Day Seven at the Returns Desk
An online retailer's returns policy is pasted on the wall of the customer-service desk where the candidate is a trainee. The Persian text reads: «۱. کالا تا ۷ روز پس از تاریخ تحویل قابل بازگشت است؛ روز تحویل، روز اول حساب می‌شود. ۲. شرط پذیرش بازگشت آن است که کالا در بسته‌بندی اصلی و بدون آسیب باشد. ۳. کالاهای حراج (با تخفیف ۳۰ درصد یا بیشتر) فقط در صورت عیب کارگاهی قابل بازگشت‌اند. ۴. برای کالاهای حراج، عیب کارگاهی باید تا ۴۸ ساعت پس از تحویل اعلام شود.» A customer calls at 10:00 on 18 Ordibehesht. Her blender, bought at 35% off, was delivered on 12 Ordibehesht at 16:00. She opened the factory seal, used the blender once, and says the smoothie tasted fine, but the box was dented and she wants a full refund because she changed her mind. She adds that she is a lawyer and that 'seven days means seven days.' The trainee has two minutes before the queue moves and a supervisor who insists the policy is applied exactly as written.
1. Decide whether the return is eligible. Name the controlling clause and check the timing yourself.
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Not eligible. Clause 3 controls. The blender was bought at 35% off, which meets «۳۰ درصد یا بیشتر», so it is a «حراج» item. For such items, return is allowed only for «عیب کارگاهی» - a manufacturing defect. The customer says she changed her mind and that the blender works; a dented box is not a manufacturing defect. Clause 2 independently fails: the factory seal is broken, so the goods are not «در بسته‌بندی اصلی».
Timing check. Clause 1 counts the delivery day as day 1: 12 Ordibehesht = day 1, 13 = 2, 14 = 3, 15 = 4, 16 = 5, 17 = 6, 18 = 7. She calls on day 7, so she is inside the seven-day window. Her statement about seven days is correct on timing but does not override clauses 2 and 3.
The practical consequence: do not argue about the date. Concede that she called within seven days, then rest the decision on the other two clauses. Mixing up the two issues makes the refusal look evasive and gives her a false point to attack.
2. She then says, 'Fine, there is a scratch on the base - I noticed it yesterday.' Does this change the answer? What exactly does clause 4 do?
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It changes the route, not the outcome. A defect claim is the only route open for «حراج» goods under clause 3, but clause 4 imposes a 48-hour notification deadline: delivery was 12 Ordibehesht at 16:00, so the deadline was 14 Ordibehesht at 16:00. She is on day 7. The claim is late under the written policy.
There is a second distinction to keep straight: «عیب کارگاهی» is a manufacturing defect, while a scratch noticed only «yesterday» could also be post-delivery damage. The policy does not require the company to treat the two as identical, and an inspection is the fair way to tell them apart.
The company may still choose a goodwill repair or replacement, but the policy does not compel a refund. The trainee should not accuse her of lying and should not promise a refund that has not been approved. The correct move is to explain the clause and offer inspection, which keeps the conversation factual.
3. Write a two-sentence Persian reply that applies the policy without blaming the customer.
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«سلام، از تماس شما سپاسگزاریم. چون این کالا با تخفیف ۳۵ درصد (حراج) خریداری شده، بر اساس بند ۳ بازگشت فقط در صورت عیب کارگاهی امکان‌پذیر است و بند ۴ اعلام عیب را تا ۴۸ ساعت پس از تحویل محدود می‌کند؛ برای بررسی عیب، لطفاً عکس محل خط‌خوردگی را به همین گفت‌وگو بفرستید.»
Why this works:
- It cites the clause rather than making a personal judgment, so the decision looks institutional, not arbitrary.
- It avoids «شما اشتباه می‌کنید», which would escalate a customer who has already identified herself as a lawyer.
- It still leaves a route: inspection of the alleged defect. That is consistent with the policy and with the legal note.
Two sentences is enough; a longer explanation would bury the decision and invite argument about the seven-day rule, which is not the weak point in the company's position.