BUYER BEWARE: RETURN POLICIES OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES
As warned by the experienced 2nd years, we encountered our first major assignment in advertising class. Groups were to select a sales or marketing issue to investigate and then inform our fellow classmates. The team of Mike C., Karleigh, Steven and I decided to focus on return/exchange policies of various electronic retailers. With input from Kent, we also compared this to purchases made across the border. Needless to say, our subject got a little wide and we had to narrow our focus a little. We decided to outline the return policies, and highlight the important facts that everyone should know, resulting in our project as a little “consumer education lesson.”
We looked at the return/exchange policies of big-boxed retailers Best Buy Canada and Future Shop, as well as independently owned Visions Electronics and local Advance Electronics (links are to their specific policies). According to the employees, the policies usually had a similar outline ranging from 14-30 days and allowing a return or exchange depending on the retailer and their standards. Buyer Beware Number 1: Pay attention to the allotted number of days for return or exchange. These are guidelines set by their head offices and are strict rules they must follow. Asking them to make an exception is asking them to bend their rules, and in most instances, they will deny your return. As said by one of the customer service representatives at Best Buy, majority of exceptions are only due to defective materials. Other than that – the policy is printed and communicated numerous times, so the buyer has no excuse.
Buyer Beware Number 2: Be sure everything is in the box at the time of the return, accompanied by the receipt. The receipt is extremely important, as it is your proof of purchase. Nothing is more questionable to an employee than having a customer attempt to trade an “unmarked” item for cash back. At some locations, even opening and returning an item will result in a restocking fee, usually a percentage set by the retailer for cost of packaging, missing items, etc. At Best Buy and Future Shop, employees say they require the reimbursement for the actual items missing – which can generally be quite a bit of money. For example, an actual replacement charger for, let’s say, a Canon ELPH camera can cost around $130.00. Buyers should remember that if they were to ever decide to purchase a re-boxed item, I’m assuming they’d like to have everything in the box. Which leads me to Buyer Beware Number 3: Examine repackaged items. At Best Buy and Future Shop, items are reduced at least 10% if returned. This can lower if there are missing items or physical damage. At Visions and Advance, however, the reduction is up to the salesperson’s discretion – so try to “haggle” the price! An employee at Visions slyly admits that they are allowed to re-price open box items how high and how low they desire, considering the commission. They might be trying to get you to spend more money than you deserve! Also be sure to inspect every item purchased to make sure that it is in good working condition, and everything is there. This is actually important with all purchases, as described in one of our primary research surveys, a girl tried to purchase a new camera and discovered a work order detailing how it was previous sent out on repair!
Buyer Beware 4: Online purchases have different return policies than in-store policies. As found in our secondary research, at times, products purchased online don’t have any relevance to the in-store policy as they have completely different inventory systems, and also, special on-line deals are set by the manufacturer and cannot be returned in-store. These must be shipped back to the retailer (out of your pocket), with the accompaniment of a record number. The only items that can be returned back to store are items also found at the in-city location, but 100% must be accompanied by a print-out of the electronic receipt.
If you head down to the states to try and swing a deal, Buyer Beware 5: Realize the limits of purchasing electronics in the US. Although popular retailers Target and Wal-Mart US have extensive return policies accompanied by impressive no-receipt programs, once you cross the border back to Canada, the policy stays behind! Say goodbye to both the policy, as well as the manufacturer’s warranty. Also remember that all electronics are subject to duty costs once they cross the border. These additional costs can range from 10-15% depending on the merchandise. Failure to do so can result in having to pay 40% of the electronic(s) you purchased. Price differences between Canada and the US can be substantial, but just take into consideration the exchange rate, duty costs, along side gas and additional fees? You might not be getting all that great of a deal!
Here is a video, starring Mike C., Karleigh and Steven, exemplifying first the wrong return scenario and then the right return scenario. It breaks down what would be best to do, and definitely what to avoid. Excuse me for not being and featured actor in this movie – I’m a little camera shy!
We expanded and focused on these aspects in order to educate the consumers. Although we covered a wide range of scenarios and examples, we believe that considering our demographic, these would be of best interest to the regular Winnipeg shopper. We were able highlight and explain the various (and detailed) return policies of popular Winnipeg retailers, as well as the key facts that buyers should be aware of in the process of purchasing and returning electronic devices. Our group recommends to follow the details of the return policy, and remember to approach and examine every purchase carefully – as they do require, usually, a large sum of money. This is your money and your investment!
Labels: Advance, Best Buy, buyer beware, exchange, Future Shop, policy, return, Target, Visions, Walmart
CHARGED WITH SHOE STEALING
An interesting topic of the popular and affordable Steve Madden ripping off Alexander McQueen. What do you guys think? Although practically stealing the design of the high-end shoe maker, should Steve Madden be praised for attempting to distribute these designs more easily to the public? Or is this fashion suicide? Here is a link to the article found at New York - Fashion.
Labels: Alexander McQueen, Steve Madden
