Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

It’s that time of year where I return items purchased for Christmas that didn’t make the grade. There’s the shirt from Joseph A, Banks and the three joggers from Macy’s. I was very pleased with how the former handled a refund, less so with the latter.

Joseph A. Banks wasted no time in crediting my charge card. Case closed. But Macy’s doesn’t credit your card; instead it gives you a credit for a purchase that is the amount of the items you returned. Actually, I don’t want to purchase other items from Macy’s based on the experience I had. I want a refund.

But today I received in the mail the credit card loaded for the amount of the items I returned. I’d planned to go to my closest Macy’s and purchase something under the amount involved and then ask for the remainder in cash. But the fine print on the credit card says it’s only good for merchandise.

We’ll see.

But, if I can’t redeem the card for cash, you can be sure I’ll never shop at Macy’s again. And I’ll let the company know. In fact, this blog is the first salvo.