Some helpful reminders if you're making exchanges or returns after Christmas
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With Christmas ending, you may be assessing your holiday gifts, looking at what you'll keep and what you'll return or exchange.
The Better Business Bureau this Christmas Day night had a few helpful tips for CBS 2's Marybel González make the process easier and less stressful.
"Consumers assume that refunds and exchanges is a right," said BBB of Chicago President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Bernas. "It's really just a privilege."
Bernas said his office gets hundreds of calls from people starting on Dec. 26.
"We hear from consumers who are not able to return items as they thought they could," he said.
Around 20 percent of gifts will be returned or exchanged, according to the National Retail Federation. But there are a few things to keep in mind.
Every store has its own return policy, so Bernas says you should make sure before heading to a store in in person that you check with them online.
"Sometimes consumers buy things on sale - like a clearance sale or a liquidation sale - which means all sales are final, and there is no refunds or exchanges," said Bernas.
You may also only have a certain window of time to make the transaction.
"It might be three days, it might be three weeks," said Bernas.
If an item went on sale after you received it, you may only get that amount back. For some online returns, you may have to pay a shipping fee. And for many stores, the condition of the item is important.
"Hopefully, you didn't tear it open - because they want the product in the same condition that you received it in," said Bernas.
Remember further to keep the receipts, and be prepared to show your ID when making a return.
"They build a database of who is returning so they don't have any type of abuse," said Bernas.