My paycheck is basically a loan I didn't agree to. Is this legal? (applying, company)

[bobtn]

Or hold all commissions for 90 days, at which point returns would not be allowed. So the OP would get October 2014 commissions this month.

[FT897]

Originally Posted by bobtn

Or hold all commissions for 90 days, at which point returns would not be allowed. So the OP would get October 2014 commissions this month.

Yes, what ever the time limit on returns is. Also I would think that an return without a receipt could not be charged against an employees earned commission since they cannot prove it was that employees sale. Unless they just charge the employee taking the return.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by Klara

This is true! Try returning something to Bloomingdale's after 2 years. Do you think they will refuse? Think again! It is possible to return everything, no time frame, no questions asked.

Nope. Not true. You absolutely MUST have your receipt, and there are ABSOLUTELY certain rules that must be met. They do have a lenient time frame, but other than that, you have to meet the guidelines for a return. For example, this is their return policy for dresses:


Certain dresses will be delivered with a Bloomingdale’s b-tag attached. Once the b-tag is removed, merchandise cannot be returned. To determine whether a dress you would like to purchase will be tagged, go to the product page and review the details tab below the image. If an item is going to be tagged, we will alert you there.

We will not accept a return of merchandise that has been:

Worn.
Washed.
Damaged.
Used.
Altered.
Returned without attached Bloomingdale’s b-tags, designer tags and/or any accompanying materials that were originally included. All returns are subject to evaluation by Bloomingdale’s.

[mkpunk]

The only time returns could happen without receipts is say holiday time due to the possibilities of being bought in another region of the country. Other than that, 30-90 days should be fine barring breakage which would be an exchange rather than a full return.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by bobtn

Or hold all commissions for 90 days, at which point returns would not be allowed. So the OP would get October 2014 commissions this month.

I suspect there would be many people who would object to government imposing a 90 day maximum for product returns. Fewer people would object the longer the maximum is.

[Klara]

@ChessieMom

I worked there, so I know what I am talking about.

[Cynthetik]

Originally Posted by bUU

I suspect there would be many people who would object to government imposing a 90 day maximum for product returns. Fewer people would object the longer the maximum is.

90 days is being generous. I hope governments can enforce that employees don't get screwed over by uncontrollable factors.

[FT897]

Originally Posted by bUU

I suspect there would be many people who would object to government imposing a 90 day maximum for product returns. Fewer people would object the longer the maximum is.

I would think for most consumer goods that 5 to 10 day's is a very generous return policy. If you can't make up your mind in that time you should have to keep it.

Most consumer goods have a 90 day warranty or less. So why should you be allowed to wait that long to decide if you wish to purchase the item?

[bUU]

A commission-based salesperson can assuredly control the extent to which those who purchase from them later return their purchases. So we're not talking about "uncontrollable factors". And no, there is not general agreement that government should impose a 90 day limit on returns policies, much less 5 or 10 day limits. That kind of interference is a non-starter in hybrid economy like ours.

We're talking about salespeople playing the odds because it is what is better for themselves, as well as what's best for the business. A salesperson concerned about how returns affect them, if they wanted to, could better understand the customer's needs, could explain better explain to the customer what the purchase promises to deliver, and could generally do a better job qualifying the customer. But salespeople don't want to do that because it would tend to discourage more potentially satisfied customers from making purchases than it would filter out those who would experience buyer's remorse later.

So what government can do isn't any part of this. Given that the terms and conditions are not misrepresented in advance, nothing justifies a commission earned on a returned purchase. Commission, by definition, is paid in consideration of purchase, so a purchase that is wiped off the books by a return means the commission was not earned, according to the rules agreed to by all in this scenario.

I think the concern is nothing more than sour grapes over the innate power balance/imbalance in our labor economy. Yes: Employers have lots of power because of the money they control. We get it - being an employee sucks in an environment where government doesn't ensure that people are paid a living wage. But there is nothing specific about the commission scenarios we're talking about that make it any more egregious than the man mopping floors in the cellar of an office tower overnight, earning little more than minimum wage, and therefore unable to pay his family's own way. Tough is tough no matter how you slice it.

[mkpunk]

Originally Posted by FT897

I would think for most consumer goods that 5 to 10 day's is a very generous return policy. If you can't make up your mind in that time you should have to keep it.

Most consumer goods have a 90 day warranty or less. So why should you be allowed to wait that long to decide if you wish to purchase the item?

Getting gifts for the holiday ruins this. Studies show 20% of returns happen during this time due to bad size, gifts they don't like it, the wrong style (say model), etc. Most stores are closed Christmas for one and some people do travel so if it was 5 to 10 days before, you would have issues returning unliked or wrong sized items.