What steps did you take to obtain HMV's return policy before purchase?
I always inquire as to the return policy of any retailer before making a purchase. There are some retailers in my area with no return policy, as in "all sales final." In fact, when the owner of one of these retailers told me of this policy he -- unbelievably to me -- actually said that in his experience any record returned by a customer had actually been damaged by the customer, i.e., there is no such thing as a defective record from the manufacturer. Now, I know that "we" all know that this is "hogwash." But, because I understand this retailer's policy, if I make any purchases from them, they are minor in terms of dollar amounts.
OTOH. I also patronize another retailer that offers "100% satisfaction guaranteed." They get the bulk of my purchases. In fact, I just placed an order with them today.