22 replies to this topic

[levitynyc]

I run an online and retail store and while no one likes returns, this is just ridiculous. I get people who buy a 150 dollar item from me that has a full warranty for 1 year or longer. 6 months later the item needs repair and the first thing they do is to call me. I usually calmly explain that you must go through the manufacturer for warranty repair and ill offer them their phone #. Many times I get the response "Well, I bought it from you" Who gives a shit. WTF do they want me to do? Often times they want me to eat the money and just replace it for free. Why the fuck would I do that? What retailer does? I'm not going to take the loss and try to sell a used item if I send it in myself. If you buy a Samsung LCD in Best Buy and it breaks 6 months later,. are they going to take it back? NO! Don't give me the arguement "Well in the long run you'll make your money back with customer loyalty" its not true. Profit margins are so low that even if they person was a lifelong customer, I'd never make the money back.

What set me off this morning was someone who called me and said they bought an item from me in September. A part broke 4 months later and needed replacement or just a single part.. They called the manufacturer last week for a replacement part and were told the part was backordered until February 5th. They told me that this is ridiculous and wanted to return the product. I am not going to eat the 300 dollars for the cost of a product that is no longer in sellable condition. It was an elliptical machine that was fully assembled with no box. What am I a fucking charity? I understand the whole "the customer is always right" mentality, but through the years customers have taken this to the absolute extreme to a point where retailers are taken advantage of. Absolutely ridiculous and it drives me nuts.

[Cheesecake Jones]

Having spent many years in retail I can attest that customers suck! They're selfish jerks that have no consideration for you or your business. They say that "the customer's always right," but in reality we know that the customer is usually WRONG. Keep fighting the good fight!

[levitynyc]

Thanks for your support

[DogsWithJobs]

Although my retail career was very short lived I can attest for this. I worked at Canadian Tire(for those who aren't familiar it is basically a retail store that specializes in auto parts and tools, however also has sports, seasonal, and housewares departments). I worked in the hardware department then the housewares department(it included electronics.... although I did deal with the cleaning supplies as well ). Not all, but most customers were pretty stupid, and the people working the returns were pretty stupid to because we would get back some stuff that you should never take back. I mean come on, an open pack of batteries, no one in their right mind would buy that. Chances are that the person just swapped the new ones with dead ones and brought them back.

Of course batteries are not a big ticket item like you mentioned, but still no one will buy a repackaged item when there are brand new ones to be bought.

[StinkingBishop]

The problem here is Walmart. I am being serious.

You can take anything back to them and they wont put up a hassle for it. They will ask you what was wrong with it but they don't care. In November I was returning some still in the package garbage bags since i bought the wrong size. Really it was more of an exchange since I was going to buy the correct size. In the line in front of me some guy was returning a toy in a box that was ripped, and obviously played with,with no receipt. They took it since they carried it.

This is not the first time I seen this at Walmart. Or Home Depot. My wife worked at a clothing store int he past that would take stuff back no matter what. They where instructed to just take it back.

You did the right thing. And I am also on your side. Big Box stores are making to harder for the little guy, even in other industries.

[Wenny]

Which website? I want to buy something so I can call you in 9 months to have you replace it.

Seriously though, humans can be just plain ridiculous...and entitled humans are the worst.

[mik]

Often times they want me to eat the money and just replace it for free. Why the fuck would I do that? What retailer does?

Wal Mart, Target, Sam's Club, Costco, Nordstrom, Sears, ... People get used to that kind of policy and then expect that it's going to be the norm.

[levitynyc]

Which explains why my company makes money and Sears is taking it in the ass.

[Cheesecake Jones]

Wal Mart, Target, Sam's Club, Costco, Nordstrom, Sears...

Yeah, but those big retailers can write off "defective" merchandise and get reimbursed the next time they order from the manufacturer. They're taking a short-term hit in cost that they get back later. Places that don't have that option (Old Navy, The Gap) tend to be a little jerkier about their returns.

[ness08]

So glad I don't work retail anymore. Thank you for reminding me why I hated so many people in the past, but I am sometimes part of the problem. I have taken stuff back to Wal-Mart even though I knew they weren't supposed to take it back

[JDUB X]

Best Buy used to offer a real in store replacement warranty where you could return a broken system in store for both years. Recently though they changed it to a 1st Year Manufacturer and 2nd Year In store money back warranty.

No store in my knowledge currently has an actual warranty system that allows the product to be returned to the store in the first year any more.

[ness08]

No, but if your sneaky you can switch stuff like with the battery situation described above (no serial numbers though)

[levitynyc]

Another favorite of mine is people return a product that they don't like and dont want to pay for return shipping.

[ProfGasCan]

I've worked in retail for a majority of my working career. The store I work for recently adapted the policy of "take it back no matter what," but they take it to a huge extreme. Apparently, you can even return product that you no longer have in your possession. For example, someone could come in and say they bought a rib roast from us for $45 and that it was horrible. With no receipt and no roast, that person could get their money back in the form of store credit. It's the most ridiculous thing they've ever done.

Another favorite of mine is the honoring of advertisements for coupons as if they were actual coupons. That one rendered me speechless.

[mrplaid]

Seeing as how you run an online store, can you explain the concept of restocking fees to me? I once ordered some equipment from a smaller outfit for my old job, but what we ended up with didn't work with our existing equipment. The company wanted us to pay a pretty hefty restocking fee, but my boss basically said "F that" and never paid them.

[levitynyc]

Restocking fees are fees for repacking and shipping. In actuality they are fees because I already accounted for the sale in my accounting and I dont like losing money.

[Wenny]

Restocking fees also discourage friends of mine from charging up 3-4 LCD TVs, using them for the weekend LAN party, and then returning them.

[KinectFan]

I run an online and retail store and while no one likes returns, this is just ridiculous. I get people who buy a 150 dollar item from me that has a full warranty for 1 year or longer. 6 months later the item needs repair and the first thing they do is to call me. I usually calmly explain that you must go through the manufacturer for warranty repair and ill offer them their phone #. Many times I get the response "Well, I bought it from you" Who gives a shit. WTF do they want me to do? Often times they want me to eat the money and just replace it for free. Why the fuck would I do that? What retailer does? I'm not going to take the loss and try to sell a used item if I send it in myself. If you buy a Samsung LCD in Best Buy and it breaks 6 months later,. are they going to take it back? NO! Don't give me the arguement "Well in the long run you'll make your money back with customer loyalty" its not true. Profit margins are so low that even if they person was a lifelong customer, I'd never make the money back.

What set me off this morning was someone who called me and said they bought an item from me in September. A part broke 4 months later and needed replacement or just a single part.. They called the manufacturer last week for a replacement part and were told the part was backordered until February 5th. They told me that this is ridiculous and wanted to return the product. I am not going to eat the 300 dollars for the cost of a product that is no longer in sellable condition. It was an elliptical machine that was fully assembled with no box. What am I a fucking charity? I understand the whole "the customer is always right" mentality, but through the years customers have taken this to the absolute extreme to a point where retailers are taken advantage of. Absolutely ridiculous and it drives me nuts.

I can definitely relate to this type of stuff in a general way. I don't work retail anymore, but I did for many years. Sometimes customers just take that "customers always right" mentality waaaay too far. Sounds like you're being fair about it.

[I AM JOHN!]

I think it was Clerks that had the prophetic line: "the customer is always an asshole."

[mik]

Mallrats. But close.

[Channel Ocho]

I worked a phone survey job, and we did them for GM. Some of the stuff people were mad about was ridiculous. Expecting to get repairs paid for when being like 20,000 miles out of warranty.

[levitynyc]

my brother in law worked for Pep Boys and someone wanted them to honor a tire warranty when there was clearly a nail sticking in it.

[Channel Ocho]

What an idiot.