New Costco Return Policy

[theBB]

I just noticed that Costco has changed its return policy on electronics. The unlimited returns are gone, only 90 days from now on, just like Target. I understand some people abused it for example by returning their 3 year old HDTVs to buy a better and cheaper model, so Costco felt it could not take the financial hit any more.

Still, I was using my $50 annual membership as an extended warranty. I could buy the cheaper no-name electronics, because, hey, if it breaks in the next year or so, I could just bring it back. Who wants to try to find out the phone number of the company, call up, wait on hold for an hour, argue whether it is covered under the warranty, pay for shipping, wait in line at the post office, when I can just return it and buy another one. I don't think I shop there enough to justify the annual membership, so I will probably not renew my membership. Bummer...

I saw a blog at Chicago Tribune and I was amazed at the negative response to the author. Some people are insanely in love with Costco:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/shopping_ellen_warren/2007/03/o_long_costco_i.html

 

[obeygiant]

This was Sam's Club, but I returned a 2 year old broken treadmill. I had the receipt so they gave me $528 cash out of the drawer. I will shop there forever after that. I've actually seen people return a cake with a slice taken out of it.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

Nice, now my friend can't keep returning his HP laptop every few months. I hated how he did that because their is nothing wrong with the machine but keeps returning it. I mean its okay if their is something wrong and you return it but if their isnt anything wrong, people return them for no reason.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I've actually seen people return a cake with a slice taken out of it.

Exactly the number of slices it takes to discover that the cake is bad! (Less is psychic, more is masochism.)

Costco's return policy was amazingly generous. I don't know how they managed to maintain it for this long.

 

[SMM]

Nice, now my friend can't keep returning his HP laptop every few months. I hated how he did that because their is nothing wrong with the machine but keeps returning it. I mean its okay if their is something wrong and you return it but if their isnt anything wrong, people return them for no reason.

A lady at work does the same type of thing. She was bringing in a new laptop every few months. She would ask our department to configure the VPN tunnel and Citrix client for her. I asked why she kept upgrading. She adopted this conspirator pose, and explained (full of glee), she used Costco things for a few months and then just returned them. This lady earns over $120,000/year.

I told her I thought this was stealing. As a Costco member, I do not want to pay for her 'free-ride'. She became quite indignant - even hostile. Fortunately, we hold roughly the same job-level, so she just had to take my remarks without recourse.

I think it is pretty sad when a retailer attempts to provide exceptional service to those who need it, but is then taken advantage of by the unprincipled. We all lose when that happens.

 

[cycocelica]

A buddy of mine would return his laptop every year and get a better one. I told him of this new policy and he flipped ****. I just lauged at him and told him to buy an Apple. It was about time they changed their policy. It was the most abused policy ever.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I am sad about this because I was in the market for a HD LCD and I was going to buy from there because of their return policy. I guess I'll either go to Sam's Club or I will simply have to pay for the warranty. People probably did abuse it, which sucked but people are generally rude when it comes to good stores offering that kind of great service.