Letter to Argos Customer Service Dear Sir/Madam, I am wondering if you can help me. The day before yesterday I purchased a rucksack from one of your stores. I asked if I could see it properly and the lady said no because it's in a bag. I pointed out to the staff that whilst I could see the height of the pack that I couldn't see how far back the rucksack opened because it was flat packed and when I received no response I said "well hopefully it should open out enough", as I assumed would need to check myself when I arrived home. I wasn't concerned because I knew Argos have a 30 day returns policy and have used Argos lots of times before and have on occasion had to return items. In order to examine the rucksack fully, I had to remove it from the bag, but it was sealed in such a way as not to be able to remove the sellotape without in some way damaging the bag .Having checked then the rucksack and seen that it was not as I had hoped, I went back to the store and explained what had happened. I was then told that because the bag was damaged that I would not be refunded. The manager suggested that had I cut the bottom of the bag then the item would have been re-saleable, but even in this instance, the bag could not have been resealed because the item was already tightly packaged and would have required the rucksack folded over inside the bag to reseal it. So I couldn't win either way. Please can you help. Regards *********** The response I received was, that it was not possible to overturn the decision of the store. Word if warning, if you are uncertain of a product and cannot be certain of not damaging the packaging then think twice. Argos returns policy states that ... "In line with our returns policy, your item(s) needs to be: • Unused and with all parts • In its original packaging (with the tags if applicable) • In a re-saleable condition" Note here that whilst initially Argos make a distinction between the 'item' and the 'packaging' as being two separate things, when reselling the packaging becomes part of the item. This is not immediately clear. Also, since it is was not possible to examine the item fully without removing it from the packaging and, since the item is packaged in such a way as to make it Impossible to remove the item without damaging the packaging, and since the customer here is the only party liable to be adversely affected in this situation, I feel that the customer should, in all fairness, be made aware verbally, upon purchase, that the item and the packaging are, in this instance, for the purposes of resale, to be regarded as one and the same thing and advised when packaging is designed in such a way that opening it is likely to compromise or prevent it's reuse. Furthermore I was also advised by customer services, having explained the situation, that it was perfectly acceptable to return the item for a refund. Fortunately I was close to the store, someone who makes a longer journey may well have a considerably more unfortunate outcome than I did.