Two Shops, One Return Deadline
You read two short online notices. Notice A (a small shoe shop): 'Zwrot przyjmujemy w ciągu 14 dni od zakupu, wyłącznie z paragonem. Buty noszone nie podlegają zwrotowi.' Notice B (a large chain): 'Masz 30 dni na zwrot. Wystarczy dowód zakupu - paragon lub wyciąg z konta. Produkt musi być nieużywany i w oryginalnym opakowaniu.' You bought running shoes 20 days ago at shop A but paid by card and lost the paper receipt; the shoes were worn indoors once to check fit and the box is intact. You are considering whether notice B's rules could help you.
1. Using only the two notices, can you return the shoes to shop A today? Explain your reasoning.
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No, on two independent grounds. First, the 14-day window in Notice A has passed (you are at day 20). Second, Notice A requires a paragon (paper receipt), and you only have a card payment - Notice A does not list a bank statement as acceptable proof. Even if the deadline had not passed, the worn-once condition is ambiguous: 'buty noszone' could cover indoor trying-on, so that point is arguable but not decisive. The correct judgement is that the deadline alone settles it.
2. A friend says 'just return them to shop B, their 30-day rule is more generous.' Evaluate this advice.
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The advice confuses two separate shops. Notice B's terms apply only to purchases made at shop B; a return policy is a contract with the seller you bought from, not a general consumer right you can carry to another retailer. Shop B would have no record of your purchase. The reasoning skill tested is not reading comprehension alone but recognizing that a more favourable rule elsewhere does not transfer. A strong answer also notes that even at shop B you would need proof of purchase, which you lack in paper form.
3. What single piece of evidence would most change your position, and why?
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A dated, itemized receipt or a shop A record showing the purchase date differently - for example, if the transaction actually occurred later than you remember, the 14-day window could still be open. Alternatively, if shop A's notice were shown to be a summary of longer statutory rights, the analysis would shift. The key move is identifying which fact is load-bearing: the deadline, not the packaging or the card payment, is the binding constraint here.