Customer tried to return a dead houseplant after 11 months

I work at a garden center in Portland. This guy came in yesterday with a completely brown, crispy fiddle leaf fig in the original pot. He had the receipt from almost a year ago and demanded a full refund because it 'never thrived'. Our policy is 30 days for plants, which is printed on the receipt and a sign at the register. I explained this politely. He started yelling that it was defective merchandise and we sold him a sick plant. My manager got involved and it turned into a 45 minute argument in the middle of the store. The customer finally left, but not before calling us thieves. Has anyone else had to deal with a return so far outside the policy that it's just ridiculous? How do you stay calm?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hugo14d ago

Man, a dead fiddle leaf after a year is a feature, not a bug. That's just how they work. I've had people try to bring back a crispy rosemary herb plant from two seasons ago, claiming it was 'dormant'. You just have to become a broken record. "I understand you're upset, but our policy is 30 days for plant health. I cannot process this return." Say the same simple line, do not explain further, because they'll try to argue with each new reason. After the third time, offer to get a manager, but then you both say the exact same thing. It turns their argument into a wall. They get bored and leave.

elizabeth90014d ago

But that just feels like giving up on good service, doesn't it? A dead plant after a year means it probably wasn't a healthy plant to start with, so the store sold a bad product. Sticking to a script ignores the real problem and makes customers feel cheated.

claire_bell2d ago

What kind of magical soil do these people think we're selling? A plant is a living thing, not a toaster. After 11 months, that's on them. I had a lady try to return a sun-bleached, bone-dry succulent she left on her dashboard for a summer. She said our care tag was wrong. You just have to point at the policy on the receipt and repeat yourself until they run out of steam. Arguing about care just gives them an opening. They killed it, the end.