So the story of the time is a girl’s 14th birthday present in Texas should of been a shiny new iPod but instead it was a box of rocks.  Well, that sucks.  As described in the orginal story from the Star-Telegram and summed up by the boys where I dug it up at Ars Technica, it seems that Regan Riter’s mother purchased the iPod from Target using an in store Credit Card and finding the best deal around.  Now that is the problem, these warehouse stores are suppose to be the best deals around but are they really?  Do they really help us when thing go to hell?  I’m acutally supprised they belived the Riter’s didn’t stuff the box with Rocks themselves but when they went back and it happened a second time it was very obvious this is a major issue.

Now the real problem isn’t the fact a young girl got a box of Rocks.  That is just a little funny, and ironic and shows you that there is a major lack of security with Targets or its distributer shipping depatrment. But the problem is the policies and the fact that they wouldn’t give the family their money back so they could go else where and let the girl get her iPod for her birthday.  Since policy is policy and Target is Target, I mean they have those red circles everywhere so I’m sure the emploeyes know not to mess with policies. So, the first store was sold out and the mother drove the daughter to another store where they bought with store credit the second iPod where the insisted of opening the iPod in front of the clerk, and the clerk said they needed to buy it first, which they did, and that one was full of rocks too.  So, they were now told since they used a store credit card they could be given anything but store credit and they did this to get that extra 10% discount.  So, since they had the store credit and it was the girls birthday the mother asked the girl to buy something else, even though she really wanted the iPod.

The issue here is why can’t a 14 year old girl who has the money to buy the product that she wants for her birthday can’t get it from one of the largest retails chains.  Target replies with the usual legal jargon but the lacks the respect it should have its customers and the rest of the market.  I enter the stores and as I walk out they treat me the customer like a criminal by checking my receipt, or by inisting in some places that I have to check my bags.  However, they make a mistake in there shipping and they will not honor and give back someone the money for something they have just purchased.  If you want an iPod then goto an apple store or buy from Apple. Atleast they will do the right thing and treat you with respect, and not wait two weeks to get back to you with a form letter.