I have purchased and returned four pairs of $200 sunglasses and a $400 handbag. I am thinking about a computer purchase/return, requirement of $300 to $1,000. I was just wondering how much you are willing to put on your card? Are there some folks who totally avoid this type of shop? I admit it was weird looking at my statement with 1,000 charged and 1,000 returned on those sunglasses last month. Opinions?

Yea, I don't generally do that many P/R shops unless they are paying really well or highly bonused. How much I am willing to risk depends on my degree of confidence in the MSP paying per contract, and I won't do them at all for slow payers like Intellishop, Service Sleuth, etc.

I don't like purchase/return shops, and I typically avoid them.

I don't make the determination based on amount. If I accept the shop, the fee needs to reflect two trips. Also, the second trip for the return needs to fall within the same monthly cycle as the purchase so I don't incur charges. Other than that, there needs to be certainty that the purchase can be returned for credit back to the card, and not store credit.

The criteria for me is generally how well the shop pays and where the purchase is made.

The highest amount of money I've ever spent is $550, and I knew it would be credited back to my card quickly, and without hassle. Conversely, I did a $75 purchase and return mail order shop, and between the return and reimbursement for shipping costs from the MSC, it took almost two months to be credited. The latter is the shop I wouldn't do again. I am doing another mail order shop next month, but it's for a well-known retailer (the other one was a small operation).

This past month, I did ponder a P&R with a very expensive purchase, but decided that it wasn't a good time for me to incur an unnecessary charge, despite the fact that it would have been credited quickly.

A few years ago there was a report that some stores do not accept too many returns. I also wonder what that activity does to your credit rating.

My largest amount was $1700.00 for a coat. I was just getting into MSing and got carried away because I fell in love with the coat. Never again, nowadays, the largest amount will go for a hotel or restaurant....retail shopping I'll do 50.00 and must return the same day, that allows me to do another shop and lunch in the same mall, so it's not two trips. I recently did a shop for Bare and discovered a great handbag store (which I had not heard of before), I bought a cute cosmetic case, and returned it...but told my daughter about the shop (it orginated in the Chicago area), and my daughter now loves and shops there. I don't mind the p/r if it works into my schedule, the pay is usually good, just make it in one day, not two. Never had a problem with the return, and the return portion of the report is super easy.

I rarely do P/R shops either because there is not enough fee to cover two trips and usually two reports. I certainly do not like a whole lot of P/R activity on my credit cards because I don't know how/where/if it is monitored for your over all credit reputation in the form of your credit report. I rather doubt that the behavior is ignored.

On the other hand, I generally advance around $1000 per month on my credit card to be reimbursed. Rarely do I receive payment before the charges are due, so typically they are paid by last month's reimbursements. I used to advance a whole lot more back when I was doing hotel shops and the charges were supposed to be backed out within a few days but sometimes were not.

Flash, you bring up a good point....over activity on your CC. My married cousin shops and returns daily (only using her CC), as do many. Why should they moniter? I might do two p/r a month, not alot. What happens if you buy and return too much? That is your right as a woman, are there CC police out there....and what about the hotels and restaurants, used on your CC, this is a business, who should care?

I am aware of a particular store that monitors returns and once you have made more than 3 in a 12 month period the returns must be referred to a manager for handling. Different stores obviously have different policies to protect themselves from fraud. As I indicated, I have no idea how/where/if credit card activity is monitored, but my intuition tells me that it is a likely flag on an account.

I have no proof of this either, but it seems to me that it has to be monitored somehow. Everything you do involving credit in anyway is monitored, so like Flash said, I doubt that this would be ignored.

Regarding accepting multiple returns, that is one of reasons for rotation. Many establishments purge their records after a certain period of time.

In terms of the credit card company, whenever possible, I've used American Express for these shops. No problems, no questions.

I also only use American Express without a problem....so, who checks them. I'm presuming you all mean the credit board, but unless your behind in a payment, seems overwhelming and expensive for them to moniter every return.

If a shopper's activity shows an inordinate amount of returns/credits, there could be two possible dings to the shopper, Irene. The first is from the merchant, seeing multiple returns in a customer's history, and the second is the credit card company itself. I would imagine software from both merchant and credit card company easily spits out such activity.

Nah, I don't buy it that credit card companies monitor returns. They get their fee on both the purchase and the return, right? Plus, a purchase followed by a return doesn't resemble fraudulent behavior. A thief certainly isn't going to buy something on a stolen card, and then return the item.

I do a lot of electronic stores that require a small purchase but do not reimburse. So I usually buy a small, inexpensive item in one store, and return it in the next store I shop, and make a new purchase. I may have five or six purchase and return transactions in one credit card cycle. I never had a problem either with the merchand or the cc company.
I did have problems with gas station shops that did not accept my card more than three times in the same day.
But going back to the original question, I recently bought/returned a bicycle for $400.Great shop, it paid $50.00

I just signed up to do a p/r ($150.00) ouch. They are offering a bonus with a decent pay. I love that store and it's in my mall...still that's alot of money.

I've decided to do the purchase/return of the computer. So I'll probably put $500 or so on my card and return the next day. They were offering a bonus and I asked for a higher one and got it!

Carol

Carol, you and I are softies and really love to shop. My job (after seeing yours) seems like a drop in the bucket now!

Thanks, Irene. Oh, and by the way, I love it when you never here you have been assigned to a job, and in today's e-mail comes a reminder from a company that I have 3 scheduled for tomorrow. I remember applying, but never having a confirmation. It was a bit of a surprise.

That's just plain rude...I need a reminder, can easily forget if not, sometimes Kern does do that....I put assigned jobs in my pending box, so, can always check on them.

I enter my shops on an Excel spreadsheet, then move them to a different section after they've been paid. When I apply for a shop, I enter it on the sheet, but highlight it in red until I receive confirmation or notice that the shop has been filled. There are a few companies who don't notify, but because the shops are on my spreadsheet (in chronological order) I know to check the site.

So $711 on my credit card for the computer that goes back tomorrow. This is my highest amount, definitely.

Carol...just did my P/R, bought a $200.00 purse, love it...want to keep it, but their return policy is 60 days with receipt, so tomorrow back for the return...it's in my mall, so, not a biggie. This was Brighton Collectables, such nice things, a pleasure to shop there, and great service, plus was involved in a promotion to win a $75.00 charm braclet, 3 winners per week. Fingers crossed!!

Ooooh Irene, Brighton was the purse I did keep and love. Fabulous items and service, I agree. I returned the $711 computer today.

Carol

Although this is taking the thread off track, I think it has sort of played itself out . . . I did an Office Depot shop the other day and was drooling over an HP Pavilion P6540F desktop machine. AMD Phenom II 830 quad-core; 8GB memory; 1000GB hard drive; card reader; 6 USB 2.0, 2 USB 1.1 and 1 Firewire. $629.99. It is just mind blowing to me how much comes for so little these days. (I should still have an invoice around here in my records for a desktop only a little more than a decade ago that had 1/2GB hard drive and 1/4GB of RAM with the then top speed chip because it was double clocked that was around $1800.)

Yes, Flash, it always amazes me how technology is developed and at first is sold for high prices and then made more affordable as it is more acceptable. I couldn't believe when I was sent to MS digital cameras that there were ones for $99. I expected them to start at $250 or so, like when we purchased one about six years ago.

Carol

And recently I think it was Office Max that offered a digital with about twice the capacities of my 3 1/2 year old camera for about 25% of what I paid for mine. Yes, it was a special sale item, but it was available and dirt cheap!

Flash, do you recommend Office Max for a new laptop...seems the prices are great. I need one, and have been looking for a shop to test this on, but will start looking on my own soon. Money is a factor, Suggestions please.

I purchased one about a year ago from Office Depot. It was a discontinued model purchased at this time of year and the price was definitely right. I find that Office Max does not have a good selection of computers in my market. Rather they have a huge selection of printers and their clearance area has been an excellent source for HP printers and all-in-ones. By checking out a place on a shop, you can take notes and go home to check on line to see if you can find the computer cheaper. I really like buy.com for a lot of computer stuff because they get refurbished machines, ship free and in my state charge no sales tax. Office Depot, Staples and Office Max are not allowed to sell refurbs. You can sometimes get a good discount on a 'demo' machine, but if you can get a good machine on a refurb the price is usually still better. And we are still at the stage where more computer 'problems' are the user or user remorse than actual problems with the machine. Returned machines are always tested thoroughly and if there was a problem it will have been corrected before the machine goes out as a 'refurb'. I trust a 'refurb' actually more than I trust a brand new machine because it actually HAS been tested and turned on long enough that parts that were 'iffy' had time to self-destruct if they are going to.