Canadians who werenB次元官网网址檛 happy with some of their holiday gifts or who changed their mind after making purchases might face trouble when trying to get their money back.

Scores of retailers across the country have changed their return policies to quell the spread of COVID-19, making it trickier to get an exchange or refund, depending on the store.

B次元官网网址淚t is absolutely a patchwork of all kinds of policies that are constantly changing B次元官网网址� and you have no controlB次元官网网址� said Joanne McNeish, a Ryerson University professor specializing in marketing.

B次元官网网址淭his is truly customer beware territory.B次元官网网址�

Shoppers who took a close look at fine print and store signage might have discovered that in recent months Walmart Canada temporarily stopped accepting returns of three or more of the same items and wonB次元官网网址檛 process returns for any items purchased after June 1 without a receipt.

The retailer is also not allowing returns for a slew of items including swimwear, earphones, air mattresses, sleeping bags and trading cards, and has adjusted the return period for many electronics.

Costco Canada shoppers have posted photos on social media of store signage revealing the company has stopped accepting toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizing wipes, water, rice and Lysol products for returns in some provinces.

Canadian Tire said in an email to The Canadian Press that during lockdown its Ontario stores are not accepting returns and those in Quebec will only process returns for essential goods.

For purchases where the 90-day returns window expires during the lockdown period, the retailer will offer a 15-day extension to return items when stores reopen.

And if you picked up the wrong bottle of wine at the LCBO, drink up. The Ontario alcohol purveyor has stopped taking returns during COVID-19 shutdowns.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all very difficult to figure out because websites are not necessarily clear and I started looking at the back of paper receipts itB次元官网网址檚 not necessarily printed there,B次元官网网址� said McNeish.

Stores switched up policies because COVID-19 has been a burden for retailers, she said. They have had to purchase hand sanitizer and Plexiglas shields and are grappling with the demand and high costs associated with delivery.

To avoid being disappointed later, she recommends customers get as much information as they can about returns during the purchase process.

Snap a photo of the policy if itB次元官网网址檚 on a store wall or print a copy of the fine print because sometimes employees can misunderstand their own companyB次元官网网址檚 policy and their word wonB次元官网网址檛 be worth much later, she said.

If you buy something you later decide you donB次元官网网址檛 want or that you have a problem with, she urges people not to wait to return it because policies could change in that time.

B次元官网网址淩eturns policies are going to continue to tighten up, especially over the next couple of years, while stores recover from the huge expense theyB次元官网网址檝e incurred,B次元官网网址� she said.

ItB次元官网网址檚 also important for customers to know what theyB次元官网网址檙e entitled to, she said.

Canada has no laws requiring retailers to accept returns, but provincial and territorial legislation gives consumers some rights.

For example, under the Consumer Protection Act in Ontario, products ordered for delivery must be dropped off within 30 days of the promised date or shoppers can request a refund. However, if the item arrives late and you keep it, you lose your right to a refund.

While companies are not obligated to offer returns and the Alberta government has discouraged it during the pandemic, many businesses offer them anyway as a sign of goodwill and a way to build consumer trust.

To avoid confusion, Ken Whitehurst, the executive director of the Consumers Council of Canada, has simple advice: B次元官网网址渁lways ask about exchange and return policies.B次元官网网址�

If customers feel wronged by a return policy they can always take the company to court, although that is less likely to succeed unless the retailer has agreed to liberal return terms., Whitehurst said in an email.

If theyB次元官网网址檙e trying to return phone or internet equipment, Whitehurst said they can turn to the Commissioner for Complaints in Telecom-Television Services. Car return troubles may be arbitrated by bodies like the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, he added.

If there is no industry association or council to take concerns to, he said, B次元官网网址淚t never hurts to report the nature of return problems to provincial consumer protection offices.B次元官网网址�

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Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

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