Today is December 26th, the day that retailers brace themselves for every year. This is the day when millions of shoppers descend on stores to return gifts and to use their gift cards. If you will be returning gifts this year, then these tips will help you.

If you received a mail order gift, such as a Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Express Train Collection, and it was either broken or it didn’t work, then you will need to return the train. Returning items to a mail order company is different than returning gifts to physical stores. Each company has a different return policy, so you will need to follow the instructions that are associated with the seller of the item you received.

In most cases you will need to contact the company that sold your gift and tell them what problem or problems you have with the item you received. They will most likely need the order number or receipt number of your gift. They will then issue you a return code and give you information about how to return your item.

In some cases you will not deal with the seller of the item but instead you will talk directly with the manufacturer. This is particularly true if your item doesn’t work. When you deal with the manufacturer you will generally call a toll free number and file a claim. The operator helping you will either send you a return label or tell you where to send your damaged item. When they receive your item they will process your return and send you a replacement item. This can take anywhere from two weeks to eight weeks, so be prepared for a long wait.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 26th, 2008 at 5:00 pm and is filed under gifts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.