As a matter of fact I do live in the US (in Oregon to be more precise) and I see people abusing consumer laws like a way of life.
On several occasions I've seen and even given advice from co-workers (which BTW are American born citizens) to "use" the system.
Some examples:
- using a product within its return period then return it (and getting another one from a different store while exercising the same routine as before)
- whining and lying about an imaginary defect just to return or get a refund
- no matter what big store (costco, target etc) you go to you see quite long lines at customer returns
Now I'm sure the last isn't because products sold in the US are of bad quality but because people like to abuse the system.
I like laws that protect customers but I don't like loopholes people exploit just because they feel entitled to. These loopholes make business loose big money and without businesses we all know there's no jobs either.
Now, having lived in an Eastern European country where such loopholes in consumer laws do not exist I've learned to appreciate the products I buy and care about them knowing it's almost impossible to return them unless the store establishes that there was indeed a fault with the product.
Coming here to the US hasn't changed my mentality but unlike others who probably haven't lived in a different country can see things from the outsider's/non-biased point of view.
I'm european. I'm not a big fan of the policy here to kiss the customers asses even when they are obviously cheating or misusing their rights. However I'm also not a big fan of the culture in parts of europe, where you are supposed to suck it up. If you complain about food or service in a restaurant in europe, they treat you as if you were crazy.
Have fun when your 2 weeks old hard disc breaks and they tell you that it's probably because you dropped it. How are you going to prove that you didn't drop your laptop in those two weeks?
For your examples:
- yes, it's possible to abuse the return period, and never buy a product. However they do keep track of this, i.e. when you return it you have to present an ID and give your home address. Many shops charge restocking fees or box opening fees, and resell those products at a lower price. Not so much damage done.
- whining and lying to get refund... yeah, that's fraud, don't tell me that it doesn't happen in other countries.
- long lines at returns: Well, that stuff usually takes some time, and the people with actual defects and exchanges stand in the same line
I was happy about the hassle free return policy in microcenter recently. I bought a $140 cable modem/wireless router combo that comcast had certified on their website, just to find out it doesn't work on their system when they came to install cable internet. So I brought it back and bought a $40 wlan router instead. Did I also abuse the system?
Finally, customer protection and return policies force apple and other companies to maintain a minimal level of quality. There's still enough crap with failing graphics cards (8600 GT) and expanding/exploding batteries with Apple, and that's a company that is considered to have a high quality level.
(depending on how old it is). Good luck with it.
