Costco/BB/CC/Sears/Dell et al Master Thread II: NO PRICING /NO COUPONS - Page 5

Thank you.... I wish everybody had this attitude towards the return policy and Concierge Service!!!!

Because in the end it is still the best policy (minus sams who will change)

AMEN!!!

For budget priced brands I would recommend Vizio, Westinghouse or Olevia. I would definitely avoid Viewsonic, Spectre, Proton, Akai and Soyo. I really don't know anything about Daytek so I can't comment on that one.

These opinions are just based on all the research I did before purchasing my Panasonic plasma and my Westinghouse lcd.

What is Sam's policy, and is it nationwide?

thanks

My local Costco's will take a returned large item back even without the packing material (containing the UPC) I've seen an ancient rear projection TV returned via a U-Haul truck anfd the owner received a full refund which he promptly used part of to buy a 50" plasma which he loaded in the same truck!! Bet he also left with a good amount of cash even after buying the new set. Can't blame a consumer for taking advantage of a policy that Costco's has/had.

You actually can because it's people like that that caused the policy to be changed. No retailer can post a profit doing returns like that. Additionally, no one would be fully satisfied with the purchase mentioned above after all that time and with the prices of HDTVs dropping all the time.

The policy is there to be used within reason so that if after let's say 33 days, you can still get a full refund and/or exchange where as other stores *may* take it back, but it's still technically 3 days past return and you're SOL.

I'm sorry to see it go, but it was a long time coming when people began using Costco as their "Free tv upgrade for life" dealer.

I said most retailers, also require the box with the UPC when a item is returned for a full refund, I did not say that 100% of all places do. Best Buy and Circuit City do. Also Costco is known for not requiring a boxes. But then again, a lot of rebates are not valid if the products were bought at certain places such as shopping clubs, which would include places like Sams and Costco. So just because someone returned something to them much later on, don't necessarily mean they ever also got a rebate paid on it either.

And you also can't blame Costco for killing that policy!
Due to too much abuse by people that thought it was nothing more than a way for them to get free upgrades.

you are most likely going to find your sets defects in the first year of use, add an additional year of warranty and service with Costco's concierge and don't forget price adjustments
____________________________________________________________ ______

what is concierge? I can't find it anywhere on the web site. Also, my costco doesn't do price adjustments. They're one of the stores that requires you to bring the product back, return it and then purchase a new one for the lower price. To me that seems that they're encouraging abuse of the return system.



Edit*

I found the concierge information on their website. A search from their site yielded nothing but a search on google found the link to the concierge service pdf on the costco site.

Clearly that's Costco's way of discouraging price adjustments. If you've bought a large, expensive item, Costco is probably counting on the purchaser not to drag that thing back in. If a 65" DLP drops by $200-$300, is it worth the effort to carry it back in?

That being said, depending on the amount of time that has gone by and what technologies may be available at the time of return, people should just return it and go get something else for all the bother Costco would have caused with their inane policy of requiring it to be brought in. Get a brand new product and new warranty.

Or maybe, that's what Costco wants for us! In their universal love for all people, maybe they want the consumer to get that brand new set with the new warranty. Can't love papa Costco too much you know.

I always thought that it was a dumb thing for them to do it that way. What was/is their point of creating non defective product return for just a price match? The only reason where such a thing might work to discourage or stop people from even trying to do price match because they would also need to physically return the product. Is with something very heavy and large, like certain types of furniture, or a 8ft slate pool table or a piano or something similar to those that almost requires a full moving van or a semi with a lift gate and a fork lift to transport it. Otherwise if it's anything that will even remotely fit in a mini van, SUV, pick up truck or even a full size van. With a many people if the price match is worth much more than $50, then a lot of those people will go through the effort and still do it if all it needs is a small truck or van.

Some time ago, to get a $300 price match on a TV purchased 3 weeks earlier, Customer Service told me I could avoid the trouble of bringing my original TV back by just purchasing another new TV and then bring the new TV directly to the return line (from checkout) and return it with the original receipt.
Where I understand my local Costco was attempting to make it easier for me to get my $300 price match, this illogical, loosely defined (at best) price match policy helped create the TV return issues.

The recent return policy change is easier to manage for Costco as it's a more defined policy for all members. It's a greater challenge to police abusive members on a case-by-case basis with the old policy for many reasons. I suspect the majority of members did not intentionally abuse the original policy however the original policy invited abuse. I remember asking about details of the return policy several times before making a large $ TV purchase and being told of several different examples of people who returned TVs months or years after purchasing for many reasons trivial or otherwise - under the original policy, the reason for the return did not matter. The original policy made enforcing abuse almost impossible since the policy clearly granted members the right to return ANY item purchased at Costco for ANY reason with NO defined time limit. While I will miss the peace-of-mind the old policy provided, I do understand the reasons for change. I hope Costco will continue to adjust the return/price match policy to include much of the peace-of-mind from the old policy while improving on earlier issues.
In the long run I hope Costco will continue to strive to be a provider of the best possible service to its members, employees and communities.

thats exactly what they made me do too, so 2 unwarranted returns there

Shhhh. How can Costco and their shills blame their customers if you guys keep talking like this?

Perhaps Sam's Club policy's vary widely across the nation???
That is not what I have been told.....


Well I just bought a Visio 42 inch LCD there at Sam's Club local and I asked the customer service rep at the counter where you buy the Sam's club card exactly what the policy was.

She said 30 days max on returns for Televisions. After that it is manufacturer warrantry. Computers she said were six months. Which I found odd.
By the way if it matters to anyone this was the Sam's Club in Texas City, Texas.

When I asked her why that was not in line with what I read on Sam's Web site she said
the Sam's Club policy on the web is not what the stores go by and the web operation is not tied to the clubs. She was quite emphatic about it when I pressed her further on it as I wanted to be SURE what the policy was before I threw money at Sam's Club.

So, I am going to keep this set for like 20 days or so then return it. I don't trust Sam's at all. The Visio is alright but it isn't really what I want...

If you try to find the information at the store it isn't easy. It isn't exactly stated in clear bold type anywhere. My advice on Sam's is Caveat Emptor.

I wish there was a Costco closer to me. Sadly the closest one is way out on West Side of Houston and I live down in Galveston County. Traveling in the traffic 40 miles does not attract me much but I may change my mind ina month.
Actually I will prob end up buying a Panny 42 600u from Tweeters.
Only 30 days with them as well but they got the Panny I want.

Shhhhhhh....
Or another one of the shills for overrated, under worked and overpaid middle and upper management types might speak up....
To try and blame it all on the people that do the actual physical work to make a company successful, as not being worth anything.

Exactly. Like I said before--fungible. Thanks for making my point.

At all of the Sam's I've been to, the return policy is clearly posted on the wall at the return desk and there is nothing mentioning 30 days on TV's.

Sounds like the typical "have no clue" clerk that makes up policy as he/she goes.

Calling corporate is probably the only way to resolve the issue.

Although, the returns policy found online (pertaining to both online purchases and club purchases) is pretty clear.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=6104

You have no point!

I guess if you don't see my point, then my earlier question to you was quite valid and wasn't a thinly veiled statement of anything. You know, the whole shoe fits thing.

Good job.

I also had to buy a computer in a pinch and knew the coupon would take effect in a week. I asked the CS person at the time if I bring back the coupon with my receipt 1 week later would they give me a cash card for $200. After 2 other people discussed it, they told me to return the computer and buy another one with the coupon. What a waste of time for me and $$$ for them!!!!

They might as well make the price match equal to the 90 day return policy, because if I see an electronic item I bought drop $300 within that time frame, I will pack it up and return it. These new TV's are light enough that it is not the hassle it might have been a few years back.

Its a no brainer in my mind and if they think most people wont waste the time or effort, they are wrong!!

I think the Sam's policy is intenionally vague. I asked for the return policy at 3 different Sam's stores and received 3 different answers. In fact in 1 Sam's I asked 2 different employees and got 2 different answers. The bottom line is that Sam's relies heavily on the discretion of the local store manager. They seem to have a lot of flexibility in policy adherence. When I have had a problem at Sam's, I have found the manager's to be very reasonable. However, If you think they have a blanket never ending return policy, forget it, they don't, no matter what is written.

I looked into their policy a little bit more today and apparently this is true.

In fact a coworker of mine had a cousin who tried to return a 2 week old computer and was denied. I have never shopped there, nor will I, but I am getting the impression the put one thing in writing, tell you something else entirely, then they still do something different when you show up...

Oh yes your earlier question was indeed a thinly veiled attempt of name calling, no matter how you try to spin it.

Couldn't you two just PM each other and spare the rest of us?

If this has been said before, I apologize.

I emailed Costo customer service to find this out and this was there response. I personally feel better.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear XXXXXXXXXX,

Thank you for your email to Costco Wholesale.

If you purchased the product before our new return policy came out, you would fall under the old policy.

In addition to the change made to our return policy, Costco also added a Concierge service, which is available to all members who purchase our electronics items. This service provides free technical assistance, as well as help with facilitating warranty service on eligible items. Costco has also extended the one-year warranty on all televisions, projector televisions and computers to two years. The Concierge service will help to facilitate this support if, and when, it becomes necessary.

We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let us know how you feel and hope that you will continue to trust Costco for all of your shopping needs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The problem with that approach is that they are breaching their warranty when they do this. At some point, they are going to get bitten. The policy is explicit, especially when it comes to things like computer returns.

No spinning on my part. I'm telling you straight up.