They say it's up to the customer to push a button that requests the donation, and all a clerk can do is approve it. Kenneth writes:
This just a little bit of info on the whole Livestrong post on Consumerist. I actually work at a radio shack, and we can't force anyone to donate. After ringing the sale, our computer screen prompts a donation for the Livestrong collection, however from our end all we are able to do is decline it. The only way for a customer to make the donation is if they actually hit the "accept" button on the credit card pad.
However, I have seen people hit it thinking its a prompt asking if the amount is correct when they slide their card. What I'm more than willing to bet happened is the customer hit the accept button thinking he was confirming the amount for his credit purchase. And, unfortunately, after the sale is complete, we are unable to refund donations. As far as I know, the funds immediately go to the Livestrong foundation and the whole thing is out of our lowly associate hands.
All in all, it's really not possible for us to attach a donation, as only the customer can using the card pad.
The company sent us this statement to address the problem and solution:
Tens of thousands of customers have eagerly contributed to our point-of-sale collection for LIVESTRONG in just the first few weeks. As 100% of every $1 point-of-sale donation goes directly to LIVESTRONG, we believe it’s been tremendously successful so far. But RadioShack doesn’t intend for any customer to feel compelled to support the fight against cancer. It is a personal choice. We believe the directions are clear on the point-of-sale device, but we regret the few errors that apparently have occurred among the tens of thousands of contributions received so far. Customers who believe they’ve made the donation in error should simply contact us at customercare@radioshack.com or 1-800-THE-SHACK so that we can facilitate the refund process. And in the days ahead, we will use your feedback to remind our employees again about how to manage this process carefully and correctly. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.]]>
They should have the integrity to admit what they did.
As for stores using employees or their POS systems to solicit for charity, so that they can be the ones to take credit for their customers' donations ... that also is an unsavory practice. The money donated was that of customers, not stores, yet the stores claim the credit for it. If RS really wants to donate to Livestrong, they should just donate their own money.
]]>I'll have to start bringing my blood and garlic with me everywhere now, sigh.
]]>By having it in the terminal like that it is either misleading people, interrupting them or delaying their transaction. Retail stores should not hold people hostage to THEIR charity drive, if RS wants to give to charity and brag about it for PR from their proceeds at the end of the year, let them.
RS / LA: STOP INTERFERING WITH OUR FRICKING TRANSACTIONS AND LEAVE US ALONE.
]]>"This still doesn't get Radio Shack off the hook for refusing to refund the inadvertently donated dollar if the donation was made by accident." - Phil
I kinda think it does, Phil - if we take their word for the rest, why don't we believe them when they say "we can't fix that"
]]>I'm going to call it now that within the next 10 years there is going to be at least one occurrence of a card reader or CC company programing the readers so that before you can sign for your purchase the reader forces you to watch a 10 to 30 second commercial.
]]>It's pretty much a "damned if you do, damned if you don't".
]]>They key is that they're not PUSHY about it, it's all just there and you can take it or leave it.
]]>Just assuming that the company is looking out for your best interests and blindly hitting ok whenever you get a prompt is just asking to get burned.
]]>I can only hope that call center type "are you completely satisfied with my service" questions don't make their way to the checkout.
]]>Any options to donate should be perfectly clear and not a part of the primary transaction before it is completed. Any error on the customer's part should result not result in a donation through trickery.
]]>Just watch what you're doing, and everything will be fine.
]]>No one has said anything about the Lance Armstrong Foundation because it is illogical to blame the charity for the stores POS system. It doesn't make sense to assume that a charity has some control (or any input whatsoever) into how a retail chain would change their system to ask for donations at the POS machine.
If someone can prove that they did tell Radio Shack that they have to change their machines to ask for the donation then I'm sure people will complain about them as well.
]]>It's sneaky, and I don't like it.
]]>I don't think this belongs here. By the time you've gotten to the credit card swiping stage, your purchases are final. They should not be prompting you to purchase more stuff during the payment stage.
]]>No, they're not. I have never seen a prompt to donate when I've gone shopping. Not everyone owns a pet or shops at Ikea.
]]>The money is not instant. Radio Shack could have gone into their system and deleted the entire transaction and then re rung up the items.
This money does not instantly go to the donation company. It sits in a Radio Shack account making them interest and then Radio Shack makes the tax deductible donation at the end of the program or probably monthly.
]]>The money is not instant. Radio Shack could have gone into their system and deleted the entire transaction and then re rung up the items.
This money does not instantly go to the donation company. It sits in a Radio Shack account making them interest and then Radio Shack makes the tax deductible donation at the end of the program or probably monthly.
]]>So Radio Shack, you shouldn't be adding this option anyway which subjects ANYONE to making a wrong choice. I don't want to make a choice. I want to buy batteries. Period.
But because you DO choose (as a business) to add this extra step, and any mistake is made, it's up to YOU to correct it (ie: refund).
]]>A lot of people have serious issues with Nike.
]]>$1 to Livestrong is one thing, but I could easily see where Radio Shack could start using this same method to sell warranties, etc. Not very customer friendly, but consumers need to be a lot more alert these days, especially in times of recession when companies get more "creative".
]]>Your money - you get to choose where it goes.
]]>Yes they're absolutely responsible for some guy hitting yes without reading the screen right? It's the consumers responsibility to be aware of what they're hitting the yes key on.
These donation prompts are common nowadays; IKEA, PetCo, PetSmart, etc all have them and they're clearly worded and the only way to make a mistake is if someone is not paying attention to what they're hitting yes on. OP probably needs to accept his mistake and move on.
]]>Few people are going to tell a charitable organization that they're being "too aggressive" in their methodology -- even here, no one has really said a peep of a bad word about the Lance Armstrong Foundation, only about RadioShack bungling up the delivery of the donation prompt. And besides, for people who complain about being put "on the spot", it's still a hell of a lot better than having a salesman try and convince you to donate, which might still end up getting you do give up the dollar, but only leaving you with the impression that you had a say in the matter...
Rather than debate the merits of digging through the Salvation Army's collection plate when we have second thoughts, why not just learn from this that one should pay more attention to the keypads he's using when he pays, and be happy that the money went somewhere besides in the pocket of the company that "tricked" you?
]]>People need to pay a little bit more attention. The fact that people are just clicking YES YES YES through their CC transactions only underscores the Country's fecked up spending issues.
]]>BTW, the employee says that they don't have the power to require a donation, however I'm curious about cash purchases. Do they seriously require use of the keypad by the customer for a cash purchase? I would think that for cash purchases, the power to (possibly) force a donation still is in the hands of the employee. Just guessing on that. But I'm curious if I'm right.
]]>Is it awful that I say "caught myself" when talking about almost donating to a worthy cause?
]]>Upgrading to the newer interfaces can be expensive, and potentially not feasible for every store. Given that Radio Shack has been around longer than I've been around, it seems reasonable to expect that there are some which haven't been upgraded. So while the explanation above might be true at the OP's particular Radio Shack, it might not be true company-wide.
That said, I see the "Donate to Homeless Pets" on the swiper at Petsmart. I can say "no" when a clerk asks me to donate for this or that or the other thing, but when a robut pleads with me on the behalf of sad kitties... ack!
]]>However, when you've been to plenty of stores and swiped your card plenty of times, by now you should be aware of the questions it asks which are generally just "Cash back?" and "Is this the correct amount?"
While probably not intended to do so, throwing another question into the mix is bound to confuse some folks who are trained to answer "No" then "Yes".
Also...considering that LiveStrong is a co-venture with Nike...I can see where some people would want to maybe have their donations directed differently.
]]>Regardless, it's pretty insane Radio Shack won't (and worse, apparently, *can't* at the associate level) refund it.
]]>If you hit the little button without reading, consider a stupid payment.
It's like putting a dollar in the swear jar, but for being stupid
Again, I don't know that the prompts are manipulative. It may be that they are candid and plain, in which case this is a matter of "caveat emptor." It may also be that the prompts are unclear, but not intentionally so. But if there is some reason, intended or not, which triggers people to "donate" when they didn't wish to, RS is ultimately responsible for that, and for making it right.
]]>It is very sneaky and uncool though. I'm surprised they didn't charge him for a 20 pack of AA's as well.
]]>On an unrelated note, I don't like the new blockquote format.
]]>Yeah, it's crappy for Radio Shack to not refund it, but it's not like this type of customer service is out of the ordinary for Radio Shack.
]]>