Walmart Accused Of Gift Receipt Scam For 2nd Year In A Row

Sure go ahead and regift that present your friend bought for you at Walmart, but whatever you do, don't return it.

The world's largest retailer is apparently slacking off on giving full refunds to customers with gift receipts, at least according to a recent report by CBS Boston.

When a producer from the network attempted to return a TV originally purchased for $248 using a gift receipt, she was only able to get back $228 -- the unit's new on-sale price. A cashier told her simply that the register "will just generate however much [the original buyer] paid for it,” even though in this case the original purchase price was higher.

This is far from the first time such allegations have been made against Walmart. Last year, the same CBS affiliate aired similar reports that Walmart was shortchanging customers on gift receipts.

The confusion may have to do with the simple fact that such receipts don't show how much money was originally paid for an item. Consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky says he doesn't think Walmart is perpetrating the scam on purpose, but the retailer clearly has a problem on its hands.

“The best scam is when you don’t even know you’ve been taken,” Dworsky told CBS Boston.

CBS reports on such incidents last year led to an investigation by a lawfirm specializing in consumer protection. Similar incidents at Kohl's and Toys R' Us led to the inclusion of those retailers in the investigation as well.

A request for comment from Walmart via email was not immediately returned. However, back in 2011, Walmart spokesperson Lorenzo Lopez had this to say on the matter:

It’s our expectation to refund the original purchase price when returning an item with a gift receipt. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers. If they have questions regarding a gift receipt, we encourage them to speak with a member of management at their local store.