Fremont man says Walmart tricked him by selling used tablet; company refutes his claim

FREMONT, Calif. (KTVU) - Buyers beware: That's the message from Doug Ewing of Fremont, who said he didn't get what he paid for when he bought a tablet from a Walmart in Fremont. 

Ewing made the purchase Friday at the store on Osgood Road.

"When I opened the box, this is what I ended up with," said the 70-year-old as he held an 8-inch tablet, which shows signs of use. "There wasn't a battery charger. There wasn't a warranty." 

Ewing said he thought he had bought a brand new 10-inch Lenovo tablet. It was intended for his 5-year-old great-grandson, who is autistic. 

The former U.S. Marine said the box was vacuum-wrapped when he bought it.  He said he went back to the store a few hours later to get a refund on his credit card, but managers at Walmart refused to accept the return. 

A company spokesman told KTVU the older, used tablet that Ewing tried to return is not in Walmart's inventory. Walmart wrote in an email to KTVU: "After reviewing surveillance footage, we determined that the item the customer attempted to return was not the same item the customer purchased." 

When KTVU asked Ewing if he had switched the item, he answered: "No. Look at my computer over there.  It's a dial-up.  I don't do computers." 

Ewing said a sales clerk pulled the tablet out of a locked case and walked to a nearby register in the electronics department to ring up the purchase for him. Ewing said it came as a shock when he opened up the box to find a used tablet.  

He added: "They embarrassed me by making it look like I was the one who put that crap in the box that I thought was a 10-inch tablet." 

He said he hopes others can learn from his experience. 

"I don't want other people screwed over," he said. "I want to bring it to the public's attention.  If you go to that Osgood store, check all your electronics before you leave that store."