Refund.

LEFT- Honest Ed's, located in Bathurst and Bloor in Toronto, Canada is a tourist attraction for its bargain and souvernir selection and photograph display of celebrities together with the store's owner Ed Mirvish. Honest Ed's, a pioneer in Canadian wholesale hands out free turkey to the public on Canadian Thanksgiving.

Yesterday, we returned a malfunctioning air cooler to a big supermarket which is part of a giant corporate conglomerate.

At the Customer Service, I showed the receipt and was asked the reason for the return. "It doesn't seem to cool the surrounding," I replied. "It's not supposed to cool but to lower the surrounding temperature," the department salesperson told me.

" I just want to return this unit," I said. "Sure," was the reply I got.

After inspecting the box, the clerk asked for the remote control, which I forgot to put inside the box. He advised me that he cannot accept the return unless the merchandise is a complete box. I suggested that the store deduct a certain amount in lieu of the remote control, and the money returned to me once I turn in the remote.

As it turned out, there was another piece missing : a plastic tube which passes through the screen-like cloth and which makes the cloth-contraption turn and churn the water - the process which lowers the room temperature.

I told the clerk I didn't find any such tube. Bingo! That's why the Unit was useless.

They ended up accepting the return but still with the deposit for the remote control. But later we found out that the store does not have a return, only an exchange policy. It was fine in this case because we really wanted to purchase two electric fans and more.

But imagine if you were returning a product which you discovered was not matching your house, or a misfit or you simply did not like?

In Canada, you can return a purchase, no questions asked as long as you have the receipt and the original merchandise is in its original working condition or look. You can even return it to any branch of the store, locally or if you moved to the U.S., to a U.S. chain, or vice versa, a Canada-chain.

I remember buying a telephone at Sears's U.S. and later, returning it to a Sears's in Canada. Last April, I had pictures developed in Cosco in San Jose, California and some were misprinted. As we were leaving for Seattle the following day, my sister told me to go to Cosco in Seattle to have the prints re-done; apparently Cosco allows this state-to-state return and exchange, too.

Walmart is another chain store which has a very liberal return policy. That's why even with the so-called cheap labour accusations hurled at them, I still shop Walmart.