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Costco’s Incredible Return Policy
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I know a lot of folks love Costco, I’m one of them. Did you know that their return policy permits you to return ANYTHING (except computers) with or without the receipt whenever you want as long as you still have the same membership. If you bought a pair of pants, as I did, and found that you didn’t really like them but tossed the receipt already… no fear, just go back and they have it all on record. Yes, I bought these pants two months ago and had been meaning to return them for two months. You can also use this as a (semi-free) extended warranty – buy a TV or DVD player and if/when it stops working after four or five years, just return it! The only exception to this rule is a computer purchase and that return period expires after six months.
Update: Costco recently amended their return policy. Televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD / MP3 players and cellular phones can only be returned within 90 days of purchase.
Don’t believe me? My friend David bought a mattress from Costco and emailed them to find out their return policy on mattresses. In short, he could return at any time, at no cost, to a store or arrange with customer service for pickup if you can’t get it to the store because of size and weight. Pretty sweet.
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“You can also use this as a (semi-free) extended warranty – buy a TV or DVD player and if/when it stops working after four or five years, just return it! ”
I like your website for the various useful stuff you link to and write about.
But the above statement is an irresponsible one.
havent you got your money’s worth if you use a product for 4-5 years ?
A DVD player costs 100 bucks , if it fails 2-3 years after the warranty , the customer has to bear the loss.
A TV may cost a bit more , but the same argument holds .
If people dont take responsibility for their decisions , its unfair of them to expect costco to eat the loss?
The very reason that they have a return policy doesnt mean that we should misuse it.
I consider returning a TV after 5 years as a misuse of the policy.
I know of people who write in forums about how they returned stuff that failed after 5 years.
CHEAP !! thats one word that comes to my mind.
There are lot of honest and ethical ways to achieve “Financial security and independence”. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.
You can only return things like a TV back to Costco within 90 days. This is their return policy
“Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD/MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund.”
Did you look at the date of the comment? The policy was just recently changed.
Costco’s return policy has no limit. Not one year, not two, not three, not ten. How is this misusing the policy?
Costco is great about that. All of your purchases are stored under your membership # and they can look up your purchases and return the item on under the original receipt in their system. Don’t know if I would return a TV, unless it was 6 months or under….
I like open policies, but they do leave themselve open for abuse. I do know that other companies keep track of who returns what – and after a certain amount of returns, you are then considered a bad customer ( reference http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0822/biz/stories/02biz.htm) and then you are removed you from mailing lists and returning things becomes potentially more difficult.
I like that Costco is so open, but I really don’t think that will last.
Regarding the post by “DontruninthePolicy”, I think that without having a policy in place to defend themselves our bargaineering blogger is just doing what he thinks is right (and a loft of other folks will do that too so he is not alone). Maybe he does not have ethics? People stretch things all the time – interpretations differ, so I feel that Costco ought to get a policy implemented right away to prevent the bargaineering blogger from doing that or better yet — giving him rules to abide by. The bargaineering blogger may not agree with those terms, but that is not up for bargaining.
Chuck
DontRuinthe Policy is entirely and wholeheartedly correct. I was naive because I didn’t take into account those out there who would take advantage of Costco’s policies and for that I apologize. Personally however, I believe a DVD player or a TV should last longer than 4-5 years HOWEVER, if you purchased a DVD player or TV and intended to return it… you should get what you deserve. Costco is a a great company for allowing something like this but if you abuse it, you deserve exactly what you get.
I do not believe in buying something and returning it to save a few bucks, in my example, I wanted to return a pair of pants because it did not fit… I didn’t want to return it because I wanted to wear the pants once and return it to save a few bucks. I believe fair is fair and you should pay for the utility you get out of something you buy and I hope those of you out there understand that. If I didn’t make that point clear, I apologize, but hopefully it is clear now. Yes?
Yes, it’s clear. Basically you said in both posts that it is okay to return a TV if it breaks after 4 years. That’s not how the others felt. They felt it would be unethically to do that.
If you paid $4000 for a new flatscreen DLP television, how many years do you believe it should run? I think it should run at least four years and chances are it would run for more than four years. If a television crapped out after only ONE year (past the manufacturer’s warranty), in Financial Fruition’s case, I would return it. I am not advocating returning a TV after four years just because you want a new one, I feel that is unethical, but if someone can explain why expecting a television to last more than four years is so unreasonable, perhaps can I understand the position.
Your points are becoming more unclear as you write more posts. One example is where you say a person should pay for the utility of the product purchased. But on the last post you still feel it is proper to return a product after 4 years of use. You are returning a product for its full retail price. What did you pay for the use? There’s definite ethical issues here. If you fail to see it, you failed in ethical considerations. Ethics is not the mere breaking of laws, but rather striving to be a righteous person, i.e, moral person. Not to take advantage of others. Get it? There are other problems with your posts, but I’ll let others bring them out to keep it simple.
I agree that for most products a four year lifespan is more than adequate, but I’ve never purchased a TV that has cost over $200 before. I think I’d be unhappy with a $4000 TV if it broke after 4 years but if truly put to a decision I wouldn’t return it to Costco, I’d seek recourse of some kind from the manufacturer.
However, you are paying Costco every year for a membership and part of the benefits is the return policy, which is like a warranty in this particular case. Costco has had this policy in place for as long as I can remember and so if they’re losing money on it, they’d change it (as they have with computers).
I guess some would like a clarificaiton of why I would return a TV if only under 6 months. The main reason is because I personally think that is the ethical thing to do. I’m not talking about a $4000 TV, because I would never buy one. I’m talking $200-$600. If after 6 months it broke, I am going to the manufacturer and getting it fixed. If they won’t do it after a lengthy debate (I wouldn’t give up that easily), I would ask a TV repairman to come and estimate how much it would cost to fix.
My parents owned a 30″ Toshiba TV for 15 years, until I helped my Dad purchase a new one last year. In that time at about year 8 or 9, it broke and we had a tv repairman fix it for about $130.
Cosco is a great company that offeres great value.. There policy is to charge only 10% over cost for all merchandise in there stores. Of course they charge a membership fee for the privilege of buying in that store. They make a lot of money on those memberships and they pay their employees very well with benefits.
When people use this return policy because they dont want something after years of service, that is being cheap and dishonest to a reputable company that is just trying to do the right thing.
4 years?
Any new TV better last at least 10 years.
These items are now sold at enourmous prices….
If I pay $3000 to $4000 for a TV, it better last. 4 years is not long enough.
If it broke, or the image faded….you bet your a– I would take costco up on their return policy.
Also, there is really nothing in writing regarding the extent of this policy and that has to be on purpose. They can recind and any time and you won’t have a leg to stand on if they say….no
At the very least buy on an AMEX card and get your manufacturers warranty doubled.
I believe it is okay to return a tv within 3 or 5 years because Costco does not offer the chance to purchase a 3-5 year warranty like Sams Club or any other retail store. Therefore, i would say it is reasonable to return the TV within 3 or 5 years. If they dont except the returns, then costco would not be the smartest choice to purchase any electronic items.
I had bought a 46″ Sony TV from Circuit City for $1500. I purchased the 2 year extended warranty for an extra $200. 2 Years and 3 months later the TV stops working. I call circuit city and am told I am out of luck. I called sony with the same result. I called the repair man who estimated $700 to fix the tv with a 30 day warranty on parts/labor. I am not going to pay almost half the value of the TV for a repair with no gaurantee something else will not break in the near future. I am now looking at $2000 TV from costco, and if it breaks in two years and 3 months I would have no problem returning it to costco. I spend over a thousand dollars at costco most months for food, household items and such and have no problem taking back an item that did not live up to my expectations. I think that the dues I pay for my executive membership entitle me to certain priviliges. I do agree that it would be pretty slimey for me to buy a $2000 tv with the intention of returning it next year to purchase whatever new model they have available at close to the same cost.
Recently, I purchased a 50″ television from costco and was told about the incredible return policy after the fact. Though I’m astonished about such policy, I believe that it’s that way for a reason and I’m sure costco is aware of the “abuse” that some claims the policy is susceptible to. However, after some thinking, I recollected that costco’s doesn’t lose from the generous policy like a lot of people think it does. They actually make money off the float (interest rates) for the big purchases you make. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to buy a $5,000 tv set at costco and return it a 3-4 years later, for that 3-4 years, costco has been collecting interest off your $5,000. Now take this amount and apply it to a larger scale; try in the billions of dollars of sale each year. This in tandem with their amazingly negotiated payback terms with their vendors amounts to an investment giant. Furthermore, ever considered why it is that costco only tenders cash/debit or highly liquidable receivables like Amex? Once you add this all up, you’ll realize that costco is more in the business to make money off the money they generate rather than the margin of their sales so the next time you accuse people of being classless about their returns, do consider the above.
My wishes goes out to the family and friends overseas. Thank You.
I return computers every 6 months – i use the comp and then get an updated version – also we get the best choice of irons. Clothes – food sometimes – goes off date and so i feel the need to return. Recently i just got a sony PSP (GIGA pack) for £250 and in 6 months time im goin bk to return it!!! Many more things as well
I want to return my son’s bike that is about 2 yrs old, would they talk it back even if it has a couple of scratches?
I’m buying a 42 inch plasma Philips today for about $1800. The reason I’m buying it from Costco is because of the nice return policy. If they didn’t have such a policy, I wouldn’t buy it from Costco! I’m sure there are people in the same boat as me. Do you really think Costco is loosing money? Think again. Costco is making billions and if 1% of everything sold gets returned, that is just pocket change for them. The fact that Costco has millions of shoppers has to do with thier excellent policies!
Beware. Costco has point system on all the purchases you make. Say you purchase a plasme for 2 grand, you will get 2K points. However, if you return the plasma couple months later, they will subtract points from your account. Eventually, if you return enough, your account will either be negative or zero, therefore, no return, or at least, they will make if hard for you to return your electronic product.
How could you return more points ($$) than you purchased in the first place?
And can Costco decide to not accept a return? Wouldn’t they have to disclose it in their return policy? (i.e. We reserve the right to deny a return…)
You would think that Costco would disclose their entire policy. Guess not. Costco does have the right not to accept a return, simply because it’s not against the law. Go into Costco next time and read their return policy, nowhere on the return policy it states that you can return a item anything.
Membership has its privileges. The only way it would be “dishonest” to return something 3,4,99 yrs later, which is their policy, would be to return something you purchased elsewhere. Using a gold or platinum card will usually extend your mfg warranty which most people never seem to use… so why is this any different. It’s a bonus for payin the fees. Hmm wonder if I can return these 12 empty Dos Equis bottles sittin here…… Ill post the results…..
I have actually benefited from the above policy. I purchased the above 42″ Plasma that Moe above mentioned on Dec 15, 2005. It stopped working on Jan 2 or so. I did not want to return it. It was too big. I called Philips and tried to have it fixed but with the extremely pathetic customer service, they refused to do anything.
So 3 weeks later, I’m tired and am returning it becoz I got it from Costco. Any other store, I would have been at the mercy of the store after 30 days.
Obviously the people who consider themselves too “moral” to return a $4000 tv (even as much as 6-10 years later) have more money than they know what to do with. I’ll make no appology nor will I ever feel awkward for spending $4000 on a television & then taking it back 10 years later for a full refund (so long as I am within the guidelines of said policy).
My friend works for Costco IN the RETURNS department & little do you know, Costco DOES NOT eat the cost for one single item that is returned. It is returned to the manufacturer for a FULL CREDIT to Costco. How is this possible you may wonder? When a manufacturer (such as Sony) signs on board to sell their (whatever product, PSP, Plasma TV, stereos, etc.) they must agree to accept ANY return for ANY reason from Costco on behalf of the customer & issue a FULL CREDIT to Costco. The ONLY time Costco eats the cost of the return is if the manufacturer has gone out of business.
The returned products are packaged together in no specific order on a pallete & taken back to a wharehouse where they are sorted & tagged for return to the manufacturer. Often times they will simply throw the items away as the manufacturer would rather not spend money to ship a broken item back to them. Where do you think these items wind up? There are different degrees of broken – & I can tell you that “broken” items wind up in Costco employees’ homes. (At what cost if any, I am unsure.)
Costco, Sony, Dell, Western Digital (Yes you can even return hard drives – they DO NOT fall under the computer 6 month return limitation), panasonic, samsung, LG, whirpool, etc. all make BOATLOADS of cash on a DAILY basis. I will NEVER feel sorry for stickin’ my $4000 plasma to the man – even 10-20 years later.
I don’t know about these “moral” people on their high horses who are holier than thou, but I prefer my money in MY POCKET. I’m not willing to steal from someone to keep more of MY money in my pocket, but if there’s a return policy that allows for me to live worry free & more comfortably I’m damn well going to use it – even if I didn’t, there will always be someone else more than happy to do so.
You can cry all you want and ask people to stop so-called “abusing” the return policy, but the fact is it will do no good. Path of least resistence is NATURE. People are intelligent & will always do what is best to survive, in ANY scenario. If that means returning a $4000 plasma tv instead of forking out another $4000 of their hard earned cash for a new one, you can bet it’ll ALWAYS happen.
I will even go so far as to call anyone who doesn’t take advantage of such a policy a complete and utter MORAN who has way more money than they know what to do with. Surviving in corporate America has ALWAYS been & ALWAYS will be about using your $$$$ as wisely as possible so you can stay ahead.
& just to make those “moral” morans wiggle, squirm, & gape their mouths open… I returned a Playstation (original) that I bought in 1996 for $199 just a year ago & I GOT A FULL REFUND! I bought a XBOX. Then just a few weeks ago I bought a XBOX 360 AFTER returning my original xbox! Guess what? My bank account didn’t have to take a huge hit for it either & such a wonderful thing will allocate enough money to stay in my pocket so I can actually afford to buy a house in this piece of crap state (California). So with houses with absolutely NO YARD coming in around $600,000 & capping at what people around here consider “reasonable” (yeah right!) $1.7-$2.3 MILLION – with that in mind – I in NO WAY feel ANY regret, sorrow, shame, etc. for returning my $4000 plasma just because I damn well feel like it!
Oh Boo Hoo Hoo, I agree 100% with Rick. If Costco was really getting hurt by people returning things after a couple of years, they would change their policy quicker than you could say…..I’d like to return this please.
I was wondering something about Costco’s return / exchange policy on tv’s. Let’s say I go with my decision to purchase an LCD tv from them. I will be extremely happy with that decision if it indeed means that if the tv EVER stops working, I can return it and receive back the total amount I paid for it and get any other new tv from them with that money. WOW !
My biggest question is this… what if I purchase the tv (while this incredible return policy is in effect still) and then Costco changes this policy after my purchase? Do I still have access to the original return / exchange policy? I would think that legally they would have to grant this to people who made their puchases prior the old policy.
Hmmmm….
Hans – I would think everyone would be grandfathered into the old policy but who knows…
I just found this article online…
(click on link or type it in)
link
note the part where it says, “On the subject of returns, Insight Media spoke with one of the store managers, who referred to the store-wide policy for returning any items. As any Costco member knows, an item can be returned at any time for any reason…within a few limits. The manager said that they would accept the return of large screen TVs up to the limit of the warranty, typically 1 to 2 years, far more generous than most TV retailers.”
Huh????
What size makes a tv a “large screen” according to Costco??
Does this manager know what he is talking about???
Is there a clause in their return policy for tv’s like there is for their computers???????
DOES ANYONE KNOW ?????
[Edit: Made it a live link]
People have reported returning televisions long after the 1-2 year window so it might depend on the mood of the manager at your particular store.
Would a manager have to “approve” it? Is it not store policy? I mean, even if 5 years went by and the tv went out from normal use, why couldn’t I take it back for a new one under the policy? Can a manager make a decision on their own to deny a return because in their opinion “it has been too long”? This seems contridictory to me… from what I’ve heard, the letter of Costco law says that as long as I have my receipt I can bring the item back (with no time limits). Is it in writing that each individual store manager has the ability to decide not to take something back even if it shows no abuse?
(confused)
See, the funny thing about the return policy is that it doesn’t EXPLICITLY state, “CAN RETURN FOREVER FOR WHATEVER REASON.” I’m sure they reserve the right to refuse to accept any return.
I have straight up asked the people at the return desks what is up with the return policy? 1st time I asked, I asked in reference to my 42″ plasma. The employee at the return desk said, “Dude you could throw a hammer through that screen, piss all over it & STILL bring it in 10 years later & receive a full refund.” “I wouldn’t do that, but even if there’s damage?” I asked. “Yes, even if it’s obviously damaged & non-operational we will still accept the return.”
Cut forward to another week – I was returning a couple of xbox 360′s I bought intending to sell at a mark up online. Me asking the return desk employee at a different Costco in my area, “So, I don’t return things very often but is there a negative side or mark that goes on my account for returning items?” They answer, “No, not really – it’s just that if we see a pattern of A REALLY LARGE AMOUNT of returns of really expensive items we might ask more questions, but you can still return things.”
It wasn’t really a straight forward answer & I suspect that they don’t want to give out all the “clues” as to how exactly their return policy works & when & if there’s actually a limit or downside. As I said before, I have a friend who actually worked at Costco – so that’s how I knew about this – he returned an original Playstation I bought in 1996 for me in the year 2004 & got me a full $300 + tax back for it just to prove to me it could be done. However he worked at Costco over 5 years ago. (The return was done long *after* he quit working there.)
So who knows the real mystery behind Costcos return policy.
Don’t be fooled by COstco ‘s Incredible return policy. Since I spent over $15000 in Costco for TVs, computers, electronics and lots of other items, Cotco immediately cancel my membership. My computer still within 6-month retrun period, but they refuse to let me return even I can prove the computer has problem. THeir policy seems generous, but once you spent big, they can suddenly do things that you never expect. And they refuse to let me return do against the law, because in California, consumer can return the product to any store if not satisfied, THerefore, I decide to sue the Costco for breach the contract of 100% satisfaction guarantee on all merchandise.
Couple of comments and a question:
1 – Rick, if you are going to call people Morons, you should learn how to spell it.
2 – Good news about the return policy. Seems like the store manager will be ultimate arbiter of what is allowed. However, if you live in a large metro area, you could always just try the next store down the road.
Q: Is there a level of account that allows for exceptional return policy…I thought someone mentioned an “Executive” account or something. I’m pretty sure mine is just normal Costco account. Would it still have return priveleges?
I think the return policy is universal for all accounts, though I bet “executive” accounts get more leeway (but are probably less likely to take advantage of it).
Morons – not morans… oops.
Occasionally I forget how to spell apparently.
Costco has excellent return policy becoz they have customer focus. They make use that they fullfil the customer’s perceived value. This boost the loyalty and ensure a long term growth.
Long time ago before exchange and return was common, there were many companies grew large because they have excellent exchange and return policy. One big supermarket says, Return anything any time. So, Costco is showing how they care about the customers.
Rick, first off I’d like to tell you that you and your friend that works at Costco are both 100% wrong. I am a manager at Costco and have worked in returns and RTV which is the department in charge of TRYING to get credit on returned items. I say trying because costco does not get credit for every item we sell. A more realistic number is 65% of the products currently in stock and 30% on deleted items. We do not receive credit on most appliances and half of all electronics we carry. All items that we do not get credit on we salvage to companies for 25 cents on the dollar which means when we take back a $2000 plasma we get $500 for it. Seeing as how our profit margin runs at 10% it will take you spending $15,000 to make up for what we lose. Don’t be surprised when our new tv return policy starts towards the end of the year. As far as it being policy for employees to take home product i’m sure you will reconsider. If it is policy I am sure you will have no problem giving me names of employees who do this and they will be promptly fired. As for your claim that you can refund as much as you want with no consequences, how would you like to give me your membership number and we will see how much you return and how much longer you are allowed to.
In response to more reasonable people on here, there is no account level that enables you to return more. Costco guarantees all of our products to be high quality and feel free to return items that you try and dont like, are the wrong size, and spoiled, defective etc. We are here to make sure you are satisfied with the items you purchase but that does not mean you can be unsatisfied with an item that lasts you 5+ years. Here are some general guidelines depending on usage:
Appliances 3-5 years
Most consumer electronics including tvs, video games, stereos 2 years
Computers 6 months
Clothing 1 year unworn
Media 6 months unopened, 1 month opened for damaged product (we are not blockbuster)
Hope I helped some of you out.
FINALLY!!! Someone with a first-hand knowledge…Thanks Hank! Usually costco product are ok, comparable to other sellers. About the only thing you cant return is the gas….And FYI, there’s a word for “return-policy abuse” : shopgrifting.
Ya know, if the company, or its employees, have a problem with people returning items under their policy, then they should redefine it. I purchase extended warranties on most of my electronics so I can just bring it back to the place of purchase and walk out with a new one, no fuss no muss.
If Costco chooses to have an open ended return policy that people feel is a free extended warranty offered by the company for their membership, then I don’t see a problem with it. And if you see a problem with it, you should bring it up to your superiors and start a discussion on changing it. Until then, stop whining about it and live with it. It is not the consumer’s fault that your company chooses to have such a policy in place in order to draw in more members!!
Go fuck yourself – my membership number is just that; mine. As long as your policy allows me to return my tv at will, I’ll march right in without a damn bit of guilt & return it. When & if you decide to terminate my membership for “over returning” (doubt it), well that’s what good fake ID’s are good for – new memberships.
does anyone think it cheesy to return a sofa to costco (paid $1200, so it wasn’t cheap) after 4 years because the cushions have always slid off. i bought a matching chair at another department store, and the problem doesn’t happen with the chair.
Regarding the sofa, if the cushions have always slid off why wait 4 years to complain? In my opinion your ship has sailed on this one.
i waited 4 years because the problem was not, and is not, unbearable, just annoying, then when i bought the matching chair, the cushions never had the same problem. a friend suggested i take it back, i thought it would be tacky, i just needed a second opinion, thank you ck.
I bought the Vizio 37″ LCD over xmas of 05 and am very happy with the price and the TV. But now (3 mos later) the TV has dropped in price by $100. I asked the clerk at Costco if they had some kind of price protection policy. He said to return it and buy it again at the $100 savings, kind of a hassle in my opinion. It would be easier if they just gave me my $100, a friend purchased a piece of exercise equip online at Costco.com and soon after the purchase he rec’d a credit to his credit card…when he phoned costco.com they said there was a price drop and the money credited was the difference in the new price…I guess they only price protect online and maybe only for a certain amount oif time.
When I had asked my question to the clerk about the TV, there was some Asian kid there telling me he was going to buy an XBOX 360 play it for a while and return it…to me, that way of thinking is completely messed up…and is ABUSE. Who is raising these kids?…THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH…just because there are loopholes doesn’t mean we should slide through them everytime (that’s what makes sleazy lawyers… sleazy). Look at carpool lanes, they were intended for commuter carpools (to encourage carpooling), now any joker with his 5 year old or even pregnant women consider themselves 2 people (ABUSE). As a result the carpool lane is now slower than normal traffic lanes, if people would use things as intended (a carpool van full of employees going to the same workplace) and in moderation the world would work more fluidly and be a better place for all.
I’m not saying that you can’t return things, just have a legitimate reason, and don’t use it to your advantage or profit. Do it in moderation, or it will surely be ruined for all. A prime example is the Costco computer return policy that had to be implemented to combat ABUSE by complete losers. That’s what EBAY is for people…if you don’t like it…sell it to someone else who will. Just because we have frredom of speech in this country doesn’t mean I can or should say anything I want at anytime, laws had to be put on the books to clarify freedom of speech’s limitations. People with no self control and loophole sliders are the reason for the huge amount of rules (clarifying and limiting simple concepts for idiots and abusers) and more rules make for a unhappy existence for all. We need rules, just simple ones that all will follow and understand instead of trying to find a way around them (so childish) requiring more rules to clarify and limit the rules in place. There will always be loopholes, it is the responsiple adult who chooses to abide by the intention of the policy within reason.
Don’t know how old this thread is -just Googled “costco tv policy” and found this forum…
It is hard not to stop at the entrance of Costco and look at all of the beautiful big screen TVs and for the first time yesterday a clerk approached ME and the first thing he said was the above mentioned return-it-forever if it breaks Costco policy…
So, when comparing saving a few bucks by buying something on-line from a far away store you’ve never heard of like plasmasRus, not paying sales tax and the service unknowns vs. being able to bring something back (within reason) to the local Costco store, the piece of mind is worth it.
After reading many of the posts above and the possibility of their generous policy changing, I will probably ask for some clarification but still buy from them, pay sales tax, not abuse them and be able to sleep at night.
I have no ethical issues with purchasing and sometimes returning electronic equipment from Costco, because it’s Costco’s policy that I do just that.
I was unaware of the return policy at Costco until one of their employees explained it to me as such:
“If you buy this stereo and 30 YEARS LATER, you drop it while walking down the stairs, you can return it to Costco for full purchase price”
Costco is a smart company – they understand the value of making their suppliers accountable. I purchase from Costco specifically because I can return anything I buy there should anything at all go wrong with it. This policy forces Costco to stock quality products – if they didn’t they’d go out of business, and Costco gets a lot of money from me because I’m comfortable buying whatever they’ve got. This isn’t an ethical issue. It’s Costco’s policy and as a consumer it makes sense to take advantage of it.
I bought a television at Costco, and I returned it a week later, for the same one. It had some dead pixels.
I could have saved $140 by buying somewhere else, but I think the return ability will be good. However, I hope they don’t change the policy anytime soon. The reason being is that I don’t see costco selling an extended warranty on televisions, so that makes you really stuck, if it breaks after 13 months, and you never had a chance to buy extended warranty. That is why I’d like the ability to return within 3 years or so, IF it breaks.
If they implement a TV policy that is less than 3 years, I would like them to begin selling an extended warranty next to the TVs, and I’ll buy that too!
I agree that the salespeople definitely play up the return policy, its a big sales tool, so I’m fairly confident that net net Costco is doing just fine. Because of the peace of mind, that’s where we buy all our electronics, and good thing because quality is so low these days that alotof times things don’t work right, straight out of the box.
Plus, I make purchases that I wouldn’t ordinarily, simply because I know I can try a product out without worrying about if I want to keep it….of course, 8 times out of 10, sure enough I keep it and the other 2 times, Costco earns my loyalty by accepting an easy return.
I am sure Costco benefits, now I buy everything from Costco (is Costco sells) because it makes me feel comfortable. I buy things from Costco even if I get a better deal elsewhere. Its the comfort factor that if something goes wrong, it will be easy.
I have a Sam’s next door but drive 8 miles to Costco for this purpose.
I bought a 42 inch TV from PHilips which stopped working in 2 weeks. Since it was large to return, I wanted Philips to fix it. Because of Philips’ very poor customer service, I had no choice but to return after 2 months.
Costco took it back without any issus. The peace of mind was worth it.
Costco now gets all my business which it would not have gotten otherwise because of this good policy.
I will be moving away from home this summer (just for ths summer), and don’t have room in my car to bring furniture. How would it be to go to Costco, buy a TV, and use it for the summer, then return it when the summer is over before I go back home? I’m not going to use Costco as a Rent-A-Center, and furnish my place, but I would at least like a TV, that I don’t plan on bringing back with me. Would the Costco Return Policy benefit me in this case?
I didn’t read this whole thread, so if this topic was brought up previously I’m sorry to repeat it.
A friend told me that the reason Costco has this incredible return policy is because they are NOT an official authorized retailer of most of the products they sell. This helps somewhat to explain why the selection is constantly changing and unpredictable, and each warehouse and the website always have different items.
The problem here is that technically, most manufacturer warranties do not have to be honored if a product was not purchased at an authorized retailer. So Costco has no choice but to have this return policy if their customers are to have peace of mind.
For me, that explanation removed all of my ethical considerations. I’m assuming Costco saves a good amount of money by acquiring products the way they do. So even though people take advantage of their return policy, that is money that has to just be considered an expected loss for Costco because of the way they do business.
Hopefully, someone in the know can clear this up for me, because I’m not sure how right my friend was.