Store Refuses to Take Back Spoiled Cheese; Director Claims Customer Was Unpleasant

Recently, one of my friends bought two pieces of smoked cheese from the "Янтарь" company, specifically the "Лидер Янтарный" brand, at the "Shen Tun" supermarket in Ejmiadzin (Mykolaiv Street 7), as reported by Hetq.am.

Upon bringing it home, he noticed that part of both cheeses had turned black. He informed me, and I suggested that he take it back to the store the next morning, present the receipt, and return it.

However, the supermarket employee refused to accept the return, stating that they could only exchange it for the same cheese. The customer declined to take the same product instead, offering instead to exchange it for a different cheese. This proposal was also rejected by the store employee.

"I told them, it’s not about the money, it’s a matter of principle. Imagine if you were in my place, how would you feel if you paid for a product and received something like this?" the buyer recounted.

After the incident, I called the "Shen Tun" supermarket, requesting an explanation from the responsible employee regarding the refusal to accept the substandard food product.

A manager identified as Albert initially claimed that the customer had improperly stored the cheese and brought it back to them late, which is why they didn’t accept it. When I revealed that the buyer was my friend and that I had personally seen the cheese and advised him to bring it back, the manager began to believe me, suggesting that the issue could have originated from either their end or the supplier’s.

"I have no problem returning the product to the supplier and telling him, ‘Your product came like this,’ even if it might not have happened that way. It could have happened on our end, the supplier might have given it to us in good condition, but it often happens that we end up with spoiled items," the manager stated, revealing that the reason behind the refusal was the customer's manner of speaking, as according to him, another woman had come in and was allowed to exchange her product because she spoke politely.

When asked whether he takes the customer’s personal evaluation into account when applying the provisions of the "Consumer Protection Law," Albert replied that he was not well-acquainted with the law, but indicated that it wasn't an issue, saying my acquaintance could return it, and they would accept it back.

"There’s no problem, that person can come, and I will give them their money back," the manager said.

After this conversation, I received a call from a man named David, who introduced himself as the supermarket director.

Initially, he insisted that it was impossible for poor-quality products to be sold in their store and that they had not accepted the cheese back because they disliked the customer’s behavior.

He then stated that the customer had placed the cheese somewhere in their car, which caused it to spoil. Later, he mentioned that their internal regulations stipulated that items should be returned within an hour, not after several hours.

For more details, refer to the original source: Hetq.am