Retailers crack down on serial returns (Short-term 'owners' costing firms billions)

Boston Globe ^ | 2-18-2008 | Jenn Abelson

[monkeyshine]

I dunno because I don’t buy a lot of electronics and I don’t shop at best buy, but Costco had a 90 day no questions asked policy on big screen TVs.

I admit to kind of taking advantage of that. I didn’t intentionally “rent” the TV like the guy in the story, but I did buy the TV to see if it would work for my needs. I took it to a trade show. Turned out it wasn’t loud enough (though I could’ve added external amplification) and it wasn’t bright enough/contrast enough to work in that environment. So I returned it. Indeed it was the 90 day policy that made me buy it in the first place because I did figure that it might not work for my needs. It did make the booth look snazzy, but it just didn’t work as I had hoped. So I returned it.

I hope that doesn’t make me a criminal.

[pnh102]

However, it ignores the point as this greatly inconveniences normal, legitimate customers.

Normal customers usually return defective items, or if it is an article of clothing, they may exchange it for a different size, or maybe even have a case of buyer's remorse every now and then. These kinds of customers are not the "serial returners" to which this article refers.

Most stores have no problem accommodating good customers which make sensible use of return policies. However, all retailers should guard against people who abuse these policies.

[pnh102]

But again, my words do not absolve the serial returner of any sort of responsibility. A serial returner cannot return items to a retailer that specifically crafts a return policy to prevent such abuse.

[monkeyshine]

People who do it to “stick it to the man” are crude. Funny thing is that, same way we can lease cars and other big ticket items, I’m surprised there isn’t a burgeoning market for rental of these kinds of things.

In my case above, the cost to rent a TV for the 3 days was almost as much as the TV’s retail price. I was going to just bring my 36 inch TV (weighs 120 lbs at least) but instead “tried before I bought” because the store’s policies encouraged that I do that. And if the TV truly did have good contrast for the venue (a conventional center) I would have kept it and used it again and again. But it didn’t, so I didn’t. LCD TV didn’t work, next time I’ll try Plasma - so long as it has the same return policy. No other way to find out unless I actually tried it in the place I intend to use it.

But if there was a reasonable market to rent or lease TV’s, projectors, laptops, portable DVD players etc I bet it would curtail this problem. I bet a lot of people would happily rent them for reasonable prices.

[Skywalk]

There’s a reason businesses want RFID chips and information on their customers.

Some of the most ‘respectable’ people are actually scumbags or have been brainwashed to feel entitled to ‘rig’ the system in their favor.

[fatima]

You have to go to confession my freeper.

[Yaelle]

I shop for things for my sons, and sometimes they don’t like them or they don’t fit, so I bring them back. But never would I allow them to wear them out first.

[giotto]

I thought you were implying that Best Buy passed the loss onto all its customers, rather than the one who returns something. But by "legitimate" I guess you meant the customers who return something in good faith, as opposed to the scam artists who wear something and then return it.
In reality, of course, the restocking fee doesn't even begin to cover the loss. Most clothing stores, as I understand it, do not resell returned items. They're liquidated for pennies on the dollar, bought by the truckload and resold as new on eBay.

[Tammy8]

Yes but some Electronics stores have a policy of charging a restocking fee no matter why you return the item. My brother bought a rather pricy computer at one of the chains a few years back and he had serious issues with it that could not be solved by product support people and they finally told him to return it to the store- then the store insisted on charging a restocking fee. He refused to pay- he pitched such a fit on their floor that other customers took notice of what was going on and they finally relented. His point was why a restocking fee for a clearly defective item- surely they did not intend to “restock” it on the shelf- we hope.

[Skywalk]

I just saw a Judge Judy clip on YouTube where a woman had gotten a PlayStation 3 from Rent-a-Center and because it went missing (she alleged her ex took it) she still had payments left and the TOTAL cost of the PS3, a 4-5 hundred dollar machine would be 2400 BUCKS!!!

I think that’s why I can’t see spending money to ‘rent’ something like that. I mean, these days, if I rent a house or even a car, the payments actually are similar or LESS than buying. Renting a TV or PS3 should not equal 2400 bucks to ‘own’ it. Ridiculous.

But then I looked at CORT furniture for a few potential residents when I worked in property management and I was ASTOUNDED at just how expensive it was. I didn’t see how anyone other than a very wealthy person or someone with a corporate account could swing it for more than a month or two. Sure, some of it was nice, I guess but there just seemed no sense in your average person renting it when they could buy admittedly inferior furniture for thousands less and keep it for as long as they desired.

[monkeyshine]

I am publicly confessing :-)

Though I don’t think I’m in the same class as the serial returners. I truly wanted it to work well but it just didn’t work for my needs in the convention center.

You can see I feel guilty... I still anguish over it.

[Tammy8]

I see such things as pure theft also; to me it is no different than shoplifting. I had a sister-in-law that would do this with expensive dresses for special occasions. She was not my sister-in-law for long thank goodness because she was also dishonest in most of her dealings with people. My brother had no idea she did this sort of thing- but soon enough that came to light with many other things she did that were just as bad and worse.

[fatima]

You are forgiven-as usual-Heehee

[dennisw]

bttt

[abigailsmybaby]

I saw a woman return a child’s toy to Wal-Mart. It was one of those thingies that the youngin’ sits in and bounces, has several different toys attached that make noise. That toy was filthy. It had food and what looked like Kool-Aid dried all over it. The wheels looked like there was a little dirt and grass stuck in them.

The employee didn’t question her once about the condition of it.

[cherry]

I find it hard that people can live with themselves after pulling this crap.....whatever happened to character?

[Tammy8]

I am the same way- I rarely return anything, unless it is clearly defective. I have never understood people who return for little or no reason, it even drives me crazy to see the long lines of returns after Christmas- I never return/exchange Christmas presents unless it is for the same item in the correct size or something like that.

[Titan Magroyne]

Oh too true. By now I’ve learned the hard way not to buy an opened box. That’s buying trouble, and I especially don’t appreciate the hassle if it’s plumbing. Seems like ya have to keep going back for something, or as you say, buy the extra and return what you don’t end up needing.

[modican]

The economy drives people into this behavior

If the Going gets tough, the tough get going; ala I-Pod Generation::
Mom runs out of money and can't buy it anymore, so they go and "borrow" it from Bestbuy,
I hope the next step is not stealing it, from thy Neighbour.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

I’ve never taken anything back that I’ve bought and used unless it was defective but I have bought things that I ended up not up using and took them back within the grace period for a refund.