In the point of sale software, there was a record of a purchase of an item by a customer unknown. A person who had no proof that they purchased that item, came in and showed that item and demanded a refund. The store manager was very suspicious, and soon this started a debate of what exactly is required for proof of purchase.
As a rule for a person to exercise their rights for a refund, a replacement, repair, etc, for an item, they need some proof of purchase. The problem here is that under Australian Consumer Law, it is not described what sufficient proof of purchase is. What it state is that the person must be able to demonstrate that they did purchase that item reasonably. If they can that, then a store may be breaking the law if it denies them this right.
It does not have to be a receipt; for example, here is some example of what proof of purchase can be:
- A bank or credit card statement
- An agreement with the store, eg a lay-by note
- An email
One problem, I can see here is what happens with faded receipts, if I come into your store with essentially a blank sheet of paper, what would you do? If it was me, I would insist on some other evidence.
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