jakncoke
04-29-2009, 01:28 PM
Click here to join a discussion with Tampa Bay parents about the incident.
Lake Wales, Florida - Jodi Wykle of Lake Wales thought it would be funny to play a prank on her son for his 16th birthday.
She bought him Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS, even though he didn't have one. She let him sweat for awhile, but eventually handed over the newly purchased handheld game system, or so they thought.
"When he opened it, he was like, 'A box of rocks?'" she said under her breath, "He said, 'Mom, that ain't a joke.'"
The prank wasn't supposed to go that far. She fully intended to give him a real Nintendo DS game system and thought that's what she was buying from the Lake Wales Wal-Mart. She told 10 Connects there was nothing about the box that made her think twice.
"When he opened it, he was pulling the seal off, my sister-in-law carries a pocket knife and she opened it and that's when he pulled it out and it was Chinese newspaper and a bunch of rocks," she explained.
She contacted 10 Connects after she says the Wal-Mart store refused to giver her a refund. She says the store told her the item had never been returned and she needed to take the issue to Nintendo.
"They don't want to do nothing. They want me to keep the box of rocks. I'm not buying a box of rocks for $138," she said.
Since it was her son's birthday, she wanted to make sure he had something, so she bought a second Nintendo DS.
"I made them open it while I was there to make sure there was a DS in it," she told us.
Wykle says she called Nintendo when she got home, but it turns out, the box of rocks wasn't Nintendo's problem.
We contacted Wal-Mart's national reps and on a second check, the chain discovered the item Wykle purchased had been returned before. She was given a refund for the "box of rocks" and a $20 gift card for her trouble.
Now she wants to warn others, know what you're buying before taking it home.
"Have them open it before you take it out of the store and make sure you're getting the merchandise," she said.
Consumer advocacy groups agree. They advise consumers to check an item to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. If you are still concerned and know you will make the purchase, consumer advocates say you shouldn't hesitate to ask the store to open it to make sure you're getting what you paid for.
Wal-Mart emailed this statement to 10 Connects:
"Customer service is something we're passionate about at Wal-Mart. Our store looked into the situation. We are working with the customer directly to refund her money to ensure that she is satisfied with her experience at Wal-Mart."
I can't believe she had to go to 10 connects to get Wal-Mart to do anything
Lake Wales, Florida - Jodi Wykle of Lake Wales thought it would be funny to play a prank on her son for his 16th birthday.
She bought him Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS, even though he didn't have one. She let him sweat for awhile, but eventually handed over the newly purchased handheld game system, or so they thought.
"When he opened it, he was like, 'A box of rocks?'" she said under her breath, "He said, 'Mom, that ain't a joke.'"
The prank wasn't supposed to go that far. She fully intended to give him a real Nintendo DS game system and thought that's what she was buying from the Lake Wales Wal-Mart. She told 10 Connects there was nothing about the box that made her think twice.
"When he opened it, he was pulling the seal off, my sister-in-law carries a pocket knife and she opened it and that's when he pulled it out and it was Chinese newspaper and a bunch of rocks," she explained.
She contacted 10 Connects after she says the Wal-Mart store refused to giver her a refund. She says the store told her the item had never been returned and she needed to take the issue to Nintendo.
"They don't want to do nothing. They want me to keep the box of rocks. I'm not buying a box of rocks for $138," she said.
Since it was her son's birthday, she wanted to make sure he had something, so she bought a second Nintendo DS.
"I made them open it while I was there to make sure there was a DS in it," she told us.
Wykle says she called Nintendo when she got home, but it turns out, the box of rocks wasn't Nintendo's problem.
We contacted Wal-Mart's national reps and on a second check, the chain discovered the item Wykle purchased had been returned before. She was given a refund for the "box of rocks" and a $20 gift card for her trouble.
Now she wants to warn others, know what you're buying before taking it home.
"Have them open it before you take it out of the store and make sure you're getting the merchandise," she said.
Consumer advocacy groups agree. They advise consumers to check an item to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. If you are still concerned and know you will make the purchase, consumer advocates say you shouldn't hesitate to ask the store to open it to make sure you're getting what you paid for.
Wal-Mart emailed this statement to 10 Connects:
"Customer service is something we're passionate about at Wal-Mart. Our store looked into the situation. We are working with the customer directly to refund her money to ensure that she is satisfied with her experience at Wal-Mart."
I can't believe she had to go to 10 connects to get Wal-Mart to do anything