How we verify store policies
Store policies are full of exceptions, and small details – a 14-day window instead of 30, a gift card instead of cash – matter. This is the process every guide goes through before it is published.
Last updated: November 2, 2026
1. Official sources first
We base guides on the retailer's own published material: return-policy pages, help-center articles and official terms. We do not use forums, social media posts, or other policy websites as sources for facts. If we cannot find an official source for a rule, we leave it out.
2. A dated copy of the source text
When we research a policy, we save the text of the official page along with the date we captured it. That copy lets us show exactly what the retailer said on that date and detect later changes.
3. Every specific rule is quoted
Deadlines, fees, exceptions and refund methods in a guide are each matched to the retailer's exact wording. Automated checks confirm that every quote really appears in the saved source text, that every number in a guide sits next to a marker for a source that contains it, and that each key fact matches its quote. Numbered markers like [1] link each statement to its source.
4. How guides are written and published
Every guide is researched on the retailer's own pages and written in plain English around the rules we found there. It is published only after it passes the checks in step 3: a guide with a quote that isn't in the saved text, or a number its source doesn't contain, stays unpublished. A script can compare quotes and numbers but not meaning, so each statement is also read against the quoted wording before publishing, and we correct a guide whenever a later check or a reader report shows it says more than the retailer does. To keep guides current, we go back to the official pages, save a fresh copy and update the guide when a rule has changed. Reader reports are checked the same way, against the retailer's current pages.
5. Dates you can see
Each guide shows when it was last verified and when it is next due for review. We also re-check the saved sources for changes and update guides when a retailer changes its policy.
6. Independence
ReturnClerk is independent and is not affiliated with any retailer we cover. Retailers do not pay for coverage or review guides before publication. If the site shows advertising, advertisers have no influence on what we write.
7. Corrections
If you notice that a policy has changed or something is wrong, please contact us. Reports are checked against the retailer's current official pages; if the rule changed, the guide and its verification date are updated.