number, maybe even the manger's name.

This receipt had the name of the business and the name of the mall. No telephone number, no address, etc. Even the mall management office has a bogus, out of order number for them.

But what really gets me is what I noticed when those ladies at the kiosk made their purchase yesterday.  And this is so slick. You never see the sales slip until it's printed out with your signature. You sign your name on the computer monitor with a stylus.  The only box there is the box for your signature. There is no detail of the sale, like you'd see at Wal-Mart or Target or even a convenience store.  Effectively, you're signing your name and agreeing to the charges on your credit card without even seeing the charges that you're agreeing to.  Case in point, I was told my product was $29.99. When I got the receipt she'd charged me $30.00. Now I realize that's a penny - but it was my penny. Maybe it was the lucky penny I've been looking for all my life. Maybe I'm just being too particular. But the point is, you could be overcharged by a penny or a hundred dollars - and you signed that receipt, never seeing the total, until it's printed out with your signature. You're agreeing to charges you haven't visually accepted. If I was Clark Howard, I'd be running to the alarm button he has and screaming 'NO! NO! Don't do it!'.

Now, could this just be an oversight on their part? No contact info for them on the receipt? Having you sign a receipt in which the total is unknown? Sure.. and I'm tall, blonde and a size 2.

I finally saw their 'no refunds, exchanges only within 14 days' sign yesterday. It's printed in black ink on white paper in a plastic photo frame that stands vertically. If I had to guess, I'd say it's about the size of a photo in your wallet.  Unless you have been graced with the exceptional vision of our feline friends - it's doubtful you'd even notice it. I sure didn't.  It's small and yesterday,  it was hiding behind a Starbucks iced coffee cup.

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.  But, I just can't do it.

UPDATE: Meant to add that according to CapitalOne, this merchant has on file with Visa/MC a no return policy. That means, if you file a dispute, chances are significant that you're going to lose.  Wouldn't it be nice if us mere consumers - the backbone of the financial world - were alerted to such things so we have all the necessary info in order to make intelligent buying decisions??

How are we to know which retailer to trust? I'd never heard of a retailer actually having their merchant account set up that they do not accept returns or do refunds.  The honest consumers are always on the short end of the stick. It's frustrating. It's unfair. And ya know what? Since that image of Clark Howard running over to his alarm buzzer is in my head, I'm going to send him an email about these kiosk people .. not so much the bad reviews of their products, but their sales tactics such as having you blindly signing your credit card receipt.  Clark is a consumer advocate.  I'm sure he gets about a million emails a day, but hey..., if people don't know about less than honorable sales tactics, how can you avoid them?!!! Oh, Clark...... can we talk? (I'm a fan of Joan Rivers.., what can I say?!)