Now, the big retail places are gonna track returns, and blacklist repeat-returners. How long before this gets to lowes and HD? And then they might share the data between them!!! Shazbot!
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I agree with the blacklisting policy whole-heartedly, and I'll give a few examples to show why it should be instituted.
- When I was in college, I worked in a Software Etc store. The same kid used to come in at least once a week, buy a piece of software, and within a day or two return it as "defective". Of course, in those days, all you needed was a magnet to make a floppy disk "defective". The kid was taking the software home, installing it, and then returning it- free software. Nowadays, the defective merchandise policies give replacements rather than credit, which avoids this, but some of the "no hassle" places need some recourse.
- My ex-mother-in-law went shopping EVERY Saturday. She'd buy a dozen outfits, take them all home, and decide later that she didn't like some of them, they didn't fit, etc. The next Saturday, her trip to the store started at the return counter, where the clerks had to process the returns, re-do credit card transactions, re-stock the merchandise, etc. There's a cost associated with all that, which the MIL was obviously oblivious to. Maybe if she spent a little more time making selections, or tried things on at the store, the returns wouldn't be necessary. A blacklist would make her more receptive to doing so.
- The ex MIL's sister had a habit of doing exactly what the article mentioned. She'd buy an expensive dress, pin the price tag up in the sleeve, and wear it to an affair. She'd then return it for full credit, essentially getting a "free rental". As a hilarious side note, her aunt tried that once with a girdle. When she brought it back, the clerk at the counter sniffed the girdle, told her "I'm sorry- this has been worn" and denied the return. Can you imagine how red she turned when the line of people behind her heard that?
Like any policy, the return ploicy is going to get abused. The cost of this abuse gets passed on to all the customers, so we're paying for someone else's inefficiencies, etc. Think about it- do you haphazardly order materials when you know there's a 15-20% restocking fee at a supplier? Why do it where there's no fee then?
Bob
I'm with you! The abuses are rampant. The world's full of cheats.
Used to develop and sell software. About 10% is returned by industry average. Wonder what it'd be without the cheats?
Example. Got a batch of returns from our biggest distributor one day. They accidentally left the sales receipt for one in the box. Some clown had bought 8 products and returned ALL of them! Now, why do I suspect that guy of cheating, aside from the obvious behavior of returning everything? Well, be/c he had already submitted his product registration card to us and received a free upgrade!!! So he was obviously using the product. No different than shoplifting. Scum.
There is another side. I make a certain percentage of returns on many things I buy. If there is any doubt about whether I have enough of an item, such as tubes of caulk, I get the extra one and return it if not needed at the end of the job. Without this capability, I would have to make many extra trips to get small items in the middle of a job. I do not abuse the policy and feel that my method is legitimate, even encouraged by sales people. For example, "Why don't you take them both, use the one that fits, and bring the other one back." This is a reasonable situation.
Yes, folks do abuse the system. They will find ways to continue to do that.
Sorry to hear about people like your ex-MIL. We all know some of them; and they are sometimes the nicest churchgoing honest loving people and sometimes they are just trash.Les Barrett Quality Construction
Les-
If we're talking about a "tube of caulk", etc- small stuff- what's the point of even returning it? Is it worth spending 15 minutes (minimum) in line to get $2.95 back? My time's worth much more than that. Why not just build an extra tube of caulk into the price of the job? It's cheaper than including the 15 minutes at your hourly rate (you are including that, aren't you?).
Now, if salespeople are "encouraging" returns, then that particular company has no place instituting a policy like we're discussing. In fact, companies that do institute such a policy need to make sure their employees are specifically instructed NOT to encourage this activity.
I have no problem with returns when they're legit. It's when the get rampant (as in my MIL), or result from a lack of proper planning (or being too lazy to properly estimate) that they get to me.
Bob
Bob, I'm in the same boat with Les in that I often purchase extra items and return the surplus. I don't have time to make extra trips for a $.39 fitting, and neither do I have a warehouse to keep a supply of all this extra stuff. So it just makes sense to buy extra and return what I don't use.
And as far as it costing me time to return stuff... that isn't really true. I just stick the stuff in the truck and the next time I run by the store to pick something up, I drop off my returns. Typically for every $1 they give me back, they'll probably get another $5-10 worth of purchases. The easier they make the returns, the faster I can get to buying more stuff and the happier I am to do so.
If you're going to blacklist someone from returning an item, then you'll have to blacklist them from purchasing items as well. I think a little common sense could go a long way. Surely there are better ways of dealing with the abusers.
jt8
There are times where there is no choice but to buy two, knowing you're gonna return one unused. Had to replace a window in a 150 yo farm house. Although I had a good idea on the size of the RO, I've pulled too many and been surprised to take a chance on it. I bought 2 sizes of Andersens, and it's a good thing, the second one was a last minute, buy it in case I'm wrong type of thing, and I had to use it. Returned the other to the yard, no problem.
I love and use the return policy, saving returns for when I make supply runs, but I don't abuse it, and I always (most) have the receipt. I guess it's a matter of integrity, and there appears to be a number of people that are sadly lacking this characteristic. Sad commentary on modern America.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
I spend a lot of money at my local HD. I return about 10%. It takes me about two to five minutes in line. I try to combine my return trip with a buying trip or with some other itinerary that puts me in the vicinity of HD, since it is 30 min from my house.
This is a relationship that is good for HD and for me. I also work with local lumberyards, which are not nearly as easy to work with. I think small businesses have abused their mini-monopoly for decades throughout the country, eventually leading to the opening for WalMart, and other big box stores and various chains. Gouging was the norm, although they did play favoritism. Having a HD in the neighborhood has evened the playing field. And I am glad to have a Lowe's nearby too.Les Barrett Quality Construction
My wife works retail and the stories that she tells of returns, you could write a book.
All this is costing the consumer plenty, that and shoplifting. Personally I think they are the same thing.
Where does everybody think all of those Dewalt tools that are "reconditioned" come from. Free weekend rental, buy the tool on Fri, and return it on Monday. Use it for the weekend and take it back. The store cant sell it as new.
"Free weekend rental, buy the tool on Fri, and return it on Monday. Use it for the weekend and take it back."
I did almost exactly that with a $200 DeWalt cordless saw. I didn't consider it abuse because there was a giant sign hanging above it, exuberantly proclaiming that I could return any DeWalt tool within 30 days for a full refund. I took them at their word.
It was anything but defective -- in fact I was so impressed I decided to take it back and get one of the 5-tool cordless kits. Before returning it, I cleaned it up as best I could, not because I thought it would fool anyone, but because it seemed like the polite thing to do.
They didn't want to take it back, called it "free rental" just as you say, and started making noises about how they didn't have to accept it because I didn't have the cardboard. But I pointed to the giant sign, and they swallowed and took it, and I still shop there.
If this is bad for DeWalt and/or HD, they will learn their lesson and move on to the next marketing experiment.
I think a restock fee is a very reasonable and fair approach.
>I think a restock fee is a very reasonable and fair approach.
Me, too. That would have stopped most of the problems, I think (looking at this from mfg side).
>If this is bad for DeWalt and/or HD, they will learn their lesson and move on to the next marketing experiment.
Mfg is caught be/t a rock and a hard place. The return policy is set by the distributor, and it doesn't matter to them, be/c they return it for full price regardless of circumstance. Mfg wants the large market, but is stuck with retailer's policy. If mfg sets tougher return policy or restock fee, retailer won't carry them any more.
"I did almost exactly that with a $200 DeWalt cordless saw. I didn't consider it abuse because there was a giant sign hanging above it, exuberantly proclaiming that I could return any DeWalt tool within 30 days for a full refund. I took them at their word."
Some interpret the 30day return with full refund...to be for the IMPLIED circumstance that there was something wrong with the item purchased. Seems the only thing wrong with what you bought (the $200 cordless DW) was that it wasn't part of a 5pack special; and once you took it for a free weekend ride and decided to purchase it and more tools too, you wanted the economic benefit of returning the lone item so you could purchase the 5pack.
While your literal interpretation of the sign was "accurate", it still strikes me that you took advantage of the policy in more ways than one.
Gelato...I'm fairly certain that DeWalt will gladly make that deal every time. All competent businesses factor in the return policy loss. They make that promise at their own risk. There is no such thing as abusing a policy like that.
DeWalt is in a competitive business. If they choose to change their policy, they risk losing new customers to other companies that have more favorable return policies.
I've returned one power tool in 30 years. Most won't ever return even one. I wouldn't be losing any sleep for DeWalt.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Don't get me wrong. I won't lose any sleep for DeWalt either.
Just heard quite a few stories of late about returns and some seem to border on abuse. E.G. neighbor wants to take down problematic wallpaper. Goes and buys steemer at box store. Uses it for the weekend, politely cleans it up. Returns it on Monday - kind of thing.
There's more (aint't there always?). Just not sure if our generation is as ethical as prior ones is all.
"Some interpret the 30day return with full refund...to be for the IMPLIED circumstance that there was something wrong with the item purchased."
On this giant sign, there was no fine print, no asterisk, no "some restrictions apply", no "if defective"...you're saying that I should assume the policy was more restrictive than the sign said, but why not assume that the company's ultraprofessional marketing staff said exactly what they meant, and wanted to take a little risk to get a little business? As far as I could tell, DeWalt (or HD) was just running a promotion. They made an offer, I took it. My impression of their company and tools is up as a result.
The below link will get you the DeWalt Warranty and exclusions. Note there is link to purchases before Jan 04. (30 day versus 90 day)
http://support.dewalt.com/cgi-bin/dewalt.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=742
I feel that buying a tool, liking the way it works and taking it back to buy it in a bigger package deal is not wrong. How it gets treated upon return might be wrong. For example the retailer cleans it up retapes the box and sells it as new, bad deal. Retailer sends it back to manufacturer where it goes through the "factory refurbished" program, OK. Same if retailer sells it as used/open box hopefully at fair reduced price.
Buying it using it for the weekend and taking it back is just wrong. Trying it and finding out it does not meet your needs or live up to your expectations is fine.
Most everything I have read points to people taking serious advantage to down right fraudulent manipulation of return policies. I have seen people complain because they cannot get a cash refund when they do not have a receipt.
I looked into becoming a vendor to Wal-mart once. You as vendor eat their "liberal return policy".
I do not think we who routinely return the small amount of overages/safety stock back after a job are going to suffer. I think it is a deterrent to the crooks. It is not uncommon to shoplift something, take it back for refund. Also common to pick up receipts in parking lot. find item in store and get refund. We all pay for this in the long run.
I make a value judgement every time I am buying materials for a job, buy enough to not have to make a second trip (30 min) and throw leftovers in stock if small $. I do almost all time and materials and try to be fair and reasonable. What little I have left over from job B gets used on Job C and on and on. I explain this to the customer. If it is a significant amount worth the time to return or I do not have space then I return it and do not bill it.
50109.33 in reply to 50109.30
(a) "I feel that buying a tool, liking the way it works and taking it back to buy it in a bigger package deal is not wrong. "
(b) "Buying it using it for the weekend and taking it back is just wrong."
What's the difference between (a) and (b) above?
Some might say: a rationalization.
Intentionally buying it to use it over the weekend to return it is a lot different from the other case. I think most would see the difference. One is an intent to defraud and the other is product acceptance but an increased sale I am basing this on the DeWalt program or any other satisfaction guaranteed program, not just any item return.
gelato
I used to know this woman, she had a saying, "you can rationalize anything" she was so right.
If you dont see the diff between a and b than I would say that her saying fits you.
"...the other is product acceptance but an increased sale"
What "product acceptance"? The item was returned. Period.
In sum total there was an increased sale, true. But only after taking one component out for a weekend test drive, and subsequent return, first.
Differing opinions are fine.
The end result is a larger sale, yes.
But in the end, the manufacturer takes it in the shorts for the total value and upcharges for the return of the original saw.
I can't see that the "profit" on the bigger package is going to be much more than what they are paying for that returned saw...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Careful. Might sound like you're agreeing wtih me.
The three perspectives are consumer, retailer, and manufacturer. Each of the three view the transaction differently. I don't imagine that's the preferred sales model of the manufacturer, nor an especially profitable one.
Exactly.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Well, we pretty much seemed like we've established the retail buyer's ethical standards. Now...let's talk about the manufacturer's ethics.
Is it ethical to offer an unconditional money back guarantee, thats conditional?
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Do your ethics depend on other people's ethics ?
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
No Luka...I have my own low standards. I'm just failing to see how using the unconditional guarantee is unethical. When they put it out there...it's not forced. They understand that some of the product will come back. When the comeback's exceed their profitablity factor, they'll amend it. It is a calculated risk...one that is fully and freely entered into.
Your trying to make someone feel guilty about taking up a large corporation on a free trial run guarantee. Are you gonna now force everyone that test drives a new car to buy that too?
Those saws that comeback are probably sold for a profit. I highly doubt that they send them to the shredder if they are good. The key is for the store and manufacturer to properly test and label them....does "reconditioned" ring a bell?
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Yes Blue, I think everyone who test drives a car should buy it !!!
;)
Apples and oranges.
And you are attributing motives to me, that I do not have...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Blue
I don't have such a problem with that scenario.
What I have a problem with is the person that buys a tool, or anything for that matter with the intention to use it "rent free". Then return it for a full refund. Tantamount to shop lifting. And we all pay for that.
Intention is a hard thing to establish.
Doug
I would agree that if someone walks in and intends to use a tool, knowing full well that he also intends to return it...I would call that wrong.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
That is what I was trying to get across!
Sears used to sell tuxedos and kids would buy them for the prom and then return them.
Since they were used, Sears couldn't sell them so they donated them to charity. Bums got them and realized that they had a Sears label on them and took them back for a refund.
Sears caught on to this scam and now grinds the returned items into shreds.
Now the bums are no longer dressed in tuxedos.
~Peter
Martha Stewart would like to exchange her black and white striped tuxedo and chain and ball to Sears for a refund.
Well, then, instead of the blacklisting why don't the stores just institute the 're-stocking' fee and allow a manager to waive it in cases where he deems it productive?
"I will never surrender or retreat. " Col. Wm. B. Travis, The Alamo, Feb. 1835
This is what my local supplier does. Consumer returns have an automatic restock fee that may be waived by management in some cases. Returns on contractor accounts almost never have restock fee applied - unless management feel there is abuse going on. Seems to work OK, but then I'm not the management either...
WallyLignum est bonum.
I have a cousin that used to work at HD. Return stories of ballzy people.
Those that buy a lawn mower in April on the "buy now pay nothing for 6 or 12 months". Then return it, full of grass in October. Every year.
Buy a Christmas tree then return it in January, cause they have a 12 month any live plants gurantee.
Another thing to check before you buy anything at these places. Open the box and make sure it hasn't been used or switched with a cheaper product. Or parts missing.
>>Another thing to check before you buy anything at these places. Open the box and make sure it hasn't been used...
Yeah. no kidding. I once bought a food/garbage disposal from HD. Box looked new, never opened. Took it home, ready to install it, open the box and guess what. A used & dirty machine was there, at least the motor part that one would replace usually, the other pieces were new/original. The creep had even neatly wrapped it in the plastic bag, so a quick inspection wouldn't have revealed it. Took it back and the service folks couldn't believe it either.
I think part of the blame should go to the store who have the blank-check, no hassle, no exceptions return policy. Returning a xmas tree in January doesn't make sense & stores shouldn't allow it, period. Put a big sign up. In Mass, returning bathing suits is not allowed, by Law. I don't care for stores that have these easy policies, I feel that i'm in a way subsidizing the cost of returns from teh deadbeats.
OK, no more ranting from this guy...
I'm with Les. When I'm doing plumbing, I always buy a lot more copper fittings than I'll need, because there is very little worse than being one elbow short in order to finish the job.
I have often thought about this (just THOUGHT about it)... One of our local yards has a very strict no-sorting policy. They'll come out and chew you out if they think you're cherry picking through their fencing. I've THOUGHT about buying twice as much wood as I need, sorting through it at home, and taking back the junk. Just doesn't seem right, though...
I am with Bob Kovacs on this. Learn to plan your job. We shop at Lowes daily and the only returns we have is defective items, items the customer changed there mind on but not material because we buy what we need and what little is left over stays on the trucks and is used later. Part of doing business. DanT
Bathroom remodel, plumbing phase, needed fittings, grabbed a bunch from each box at HD of those I needed. At the site, working, reached into the bag for a 1/2" coupling, and pulled out a coupling that had been used. Bright, shiney solder coated the inside. Wasn't worth the effort to try and reuse or return, just tossed it and was amazed at the brass (in this case copper?) of some people.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Nick...a plumber told me that if fittings are "tinned" like the one you describe...they'll work fine. Correct me if I'm misunderstanding him.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
True if the joint was properly cleaned/fluxed before. Would you risk a callback and possibly replacing ceiling/floor/wall or whatever for a $.50 fitting?
NO. Good point.
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
Not dishonest at all, when you're talking lumber. I wouldn't buy lumber from a yard unless they took returns. You don't need to pick through it, you just order more than you need and return the "banana wood".
Why would you shop at a place that sold you a lesser product at a premium? That's why they sell "culls" at a lower price.
Actually, it's been here for a while.
I used to work for a large company with a complicated purchase order system. When I would buy extra (and you always did because getting approval for one more piece of cove base was murder) I would just return the left over stuff, using the store credit towards my next supply run.
I would routinely spend $1k a week in miscellaneous purchases so I would imagine HD like my patronage, even if I did increase their sorting costs on the returns.
After a while I would have to get a manager to approve any return I made. This became annoying because the wait for a manager to come over to type in their code was often >2 minutes.
I support a blacklist system with one condition. The detimination of who gets listed should be based on total volume, not # of reurns.
I would be surprised if I returned 10% of my purchases but I was at the return desk a lot more than most customers because of the large volume.
Jon Blakemore
I have to agree with Jon. We spend up to $20K/month at Home Depot rehabbing houses. It's always cheaper to get more than what we need then send someone back (we are often working 1 hour from Home Depot). As we finish phases of projects, and are going in to buy more supplies, we return what we didn't need previously. Primarily because the stuff will get damaged or lost by the time we need it again, and we don't want to store inventory. Sure, we're not going to return caulk or nails, but we'll return extra fixtures, locksets, etc. They have been quite good to deal with on returns, and although they are easy to bash, try living in a town where 5/8" sheetrock runs $10/sheet, and the best lumber looks like my cull pile.
That said, and back to Jon's point, 9 out of 10 times we have receipts. And Home Depot has gotten better now that they can scan a pile of receipts and let the computer find the items. The problem is that we have been occasionally added to the "frequent returners" list, and required to get management approval. As a percentage of our purchases, and as a percentage of our returns with receipts, these transactions are really nothing. However, without consideration to the massive volumes we spend, we get lumped with these cheats and low-lifes. I disagree with this and feel like they seem to be able to track everything with their computers except what good customers we are.
Brian, I'd probably keep a printout of how much I buy from HD and hand it to the clerk every time I sent something back...I'd then invite them to show it to the manager while pleasantly accepting the label of "frequent returner" and tell them I'll be glad to take my business elsewhere if they think my levels of buying are too much for them!
You'll be pleasantly surprised how effective the takeaway technique is....
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
As long as they keep the door open for legitimate returns I see this as a good thing.
Are you aware of the scam that was run on HD awhile back? A group was buying cheap items like hanging lights, then re-barcoding the box as a more expensive item. Without a receipt, HD would give them the refund on an HD gift card, which the groups members would sell for 40 cents on the dollar. They caught one group that was doing this and they estimated that the group swindled them out of tens of thousands of dollars as they moved around the country with the scam.
If it bugs you so much, you do have the option of shopping somewhere else. I don't blame them for trying to protect themselves.
another side of this discussion- which cloud has touched on- is the mfr's situation. i used to have a small sporting goods company and i couldn't believe what solid brass cojones some people had about returning stuff AND the utterly conscience-free chutzpah of stores to send it back to us for full credit + major chargeback fees for 'defective merchandise'. in other words, most of these bigger chains don't absorb the cost of illegitimate returns, their vendors do. in fact, some are so brazen about their fees that it could well be a money maker, and i'm not kidding. for example: one of the biggest sptg goods chains in the country once sent back 4 units as 'defective'- 1 in completely new condition, 1 chewed by a dog, and two with the straps obviously deliberately cut in exactly the same place but otherwise like brand new- wholesale cost to the store per unit: $8.15 or a total of $32.60 in merchandise. return chargeback with fees, shipping, handling, etc? $116 and change!!!
of course, the honest customer ultimately takes it in the shorts for this sort of crap- we just made sure that particular chain never got our best pricing.
m
Everybody here has a good point. But this all goes back to the "customer is always right" philosophy.
If a store takes good care of me, then I'm gonna be a loyal customer. If they try to screw me, well, then I'll take my business someplace else, even if it costs me a couple of extra bucks, sometimes.
Look at Nordstrom's. They aren't cheap . But they're famous for superb service and accepting returns. Sure, they are gonna get abused sometimes, but they have loyal customers, and their business continues to grow.
People who abuse the seller are gonna take advantage no matter what. And we all, sellers and legit buyers, end up paying for it.
Even if there's a system to blacklist the abusers, show me a store manager who will accept some SOB standing at the return counter for 20 minutes bellowing about lousy service, lousy merchandise, while the real customers are inconvenienced. His/her only option is to call the cops and file charges for breach of peace. Ain't gonna happen (well, sometimes) so no matter what the chain's policy is, reality comes into play.
(true confessions from an SOB!):
Actually, I personally was threatened with a call to the cops from a local tile place that did a lousy installation-45 % of tiles came loose and/or broke in 30 days- they did my whole house to the tune of more than $12000) and then gave me a total run-around. Wouldn't do a callback for repairs. Wouldn't even give me replacement tiles for somebody else to fix the job. So, I went in on a busy Saturday and raised Hell. I succeeded in emptying the store, then left when they threatened me with calling the cops.
I proceeded to (quietly) talk to their biggest builder customer directly. 4 months later they were out of business. That's why stores aren't really going to be able to blacklist people.
Steve
This whole return thing has me on the fence.
We have just completed building a 1800sqft home and a very large garage. We have spent colse to $15k in the past month at HD. The total building costs were in the $150k range with alot of it being purchased from big box stores. The closest HD or Lowes was 1 1/2hrs awy and the local lumber/supply yards charged and ''excessive amount" for materials. Excessive meaning almost twice what you could get it for at HD. When I purchased all the rough-in plumbing materials, we save at least $1000. It made it worth the drive. The result was to over purchse on material so as to not have to run short and pay high prices locally. When I did run short, I either waited for my next trip, or I bit the bullet and bought locally. It has also made it hard to buy light fixtures when even the closest light store is down the street from HD...1 1/2 hrs away. As an example, we bought 3) $200 ceiling fans, took them home and picked the best one for two rooms and returned the other(one we kept had missing parts in the box and we failed electrical inspection because the fan was not able to completely installed)...another trip to HD.
Recently, They opened a local home depot 20 minutes away and they have not been very accommidating and they realy gave my wife a hard time. They finally gave her store credit. I talked to the manager in the store 1 1/2hrs away and he has heard the same thing.
The way I look at it is that I purchased ALOT of stuff from them in the last year, so why not take it back. I'll still be buying from them for the next 15-20 years, just like the past 15-20 years.
And another thing, I have had to return alot of things that are broken, missing parts, wrong parts in the wrong package, etc.
I don't have a problem on restock charges, but shouldn't the door sorta swing both ways when they screw up?
So, if they are going to get hard nosed on my returns, then they better start to improve their quality/customer service
Had some get into my wife's car last week in their parking lot and steal her cell phone. Our fault, we didn't lok our car...The guy in Lost Prevention told me he was on the other phone line with another person for the same problem, while I was talking to him. Later, he called back and said that are car was too far awy from the camera in the parking lot to get a clear shot of her van. Her car was about the 5th or 6th space away from the front of the store. Later, when I called back, I asked him about the other theft, and he said there was not other theft, that it was a domestic disturbance
>The way I look at it is that I purchased ALOT of stuff from them in the last year, so why not take it back.
What you miss is that this isn't about HD. All a return costs them is their clerk's time. They get reimbursed the cost of the item from the mfg. It's the mfg who is paying the big price (for the items that can't just go on the shelf, of course), be/c they're paying shipping, plus the time and materials to manufacture and package the item. And returned items are a total loss...we never recycled them anyway...and only serve to increase overhead. HD has a great policy for them, but one that really sucks for the manufacturers. And a "what the hell, I'll take it back" approach has nothing to do with HD...it comes right off the mfg's bottom line, and right into their price.
"I don't have a problem on restock charges, but shouldn't the door sorta swing both ways when they screw up?"
It does or at least it can.
For many reason I prefer the local Lowes over HD, but sometime I gota go to HD.
Was finishing a basement for a friend and the only show that would work was an neo angle and she wanted the type that HD had. Normally I pickup supplies by my self, but I knew that was big and hard to handle and getting help at the places is hard. So it took a couple of weeks before we could get our scheduled aranged and went to get one. And it was getting to a point that I needed it to verify the dimension before fixing the drain in concrete.
Found one stuck up on the 2nd level rack. I went one way and she went another way looking for "help". It took about 30 minutes to find some one to come over.
And the whole are was very confusing to find what I was looking for. Typically in those they will have 5 different styles. None are stocked under the right label that is on the racks and some boxes show the part number and some show the sku number.
He comes over and then takes another 15 minutes to get a ladder. Then say that the unit was missing parts. Find another on the 2nd level and he say that it marked damaged.
So I ask;
Are there any more on order?
Are they available in another store?
When is a rep going to come and replace these?
Can we make on good unit from the 2?
The only response was a shrug of the shoulders and an "I don't know".
So my friend remembers that she know someone that rep's material to HD. She calls him and finds that he is in a completely different product line, but that he will be at that store the next day. So I stop by and he sets down to the HD computer and finds what other stores in the area has shows the unit in stock.
Then calls them and ask for the department manager. Has him pull a unit and make sure that it has not been opened. The manager has it waiting when I arrive.
Then my friend calls the HD manager and complains about the problems that we had. So he offers her a 10% discount on she next purchase with in the month.
So now I am getting ready to purchase and go up to customer service and see how the discount would work. Well they had her name in the computer and thought that she was buying kitchen cabinets and was waiting for measurements? I have absolutely no idea where that came from. But they took my word for that I was to get a discount. Got the stuff and they had to ring it up at "customer service", which is at the oposite end of the store from the exits. Drag the overflowing card from CS to the exits and the alarm sounds, but I just waved the receipt and they let me out.
Then several months later I was needing an odd ball replacement element for a CFL. Was not real sure of the correct one. Did some searching for style and numbers marked on the base so I thought that I knew what would work, but was not sure. Good use for the return policy.
I had already got a pair at Lowes and they worked, but where the wrong color temp.
So I look on HD web page and see that they have them and I go to the store. Well they have 2 similar units on the shelf mixed up together. And the shelf tag is marked with sku numbers the bulb is only marked with the manufactures part number. So I am not sure which what I am getting or the cost. So I take 2. The unit used 4, in 2 pairs and only one pair was bad.
Take then home and they work. In fact real well. They are much brighter than the other pair so maybe I will replace the 2nd pair also.
But the price seemed a little high from what I saw on the web, but really did not remember. Checked and HD had them on the web for $3.50 and in the store for $5.50.
So I print out HD's web page and take my reciept back to get a price adjustment and buy two more.
So I get the other 2 and go to "customer service". Well 3 of them talk to each other and say yes that they will do that. And told the guy at the return register to handle it. But now I have to get in the line at the return register and after the 15 minute wait the shift changes and the new guy won't do it.
So calls the manager. And I wait and wait and wait. The manager says that he does not have to match anything on the internet, PERIOD and if he did he would include tax and shipping (which is fair). I said that HD used to make internet, but he claims that they never did. And he also says that HD internet sales is completely different fromt he store and he does not care what they charge. The leave the other 2 units had I was going to buy at the return desk.
So I goes home, pissed off. Pulled up HD's web site and checked and yes they do have an intenet price matching policy. Printed it out. And went with it and the first 2 units that I bought and went back to the store.
I also did some checking and found a place that had them for $2 and went through to find the shipping (and no taxes). Printed that out.
Waited and waited and waited some more for the manager. Showed the manager HD's internet matching policy. He stares at it and stares at it and stares at it. He says OK, but he want to make a copy.
I wait and wait and wait. It was certainly longer than the 3 minutes that it took to walk to the back of the store, make a copy, and return. I think that he was searching the internet to A) make sure that I did not forge it (he had that kind of attitude the whole time) or B) that he could find some loophole.
Comes back and say OK. I ask for some consideration because of the extra trips that I made. I just ask for 4 units at HD's web price of $3.50. But it was about $4 cheaper than the other place after shipping.
The whole thing was not much, but by this time I was frustrated with the whole deal.
So I tell the clerk at the returns counter to look in the electrical bin for the 2 units that I left the last time. No they where already gone. So I go back to the shelf and there is only one. Don't want to spend an extra hour wait for them to find where they are.
So I just returned the first 2 and order them over the internet.
BTW, I was at Lowes getting a load of modular concrete retaining wall blocks. They had to bring out the forklift. Some confusing as some one in anohter department had loaded it and left it. So after I waited about 20 minutes the clerk sent me down to CS and had then adjust 10% off the bill for my time waiting. And I never said a thing.
I have the "understanding" that both HD and Lowes the managers have authority to knock off 10% for "customer statifaction" anytime. But I am not real sure of that.