Return experiences?

Wanted to share a few of my recent experiences with returning wines, and see what others have come across?

Earlier in the week I returned a bottle of Davis Bynum Rochioli & Bynum Vineyard Pinot Noir. Bought two bottles online at the first sale price of $19.99. I drank the first bottle but didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. When I saw that it was being further reduced to $9.99 I wanted to return the second bottle before the sale started just in case they wanted to just give me back the $9.99 sale price rather than the $19.99 that I paid. So I took it back to the store where it had been delivered. No problems with the return and got credited for the full $19.99 plus tax.

Today I wanted to try to take advantage of the sale prices to return a few wines I bought over the last couple months and then buy them back. At the first store I returned 2 bottles of Latour Meursault Ch. de Blagny '04. I had paid the original price of $34.99. It was later reduced to $19.99 and I bought several more (at a different store). Now it's just $9.99. I took the first two bottles back to the store where I bought them. Coincidentally this was the same store as where I returned the Davis Bynum above. Again no problems, they credited me 2x $34.99 and sold them right back to me for $9.99 each. They did not have this wine in stock today when I did this. Why is that significant? Read on...

Then I went to a store where I had bought two bottles of Chalk Hill Cab '03 for $33.99 each. I drank the first one and enjoyed it. It's now on sale for $19.99. Took my one remaining bottle back but they balked. A gentleman who I have not dealt with before -- don't know if he's the manager or not but he acted like it -- said he could take it back and give me a full refund, but because it was no longer available in their store he could not turn around and sell it back to me for the sale price. He said "someone might have a hold on it" and it wouldn't be fair to sell it to me if they were waiting. He didn't offer to check to see if there was such a hold in place on this wine. He said that if they still had the wine in stock it wouldn't have been a problem. NICE.

Then my final stop where I was picking up >$300 in sale wines being held. I asked if I could return and buy back a bottle of Stephen Kent Cabernet Sauvignon for which I had paid $24.99 but was now on sale for $14.99. I originally bought two but drank the first. I was also buying 6 more bottles at the reduced price at this store. Again no problems, they credited me $24.99 I bought it back for $14.99. They still had a ton in stock. (Which I highly recommend for $15 by the way.)

One last thing I forgot to mention -- in all cases above I had my original receipt. I don't think you'll get very far without it.

Has anyone had any similar -- or different -- experiences returning wines lately?

Up to now, I haven't been smart enough to hold on to my receipts on CS purchases. I will in future.

The guy at the one store (I'm guessing he is *a* manager, Stores seem to have several, and I can never tell whether or not on is the "Head", "General", or whatever, manager) was just being difficult, I think: among other details, I've never heard of this "hold" nonsense. I'm fairly sure my store would never do this, if only because they wouldn't normally expect to have a sold-out item necessarily walk in the door.

From my experience as a former cranky retailer, my guess is that he felt you were pushing the line, and he wasn't the one you were gonna get one over on.

Also, for those quirky returns, I tend to go to the store where they know me best, rather than necessarily the one where I bought the item. And I make up for that by making all straightforward returns elsewhere, so they don't get docked the sales.

Fortunately I have only had to return three bottles over the past few years. I never had any problems. I always had the receipt and only one bottle was opened.

Yea, that thing with the guy saying someone might have it on "hold"!? Why would he have it on "hold" if he didn't have it in stock?! I agree with Cap, the guy was trying to show who was boss and felt you were trying to "get one over" on him.

I had my first return experience today with the Altair Sideral everyone liked. I got a half dozen bottles this spring & opened one Sat that was corked or heat damaged, just generally tasted wrong. Decided to return it today when perusing all the new specialty selections just showing up.

No receipt, no hassles. Apparently the customer service classes are kicking in. I can't even tell you for sure that I bought it where I returned it (McIntyre Sq.) but the mgr. didn't even blink, just told me to shop & they would credit the purchase.