Birthday girl gets two rock-filled iPod boxes

We're tempted to believe this story just isn't true, but if the details are indeed factual, we're a bit flabbergasted to say the least. Turns out, a teenager's mother scurried to Target in order to snap up a video iPod for her daughter's upcoming birthday, and she put it on a Target credit card in order to receive a discount. 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. Target still refused to refund the lady's dough and insisted that she blow the $350 on other store merchandise instead. As it stands, Ms. Ritter is expecting some higher-ups to contact her and truly resolve this, but there's no word as to whether or not Regan ever acquired an iPod from anywhere else.

[Via Techmeme]

[hv9200 @ Oct 9th 2007 1:28PM]

But did the rocks have the Negative black video issue?? thats the question we should be asking

[jerry @ Oct 9th 2007 1:29PM]

Always open electronics in the store, I learned this the hardway when I bought a PSP and received a box with all the PSP accessories, but no PSP.

[Flit @ Oct 9th 2007 1:29PM]

This had to be an internal problem, and target should offer a full monitary refund.

The ipods are locked up, so either employees, or the delivery men.

The multiple store story points to delivery men.

Oh, and "factory packaging" doesn't apply, because not every single electronic is sealed in the same fashion, and many people aren't eagerly searching for all the seals when they buy a new ipod for their kid.

Also, the last Ipod I bought came in a 3g box, with one little clear round sticker holding the packaging together, which if you pulled carefully enough, you'd never know i opened the box.

I worked at target for a brief time at the Returns/Guest Service department, and This sounds like many of the stories I've encountered. Completely plausable.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 1:54PM]

No, what obviously happened here is that someone returned it and the person who took it back never looked inside.

[jmattick @ Oct 9th 2007 1:33PM]

Hey, but which would she get more use out of? I bet the box of rocks.

[Marty @ Oct 9th 2007 1:34PM]

I can't blame Target too much... of all the cruddy jobs I've worked at, the #1 thing I learned is that the customer is NOT always right... no, the customer is a cheap bastard who will do anything to get something for free, including thievery and deception. As jaded as that sounds, that's truly my experience.
However, they really should taken responsibility when she opened the 2nd box in front of them.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 2:26PM]

My experience has shown that the managers are the problem. If the employees stand their ground against idiot customers the customers will usually "manager-up". The manager then comes over and gives them anything they want to make them happy, making the employee, who was just following policy, look like an a**. So the employees lose any incentive to give a crap and just let it all go.

[David W. @ Oct 9th 2007 1:35PM]

Ok I work for Target and either she's a moron or this is BS. If she opened it in FRONT of the Team Members there then we would have let her return it right then and there. Also, all ipods are supposed to have that plastic wrap around the packaging to show that they are new, if they didn't have that something was wrong, we aren't supposed to put returned ipods back on the shelf they get returned to the manufacturer. Target typically goes out of it's way to make it's guests happy, and because of that we get ripped off pretty regulatory...so yea, I call BS

[Jeff @ Oct 9th 2007 1:50PM]

Somebody's apparently never heard of a shrinkwrap machine...

Go check your store's stockroom. You have one.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 1:56PM]

I've bought several ipods and none of them were wrapped in plastic...

[wolf @ Oct 9th 2007 3:47PM]

I'm not so sure this is BS. Last week I bought a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke and a pack of Bounty paper towels from Target. got home and opened them up... you guessed it: rocks. They seem to have a problem.

[RawBert @ Oct 9th 2007 5:03PM]

I bought a Nano fattie from Target two weeks ago (to replace a failing first gen nano), got it home and ansolutely hated it. I thought the form factor was all wrong, screen is too small for me to practically watch video, and there were problems with it and the Nike+ reciever I had.

When I went to return it the very next day, they refused becuase it wasn't new.

So, yeah - Target SUCKS for buying electronics because of their return policy. I'll vote with my dollars and buy elsewhere.

BTW, there's no shrinkwrap on the new Nano cases - just a clear sticker on top of the plastic box holding it closed.

AND if you want a slightly used 3G Nano in EXCELLENT shape, let me know.

[David W. @ Oct 9th 2007 5:46PM]

You really should be able to reply to replies...


I don't know what the deal with them not letting you return your iPod is...did you have your receipt?


Target puts next to nothing back on the shelf from returns, most of it gets sold to a third party company or gets destroyed...

[Eric @ Oct 9th 2007 1:37PM]

Target Rocks!

[Flit @ Oct 9th 2007 1:38PM]

Oh, and the "no cash back" part of the story is also completely plausable, but improbable. Without a receipt, you can only get cash refunds on items below a certain dollar amount (unless this policy has changed). I'm sure an iPod falls above the dollar limit. But if she paid with anything but cash, target can find the receipt using the CC she paid with, or check account number, and then refund the money back onto the CC/account.

She's a moron if she bought an iPod with cash, and then lost the receipt.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 2:12PM]

"she put it on a Target credit card in order to receive a discount"

Does anybody even READ the article before making comments?

[Scooter @ Oct 10th 2007 10:25AM]

I didn't read the story or the comments and I never bought anything from Target and when I got it home it was a rock.
So there.

/sarcasm (for the gullible)

[Dave @ Oct 9th 2007 1:40PM]

It's the new Rolling Stones edition...

[toyotaboy @ Oct 9th 2007 1:43PM]

I concur, I think it was an inside job. Customer service is supposed to check to make sure nothing obvious is missing, like the ipod itself. That, plus legally a store can't take a return and sell it as new, even if it appears to not be open (not hard to re-shrink wrap a box). Legally, they are supposed to sell it as refurbished if it's a return.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 2:17PM]

Have you ever worked at a department store?? There is no legal
obligation to sell returned items for less. And trust me from
someone who's been on both sides of a scam similar to this (pulled
the "bait and switch" with a PS2 with a bad laser), MOST employees
don't look inside the boxes, and those that do usually don't
understand what they're looking at enough to determine if it's what's
supposed to be there.


Sorry for the double post but the first didn't stick the "reply"...

[Dennis @ Oct 9th 2007 1:47PM]

I paid $700 for a SoundBlaster only to get home and a cheap CD-adapter card had been slipped in the SoundBlaster's place. The package was shrink wrapped and looked factory fresh. Best Buy did replace the item, but it was hard at first getting them to believe the story.

[reed sanderson @ Oct 9th 2007 8:32PM]

u got best buy to pay up(give you a refund)that’s hard to do, I almost had to threaten with them with a lawsuit for damaged in packing or shipping MP3 player but of cors the first 2 I got both died with in a week of buying it. And can you believe it the 3rd one was D.O.A. I got in store credit and purchased a PSP, and still got screwed.

Buyer bewares even if it’s from a reputable store.

[Rainier @ Oct 9th 2007 1:51PM]

Back in 2000, I had a purchased "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" for the Sega Dreamcast at a local Target store. Arrived home, opened the package to find a red Marvel vs. Capcom 2 disc with Japanese fonts. I knew right then and there, that someone had swapped the discs and shrink wrapped the jewel case - silly me tried the game in my (US) Dreamcast anyways, obviously to no avail.
I brought it back in the next day and explained my dilema. The customer service personnel simply exchanged my purchase, which we opened to be sure.
It's a tricky situation for stores, because although I am an honest customer who was satisfied with my exchange, someone else (the bad guys) may try to play the victim when they in fact are trying to scam the store.

[FRiC @ Oct 9th 2007 2:19PM]

This kind of thing always happens. A wihle ago I bought a CD at Tower Records. When I got home, I opened it up and there was some other disc inside. I took it back to the store and the staff went and got the case of the other disc from the shelves and opened it up, and inside that case was the disc that I should've gotten. Both cases were shrink wrapped, so it's obvious that they opened up the discs and re-wrapped them in the store.

[Grant @ Oct 9th 2007 2:44PM]

"the staff went and got the case of the other disc from the shelves and opened it up, and inside that case was the disc that I should've gotten."

if they knew where the exact thing they were looking for was, you probably got the same idiot who switched them in the first place. Unless it's some obscure CD that they only had like 2 copies of.

[LEXX911 @ Oct 9th 2007 1:51PM]

I remembered going back to return my dead digital broadband amplifier to Radioshack/Source City. Told the idiot working there that it's dead so what he did was he open up a new digital broadband amplifier took it out and gave it to me and took my dead one and replaced it into the other box and put that dead one back into the stock shelf. I was thinking in my head WTF?

I have also ran across stuff I thought it was totally brand new because it was shrink wrap. Brought it home and open it up and knew right away it had been open and used because you can tell the base is stain just a bit with dust or dirt. I believe some store have their own shrink wrap so you can't tell nowaday if it's open or not. Only way to tell if they did a terrible job of cleaning it up when you open it.

Nowaday I tend to open up the box and look inside especially boxes without shrink wrap.

[Johnny @ Oct 9th 2007 1:53PM]

This definitely isn't how the Target by me works. I had bought a bicycle for my 4 year old daughter in what looked like an unopened box. However, it turned out to be the wrong bike in the box altogether and was missing most of the pieces. I returned it to Target and they exchanged it with no problem and even let me open the replacement to check it out before buying it.

[Mark @ Oct 9th 2007 1:53PM]

The kid sounds a little spoiled. Some kids don't even get rocks for their birthdays. She should just be happy she got anything.

[DustPan @ Oct 9th 2007 1:53PM]

And that's when the poor Ms. Ritter discovered the curse. From her 14th birthday on, anything she touched turned to rocks.

[Corey @ Oct 9th 2007 1:56PM]

The iPod box being shrink-wrapped provides no protection. You can buy shrink wrap and heat guns in stores or online. So the crook buys an iPod, fills the box with rocks, and then returns it not as defective, but as unwanted. No reason for it not to go back on the shelf if it appears unopened.
Only part of this story I find troubling is the thought that they wouldn't refund even after opening a unit in the store. That leads me to believe that there is more to this story than what we're reading.

[noseeb13 @ Oct 9th 2007 1:58PM]

I used to work at Toys R Us and on more than one occasion we opened up a game and there were AOL trial disks and lottery tickets instead of a game and instruction manual. People at the distribution center can open and re-shrink wrap things pretty easily.

[Wiserun @ Oct 9th 2007 2:01PM]

I don't know about store policy, etc., but if these were shrinkwrapped, I'd be looking further up the supply chain for the issue, especially considering the fact that the incidences occurred at more than one store.

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 2:02PM]

Have you ever worked at a department store?? There is no legal obligation to sell returned items for less. And trust me from someone who's been on both sides of a scam similar to this (pulled the "bait and switch" with a PS2 with a bad laser), MOST employees don't look inside the boxes, and those that do usually don't understand what they're looking at enough to determine if it's what's supposed to be there.

[laughallway2bank @ Oct 9th 2007 2:06PM]

maybe the mom wanted to insure her daughter would say, "MOM this new Ipod...... ROCKS!?!"


if it's true... it sucks - i bought a CD once with all the shrink wrap and seals on it... opened it up and no cd in there... luckily the store manager was nice enough to give me another.

[JHosche @ Oct 9th 2007 2:16PM]

Several years ago I worked at Best Buy and for certain types of open box computer stuff...we were told to re-shrinkwrap it and put it back on the shelves instead of marking it as open box...

[something @ Oct 9th 2007 2:20PM]

I too worked at a Best Buy but when we re-shrinkwrapped we were told to mark the price to either cost or 10% off, which ever was higher.

[jonneyt @ Oct 9th 2007 2:38PM]

She paid for this on her Target credit card. Isn't there the equivalent of Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act in the US? If this happened in England the provider of the credit would share joint liability with the store, but the customer would not be liable in any way.

[Grant @ Oct 9th 2007 2:51PM]

depends on the card.
consumer protection against fraud is typically considered a "perk", and isn't included in no frills or basic/no fee credit cards.
typically, these store cards give you no perks or right and are done through really shitty outside credit agencies.

of course you can always file a letter of grievance, and send a refusal of payment to the card company and hope for the best.

[CoolMatt @ Oct 9th 2007 4:11PM]

The only problem with challenging the charge in this case is that she is using a store card - seems unlikely that the store will willingly let her win a challenge on their own credit card. True, Visa is probably the backer on this - but even so ... it still seems like a long-shot.

[alan adams @ Oct 9th 2007 2:50PM]

I am not surpised to learn of the "box of rocks"
telephone; I purchased a CD player from Circuit City in Marietta, Georgia, which was in a factory box with branded tape sealing it. Upon taking it to my residence and opening it I found a broken eight-track player and a brick to make the weight feel right. This was reported to the store who told me it was my problem for accepting the sealed unit. I carried the "good fight" all the way to Circuit City headquarters in Virginia where the CEO's Administrative Assistant (who insisted on calling herself an Assistant Administrator!) refused to transfer my call. No reflection on her gender - doubtless there were women in the Nuremberg Trials who were just being "...good Nazis and following orders." Circuit City has lost
my business and I have been telling this story to all who will listen and believe in getting the merchanside for which they paid.

Helpful hint: Open all sealed boxes and verify that the pictured equipment is both in the box and complete! AVOID CIRCUIT CITY - AVOID THEFT!

[Sean @ Oct 9th 2007 2:51PM]

Shenanigans!! I'm getting my broom.

[Mark @ Oct 12th 2007 7:23PM]

Hey Farva what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?

[Nex @ Oct 9th 2007 3:06PM]

you know id doesnt suprise me. one of my friends bought a sata drive that was faulty. he returned it, and they didnt even check the box to ensure the product was even in the box.. this is why i always open the box at the register to ensure that the product is there...

[matt @ Oct 9th 2007 3:14PM]

Was it week 37 or week 38 rocks?




www.lockergnome.com/nexus/digged

[Matt @ Oct 9th 2007 3:24PM]

Why not just deny charges on the credit card? Instant refund.

[ryao @ Oct 9th 2007 3:37PM]

Apparently at Wal-mart some guy bought a Zune- and found out that it was filled with Gay porn. I guess he still has one up on poor Regan- as he still technically got the product... plus a little extra sumthin-sumthin.

I'd imagine between obscene customers and that horrible music that dept stores play the employees must pull pranks every once in a while. Sure it is at the loss of the customer, but it makes for some funny stories.

(by the way- i still feel for the daughter/mother, and the fact that they wouldn't refund her is rediculous)

[Scooter @ Oct 10th 2007 11:11AM]

the rocks were gay porn

[Bill @ Oct 9th 2007 3:41PM]

Target is more restrictive than you think.

If you get a gift from Target you don't want, you're stuck with store credit, but that credit is only good in that same department.

So, your kid who gets a toy they don't want can't use the credit on electronics, only for items in the toy department.

Even Wal-mart has a less restrictive gift return policy.

[Spiderpig @ Oct 9th 2007 3:46PM]

I had a similar experience at a german store buying an iPod nano some time ago. When I opened the package there was no iPod inside.
Luckily I opened it right after I paid so there was no problem getting a new one. But if I had left the store without opening it I would have been screwed. No witness, no proof, no iPod.

[charlie @ Oct 9th 2007 3:54PM]

Its the new Pet iRock

Frys has the same stories/issues, you'll often find missing or strange items in customer returns, since even though frys claims to check everything and not put stuff back on the shelf thats incomplete, they do.