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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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I love costco. I tell everybody about the merits of costco membership and the fact that they have stood behind every single one of their products sold with a full money back guarantee thus far.
Although lately at some Costco’s I’ve heard comments about returns clerks ‘asking’ more questions – even if successful return. I’ve personally have not ever seen or experienced any return that was not possible.
I’m surprised to hear that there may be a ‘point system’ in place now – can a costco employee verify that? Is it similar to what other retailers use? (I hear there is really only a handful of systems in use – the most popular one used by Walmart).
Rumor has it that Costco may be changing their return policy next year. I’m sure that whatever the policy change is, it will still be the best out there.
I work for Costco. Yes our policy is great and we are happy to take things back for reasonable reasons. If a TV craps out on you in 3 years, we are happy to take it back but if your returning a TV because you want to “upgrade”, I and many of Costco’s workers believe it’s ethically wrong. Why? Because we then need to take that really old TV that was returned and try to salvage it to a reseller (for usually 10% or less of the actual price) or completely dispose of it and lose every dollar.
BE AWARE PEOPLE!!!!!!! WARNING
We do keep track of all returns and if we track a history of consistant and unreasonable returns, such as multiple cases returning a computer every 6 months or returning a TV every 3 years, we can ban you from all costco locations. WHEN YOU APPLY FOR A MEMBERSHIP, WE TYPE IN YOUR LICENSE # INTO THE COMPUTER THAT IS IN A DATABASE SERVER TO ALL COSTCOS WORLDWIDE!!!
We want our members to be happy and we want to give them the freedom to be happy with their purchases. That is why we have such a great policy, and now and then we will have the ethically wrong returns, and we definately notice them. Continue to shop at Costco and enjoy our great policy but please don’t try to take advantage of it, because its unfair for the 98% who ARE fair. Our prices are very competitive and we expect our products to work great for you.
You all are wrong to say its lifetime.. Shame on you all .. The policy isnt there for you to take it for granted.. Its there to make you happy .. I guess if it was your store you would feel so fine with people like yourselfs.. Costco is there for the members who want good quility for good prices.. not stupid people like most of you … If you came in to my store i would deffently wouldnt let you retun a dam thing… I dont care if i gave your membership money back .. at least we wouldnt have to deal with you in out store again .. But you cant seem to stop comming in our prices must be that great.. stop and think about the return is it really Costco’s fault.. NO
I returned 7 or 8 items and the person told me oh “Wow you return a lot of stuff. Please don’t abuse the policy.” I was so embarresed.
Hey, “Return clerk”:
Nice job calling people who return items to Costco stupid. You really back up your point that everyone else is stupid with words like “yourselfs”, “deffently”, “comming”, and “dam”. Just the literacy and elloquence that you have exhibited in your brilliant point has made me think about not abusing aforementioned return policy.
I agree with you that this policy shouldn’t be abused. If people abuse something like this, chances are it gets taken away. However, next time try this: don’t insult people and make yourself look like a douchebag at the same time. Not the best way to sway opinions. Maybe make a relevant point, and back it up by being reasonable about it. Just a thought…
FUCK THE RETURN CLERK. MAKES ME WANT TO RETURN MORE STUFF. HAHAHAHAH
to the first poster i would like to say this and to many others and my response would be : actually if you have had it over 5 yrs its more reasonable to return it why? simply cuz you gave the company enough time for them to make profit however returning tvs or anyting just to “upgrade” then on that i agree that you are abusing it and they should blacklist those people not everyone !!! so a tv after 4 yrs for a return sounds great
and for the record i agree to no name on dec10 reply the costco worker 100%
I think people have to be honest to themselves if they really think it’s ethical to return things. Like someone said above, if it was your store, how would you feel about it? I have had a lot of returns at costco, but I also spend alot of money there. There were times when I was more embarassed than others about my returns, but I try to make a clear decision about if I am abusing it or not. I do video editing and I have purchased and returned alot of LCD monitors because I have a very hard time finding one that works for what I am doing. I have asked customer service if they have a recommendation and no one seems to have one. So I try the new products as they come out, and return them if they don’t work. I try to make my returns on a 6 month max, but usually try to return in less than 30 or 60 days.
From finance.yahoo.com:
COST
Revenue 60B dollars
Gross Profit (ttm): 7.41B
Are you telling me that the abusers will ever ever ever wipe off 7.5 billions dollars worth profits? Costco rocks because of it’s policy, that’s the reason for it’s kicka$$ sales figures. Why whine when high end retailers like Nordstorm have a similar return policy?????
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year Ends: 3-Sep
Most Recent Quarter (mrq): 03-Sep-06
Profitability
Profit Margin (ttm): 1.83%
Operating Margin (ttm): 2.71%
Management Effectiveness
Return on Assets (ttm): 6.45%
Return on Equity (ttm): 12.24%
Income Statement
Revenue (ttm): 60.15B
Revenue Per Share (ttm): 128.058
Qtrly Revenue Growth (yoy): 19.00%
Gross Profit (ttm): 7.41B
EBITDA (ttm): 2.28B
Net Income Avl to Common (ttm): 1.10B
Diluted EPS (ttm): 2.30
Qtrly Earnings Growth (yoy): 0.30%
Balance Sheet
Total Cash (mrq): 2.83B
Total Cash Per Share (mrq): 6.182
Total Debt (mrq): 565.28M
Total Debt/Equity (mrq): 0.062
Current Ratio (mrq): 1.053
Book Value Per Share (mrq): 19.778999
Cash Flow Statement
Operating Cash Flow (ttm): 1.83B
Levered Free Cash Flow (ttm): 578.57M
What is return abuse?
A neighbor of mine when I was a teenager was an owner of a small pizza restaurant. And he would complain about customer return abuse. I just thought he was a cranky old man and ignored his whining.
Then one day I went to college. Some guys in my college dorm would purchase 1 pizza purchase at the beginning of the semester, eat 90% of the pizza and leave the remainder sitting on the windowsill for 3 days and then cry to the pizza establishments about the quality of the pizza. IF they did their whining and screaming well enough they could milk that single pizza into free pizzas for the next 4 months.
My neighbor was not whining. He was correct. Return abuse can be horrendous.
I call it Pizza Abuse. A singularly insignificant sale becomes return policy abuse costing the vendor money far greater than what could ever be recouped from a life time of sales to that customer.
After I read this thread it became obvious that many people have made Pizza Abuse their primary passion.
One seldom discussed fact is most business polices are not written for the enjoyment or satisfaction of the customers, rather the policies are written for the employees to easily perform. Written polices, regardless of the policy, allow sales staff to quickly perform their job. It is really NOT about the customer, it is about the sales staff (or business) returning to their more profitable jobs. While any policy is good as long as the customers are quickly processed, liberal return policies are “nice” in that they generate smiling customers who are even more quickly processed.
Wham, bam, thank you madam here is your new toaster oven (big screen TV or any other appliance), allows the business to sell 50 more toaster ovens quicker and easier. And 1 returned toaster oven versus 50 sold toaster ovens may be a great ratio for some businesses. But what happens when you give away 50 toaster ovens to only 1 sold toaster oven? 50 returned toaster ovens to 1 sold amounts to Pizza Abuse.
The hand writing is on the wall. Pizza Abuse is becoming rampant across this country. The ratio of wham bam returns is eating into the units sold. Not a good situation. If Costco sees the need to stop Pizza Abuse I say more power to them.
Wow, there are a lot of ignorant people out there (referring to the ‘shopgrifters’ in this thread)
Sears is bringing in a 15% restock fee on some items specifically to combat shopgrifting.
To back up what some of the costco employees have stated: costco does not always get to return the refunded merchandise to the manufacturer for credit. I personally know of one of our competitors in the Fitness industry who buys the returned treadmills & other fitness items, at a huge discount below cost. He fixes them and then resells them in his store (without telling the customer of course).
As a specialty retailer that does not have such a generous return policy: I have always been reasonable with customers who are unsatisfied with their purchase: if there is a defect, our service people will fix it; if there’s a cosmetic flaw we will either repair, replace, or exchange the item at the manufacturer’s discretion. If you bought a treadmill 3 years ago and then decide you want a refund simply because you don’t use it, well we might give you what it’s worth for us to resell, but a full refund in that case is rediculous and unreasonable. Some people simply have unreasonable expectations and cannot be satisfied.
In 10 years of retail management I can only think of 2 cases where a customer asked for a refund that I thought was unreasonable and I simply told them so. Did I lose those 2 as a future customer? Sure.
Let Costco have the unreasonable few out there. Their policy encourages fraud, but their volume makes up for it. That’s their business model and that’s fine with me. I’ll just keep being reasonable and fair, it works for me.
I love Costco return policy and is the only reason I joined it. Never returned anything in 4 years but recently bought a $2000 LCD TV. If it does crap out in 3-4 years, I wont mind returning it. I could have gotten the same TV for $400 less in CircuitCity but purchased it in Costco for peace of mind (not for returning).
The main reason Costco gets members to buy their high end products is the return policy. So not being able to use it when required is a oxy-moron. Also, if they do change their return policy next year on TV’s to 1yr or 2, then this TV is going right back to them. There is no reason to feel ashamed. I am sure I made them more money than that and will keep being an Executive member.
But I agree with most members that buying a 5000$ TV for the sole reason of returning is ABUSE.
to ed crab,
thanks for your reply, i’m still on the fence about my couch, and have retired it to the basement. i don’t think i’ll return it, the dog has become fond of it.
i’m really enjoying this thread, i shake my head at the people that outright abuse the policy, and it’s a shame for all those that have to return items legitimately. i once returned ham that had gone mouldy before it’s expiry date, and was embarassed. i don’t know how some of these people can live with themselves. one word…..karma.
buffy
I have been a customer of Costco for many years, I have returned quite a few items in those years due to problems or issues and had no problems. I purchased a tv about 12 months ago and now the picture is totally screwed up. My question is will Costco take my return after the new year. I hear all this talk about Costco not taking back any LCD tvs because of the abuse. Also how does Costco determine if you are not allowed to return anymore items, is there a dollar threshold that is used, ie. if you returned more then $10,000 worth of stuff you are not allowed to return anymore. I live in Canada so I am not sure if the policy is the same in the US and Canada. Any input would be great.
NoName: It’s not for Costco’s return clerks to decide if you are returning to “upgrade” your computer. I have bought and returned a number of computers to Costco 5 months later. Why? Some sort of failure or, BIOS bug on each one. The fact is, manufacturers are not interested in hearing from technically inclined consumers about problems with their products. I know far more than the return clerks at my Costco about computers and have encountered some strange bugs in many, many different laptops. I’ve come to realize that if that happens, it’s time to haul it back. Unfortunately I’ve gotten strange looks and I’m sure they all think I just return to get a free upgrade.
The fact of the matter is that the policy is “Complete Satisfaction Guaranteed”. I am not completely satisfied with a product if it does not last a reasonable amount of time. For me that means:
Computers: 1 year (unfortunately, they limit to 6 months)
TVs: 5 years
Consumer Electronics: 5 years
Clothes: More than one year
Food: Up to it’s expiration date (this means every last piece of it. If I buy a case of Diet Coke and the last one is flat, you’re going to take it back.)
Furniture: 5+ years. I’ve had a hard time with office chairs. All of the padding wears out within 6 months. And the chairs Costco is stocking only seem to be worse. But they’re still better than Office Max, Staples, etc.
Household appliances: Depends, but at least 2 years.
We’ve developed a good relationship with many of the employees at our Costco and they know we buy more than we return. It’s not unreasonable to haul a TV back in after 8 months because it’s developed a bad case of burn-in, or it’s getting dark spots, or it turns itself off, etc. Maybe we just happen to get the bad equipment, but we’ve had to return what is probably an unusually high amount of electronics. I’ll be damned if we’re going to eat that cost. Costco doesn’t either. Almost all of the returns that we have made go back to the manufacturer. That is what the employees at our store have told us. The manufacturer makes a bad product? You better believe that they are going to eat it.
Just returned a Sony flatscreen w builtin dvd player and VHS that we purchased in Dec 2003 at a Costco in Baltimore. Top 20% of the screen had was distorted with big white lines jumping through it. Went to Costco customer service desk back in Nov and they pulled up the record, we explained we didn’t have the receipt, they said bring manuals, remote, etc. back and everything would be ok for return. Took TV back today, Dec. 30th and person working returns gave us a hard time. “You know you purchased this in 2003, right? That was over 3 years ago!” We explained we had spoken to someone already and that we understood Costco’s policy was to replace defective merch. Then she called the manager, after 10 min of waiting the manager chastises us and says “You know you can only return tv’s within a year / you have to go through the manufacturer, etc.” We stood firm and explained the situation again, she didn’t fight it and gave us credit. But for a second she kinda expected us to say “OK!” and walk back out w/ the broken tv. She begrudgingly gave us store credit and we bought a new LCD set. Just pissed me off that we were given a hard time today. I should have returned the set in Nov but procrastinated and then got paranoid today thinking they would change the policy! Phew!
I bought a Akai TV from Costco 3 1/2 years ago for $999.99. We were out of town over the holidays and when we returned home and turned on the TV, it had red lines all over the screen. I read the owners manual and found out it was the confergence. After unsuccessfully trying “perfect focus” and manuel confergence, it still wouldn’t fix itself. I did a search online and found out that this particular TV has a history of this problem, usually 3-4 years after purchase. I called Costco and explained the situation and they said to bring the TV in for a full refund. I don’t think I’m abusing the policy. This is a defect with the TV and Costco has a policy to cover this type of situation. As a result, I won’t buy anything electronic anywhere but at Costco. Talk about successful marketing on Costco’s part. I returned a $400 camera that stopped working after 1 year and they refunded my money, but I have to say, I was surprised they would refund the money for a TV. I certainly wouldn’t return something that worked perfectly fine just to get a new model. That I do think is unethical.
Someone asked earlier in this thread about returning a product they received as a gift but I didn’t see a reply.
Here goes. I received a portable TV/DVD as a Christmas gift (this Christmas). It died yesterday after using it for less that 20 hours. It is still in warranty and I called manufacturer, apparently a defect. They want me to ship it to the US and they will repair or replace it. Shipping will cost me $30-$40 Canadian as the service centre is in the US and must be sent as a trackable package (UPS). After 90 days from the original date of purchase the warranty is no longer valid thus no extented warranty after they repair it and if it malfunctions again the minimum cost (1 hr) is $135 US to repair. Not to mention shipping costs again…
So I would like to return it to Costco, however, like the post above, I am not the member (but in this case I do have the original receipt). Will they give me the money? Are they going to make me take another product the same? Will they give me a store credit? or will they tell me only the member can return the item even if I have the original receipt? Thing is, I want the protable DVD but now that I know the manufacturer warranty sucks I would rather buy a Sony or other relyable name brand that at least has a Canadian Service centre.
I can see costo getting royally shafted when the Xbox 360 version 2 is released.
Everyone will return their version 1′s to buy the one with the HDMI port.
Clearly anyone with a 1080p TV is going to want the new one since HDMI is superior to component for 1080p display
Costco’s Risk-Free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
On merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. Please note, as of November 4th, 2002 , the return policy for all desktop and notebook computers are six months from the date of purchase. Six months after purchase, all computer services and technical support will be subject to the applicable remaining manufacturer’s warranty.
On membership: We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.
That’s the policy.Note the word “satisfaction”….There is nothing stated or implied about merchandise returns other than computers and your membership. Ge, it’s funny how everybody is whining about electronics. I don’t hear too many issues about other stuff. So cheapskates…keep on abusing the privelige and guess what….sooner or later you’ll be cutoff. Go ahead and keep returning your old junk for new stuff. Try doing that with a car. Then when you become dissatisfied with the management preventing you from abusing the system set up for honest people who actually encounter defective products then maybe you’ll finally get 100% of your membership refunded with a kick out the door along with your last return so they get rid of the shopgrifters who are ruining it for the good people and you will then have your final satisfaction 100% at Costco. Costco doesn’t offer extended warranties like other stores because in the past people weren’t so stingy and greedy to just return everything they buy. You people make me sick. If you can afford to buy a $4000 TV then just shut up and buy another one. It must be nice to be able to piss away money like that. You could feed a third world country with that dough, instead you’re whining about TV’s. Get your fat a– off of your couch and maybe go buy a pair of glasses instead and do something productive with yourselves and don’t be so greedy. Are you that blind that you need to look at 65″ screen. And as far as you people claiming that you spend like $20,000 on electronics items and just have to return like almost all of them because they are somehow defective right after a new model has come out, you people are FULL OF CRAP!!!!!!!!!!! If you have that kind of money to burn and a store kept selling you stuff that happened to break down always and you had to keep returning things you bought, you wouldn’t continue to shop there for your electronics. So cut out the BS. And to all of you people who just LOOOVE the fact that you can keep trading up your goods, guess what, you’ll be the ones who cause the liberal policy to be cut off. It’s just a matter of time, like the computers. All you “every computer I buy from here lasts only 5 months” people, you’ll be cut off too. Nobody is that dumb to believe you!!!
I recently bought a 1080p 67″ Samsung DLP set from Costco since I am a HUGE FAN of Costco (I call it the $200 store since me and the wife can’t go in without spending $200) but have had it home now for just over 2 months. As much as I like the set, I am one of those that notices the sparkle effect and the Rainbow effect. This set cost me $4000 Cdn and tax.
HERE IS MY DELEMA …..
I am not happy with the set ..
I want to return it to Costco to buy another set from Costco.
But I want another BIG 1080p set but after much reading realize I need a Plasma or LCD which do not suffer from Rainbow Effect or Sparkle effect that I am prone to see.
Costco does not have a larger Plasma or LCD in the 1080p format “YET” … but I am sure they will within the next few months.
I don’t want to go the next few months with no HDTV and an empty wall unit while I wait for my local Canadian Costco to get one of these sets.
Am I wrong for wanting to wait till Costco gets what I want in and “THEN” return it so I still have a HDTV in the mean time.
I don’t see this as EVIL or ABUSE to the system. My next set HAS TO BE at Costco since I sleep easy at night knowing a great name in the Wholesale world has my back. This is not an upgrade swap if that is what you are thinking .. do you think I enjoy lugging this thing around !!
I would love to hear comments from COSTCO EMPLOYEES in particular that are in the know. I just want to be happy with my $4000 purchase .. and right now I am not. The set is not defective, but I see things I just don’t like.
Cheers
I am so sick of these so called “ethics champions” out there trying to preach their idea of what is or is not ethical. Here are some points for you to consider:
1: Costco has put this policy in place KNOWING there will certainly be some abuse. However, a cost/benifit analysis has told them that it is FAR more beneficial than it is detrimental.
2: As for HDTVs and some other electronics, Costco sells only inferior stripped down Costco specific models, old models, or no-name brands. I guarantee any item you purchase at Costco can be found for far less $$ elsewhere. I recently purchased a Sharp LCD tv from Costco for $1300. It is a 2 year old model as of the time I bought it. That same TV sells for $900 at several other retailers. So why would I pay Costco $400 more? Because of their guarantee that’s why. So look at it this way, I just paid $400 for an extended replacement guarantee warranty. And HELL YES a tv should last more than 4-5 years. I have never had a tv last under 15 years and that’s on at leaast 12 hours per day 7 days a week.
Costco’s guarantee states that they will refund you if AT ANY TIME you are “unsatisfied with your purchase” FOR ANT REASON!!
So quit trying to preach your twisted idea’s of “ethics” in this regard. If Costco was not gaining and profiting from this policy, they would have changed it years ago.
BTW, did you know that Sam’s Club changed their return policy to read almost identical to Costco’s? Why? because it makes sense and MAKES SALES!!
you are all full of crap
you just want something bigger and cheaper and you feel guilty because you know what you are doing is just upgrading and you are looking for a good excuse to tell the cashier that asks , What’ the reason for your return, and don’t want to give a dumbass reason, so you are looking for support from the peanut gallery. If all of you people really believed that costco had a policy of taking everything back just to sell more stuff this topic wouldn’t go on and on and on. The reason for the policy is so you can shop with confidence knowing that if you do run into trouble with your product costco will be there with a refund. It has nothing to do with taking back stuff that breaks. Everything has a life expectancy and no item will last forever.
and unless you work for costco you have no business whining about why costco policies are what they are. And as far as lasting 4-5 years…..it’s still new technology, if manufacturers told you their $3000 TV would burn out after a few years you wouldn’t waste your money buying one
This true. I work at Costco in returns and I don’t know where you guys are getting these numbers. Not our policy at all!
Thanks for the reply on my delema. But the issue still is … if I return my set now due to RBE, Costco has nothing I want at the moment as a replacement. Since I am a gamer and my room is bright, my choice is a nice 50-52″ LCD (prefer 1080p) and Costco does not have this.
So If I return my DLP to Costco now, I will be without an HDTV. Only other option is to go elswhere for the set, in which case .. I am now without Costco’s great policy.
Mikey_Gee, If you are asking for an opinion on your dilemma, here it is:
The tv is going back regardless. You are certainly “NOT SATISFIED” with your purchase. If I were in your position, I would wait until Costco has the TV you want or you can settle for something like a 46″ LCD which I believe they carry now. Or as someone else suggested, try Costco.com. They usually have a large selection but I did notice that recently Costco.com has not had a great selection of LCD and plasma tvs. I would be willing to bet that the selection will certainly improve within the next couple months.
I believe the above is a better option than giving your business to another competitor. It keeps you loyal to Costco. I believe if you asked a Costco executive, he/she would give you the same opinion.
Well, lady luck is on my side.
Costco here in my area of Canada will be getting in the Sharp Aquos 1080p 52″ LCD set (Sharp-LC52D62U) this week. So I am VERY VERY happy. I was actually looking at a few at my FS and BS (which I would NEVER BUY FROM) and they are GEORGEOUS LCD sets with Plasma like contrast and blacks with a 4ms response time. ANYWAY ….
I hear this set had some banding issues over on the AVS forum in the early serial numbers (610) but the “611″ serials and up are pretty solid with the odd lemon. You know how it is … folks that are happy say little or nothing … and folks that are not complain to the point of driving you crazy.
I will cross my fingers I get a 611 serial or higher and have no banding …….. “BUT IF I DO” ….. once again …. here is why I love Costco …. if need be I will return the set 10 times for a new LC52D62U till I get one that is perfect (still hope I get a good set first time out)
Then I can set it up and FORGET ABOUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!
I will enjoy it for many years till next time I need a new TV … and then I will go back to Costco to buy my new set (as long as they still have that killer policy)
Thanks to all who gave me some feed back. I apprecate it very much.
Cheers
While you can argue the ethics of the intial post, it simply is not true.
I had a VCR I bought at Costco 5 years ago die, so I thought I’d put this policy to the test. I brought it in today, without a receipt and asked if I could return it. The guy behind the counter asked how long ago I bought it, immediately got annoyed and flatly said “no”. No explanation, no conversation, no pleasantries. Just “no, we can’t do that” as if I was insane for even asking.
I Looked up at the wall, I noticed the return policy seems to have been amended with vague wording along the lines of
“All purchases are 100% guaranteed. Costco appreciates:
- returns within 30 days of purchase
- with receipt
- in original packaging”
So it appears that the return policy has become an unconditional 30 day return policy. There seems to be some “magic” number where if you bought within that period (a year?) they may listen to your story, but the policy on the wall prettly clearly states where they are going.
Please don’t flame me for trying to return a dead 5 year old VCR – I was going to junk it but thought it would be a great chance to test out the boundaries of this legendary Costco return policy. I think it is still vague to allow local managers some latitude but it is certainly no longer an unconditional lifetime return policy.
If anything it is unethical for Costco to continue to foster a perception of a lifetime return policy, and owe it to it’s members to clarify this policy.
Costco’s policy on TV’s is NOT that great. I “JUST” got off the phone and came right out and asked …. if I dump $4600 into a TV, how long will Costco cover me for ??
I was told 1 year and nothing more.
So I replied …. WOW …. if I spend $4600 on a TV and as little as 2 years later it has a LEGIT issue, Costco will not help me out …??
I was told NO
I asked if I could buy an extended warranty since I can get a bigger selection and a 5 year full warranty at most places for the same if not close to what Costco wants (case in point the set I want at Costco is $3999, I can get it at my local B&M stores for $3800) and once again I was told “NO”
So now, I have no intention of abusing the return policy to UPGRADE a few years from now … HOWEVER …. when I spend $4600 (tax in) on a HDTV …. I do expect to get more than one year of backing on a product.
Me again, a new day a new discovery
====
Ok, after getting my very sad news from Costco yesterday about the return policy, I found myself having a hard time really thinking they would only cover me for 1 year on a $4600 purchase.
SO …. I just called back and SPECIFICALLY asked for the returns manager. Did not tell why, I just had to speak to the Return manager.
Conversation went like this: (M= Me / CM = Costco Return Manager)
==============================================
M:
I called yesterday in regards to your return policy on TV sets and was told it was only one year is this true ??
CM:
Well that depends
M:
Well I always keep my boxes, receipt, original stuff that came with it
CM:
OK, that’s good , so what really are you looking to find out.
M:
Well I will be spending a total of about $4600 on a HDTV set and to be very honest, the fact I will only have Costco back me if something goes wrong for only a year … that does not make me happy at all. In fact, it has causes me to start shopping arount at other stores with more selections and in many cases a better price.
CM:
Well the first thing you have to consider with the return policy is the PRICE of the item. If you buy a $500 TV from us, the info you got was correct … we will cover it for only a year. HOWEVER, in your case you are spending well over that, $4600 I think you said correct ??
M:
Yes ..
CM:
Well of course you want more than 1 years peace of mind. Other wise I think you would be crazy to not go elsewhere and get a extended warranty. HOWEVER, not sure who you spoke to, but they left out one VERY BIG detail.
M:
Oh ?? And what is that ??
CM:
Our policy is 1 year per every $1000 in regards to Televisions and most electronics. .. but not computers.
M:
Yeah I knew about that and computers. But hey .. I am liking what I hear and feel better.
CM:
Yes, I am sure you do. So long story short, your $4600 set will be backed by our well known policy for 4 years. As I said .. one year per $1000
M:
Well that make me feel much better and I guess now I can buy will confidence again at Costco. Other wise, my business and many other of my friends would probably go to another store for our stuff.
CM:
Sure you would … and rightfully so. Costco is hoping to get a more DIRECT explanation of our policy since it seems to be shadowed with rumours and questions far to much.
M:
Yeah, your not kidding. Well thanks for the info, and not I can happily say I will be getting my TV at Costco now.
CM:
Very glad to hear that and we appreciate the business.
M:
Oh, one more thing …. not that I have any intention on doing so, but with such a good policy you must get abuse from it.
CM:
Sure we do …. but it is not like we don’t know this. Trust me, I will not get into the details but this “Abuse” is factored into the big pictures. At anual conferences we discuse and understand the pros and cons of our policy. Lucky for us …. and the customers ….. the pros far outweigh the cons.
M:
NICE !!! Well thanks for your time and I look forward to my new TV from Costco.
CM:
Your more than welcome and I am happy to be able to clear the water.
=======================================================
So, not WORD FOR WORD …. but pretty close for sure. This makes me feel better so I guess I will retract my last statement.
Just to confirm I called a second Costco in my area but kept it short when taking to the Return Manager by simply asking …. “I am looking to spend $4600 on a HDTV … is it true you guys give one year coverage per $1000??” and I was very quickly told “YES, that is true”
Just goes to show ….. DO NOT TALK TO DESK JOKEYS ….. 90% of the time they are clueless. Needles to say, I will be going back to my original plan and getting my set at Costco and sleeping well at night knowing I am covered.
Cheers;
Mike
Hmm… That’s totally not what I experienced. I tried to return a defective 7 month old TV to my local warehouse yesterday, and I was flat out rejected. The return manager told me that there’s been a new policy in effect for the last 2 month: they’ll reject all TV returns past 30 days unless I can prove that I’ve exhausted all possible options in repairing the TV. And even then, it’s up to the return manager’s discretion.
I called their customer center this morning at 800-744-2678 and was told that there’s no such thing as unlimited return period. They’ll accept returns up to 30 days from the date of purchase, then it’s on a case-by-case basis. Basically each store can have its own return policy – there’s absolutely no guarantee that you can return anything after 30 days.
So this seems to contradict with everything I’ve heard so far (unlimited return policy, etc), but it’s straight from the source – both physical warehouse and customer call center.
^^
Well if it is on a store to store basis (maybe country as well) I am glad my Costco is in Canada and I am glad both Costcos in my area are on the same page as well as Canada head office.
If costco policy is going in that direction stated by the last posts from this year (2007), then it seems that costco has really changed (or assumed) its new return policy.
And if that is the case with a ridiculous inconsistent return policy, then I’ll be taking my business and membership fee somewhere else, because with a policy that you never know what to expect is no better than buying from an Ebay seller.
How is costco return policy for the Dell laptops they sell?
Are the Dell laptops also included in the six montn retunr policy for computers?
I mean IF i need to return the laptop Will I deal with costco or Dell?
How about the return policy for the weider home gym platinum plus? How long is the return policy for that one?
Thanks in advance.
I just returned my Dell XPS yesterday. I had it for 3 months and the battery started dying out on my. They gladly took it back and i got my 1650$ for it. I love costco and if i spend more than $100 on something that is where it will be. They said there is no exceptions on computer after 6 months and that is the only downside I have noticed (i guess that they figure that computers go out of date in 6 months).
Costco’s return policy is not open ended. The returns policy is 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If a manufacturer will only guarantee (warranty) the product they made for, say, 1 year, why would Costco say that they know it will last longer. They are not saying that if you use it for a couple of years and you decide that you are not satisfied because the picture is not as clear as you think it should be. Then you can return it. Costco actually takes a 65% loss on TV’s returned out of the manufacturers warranty. There is no written policy (internal or external) on how long you may return an item. There are a lot of factors that are looked at……The returns policy does vary store to store….hope this helps.
Which XPS did you buy, the m1210 or m1710?
Was it a hassle to return it to costco?
I got an m1710 but the thing is getting extremely hot so I called dell but they have no clue what’s going on, and say that this is normal with the m1710.
But for me an idle temp of around 80 degree Celsius is not normal at all.
So i’m thinking on returning it to costco instead of going through the hassle of sending it to dell to fix it, which i doubt they will do decently.
thanks
If Costco told you their policy changed in the last two months but you bought it 7 months ago.. Then I would fight them on it if I were you. You should still be under whatever the old policy was. If the manager won’t help ask for their district manager.
I’ve read this whole thread because I plan to buy a HDTV within the next two weeks. And Right now Costco is sounding like a crap shot. I think I might take my business to Sam’s Club where I can at least buy an extended warranty..
Hey yiassou, was that the Akai PT4298HD that you had and returned? I have the same tv and it started doing the same thing thie morning . . . 3 1/2 years after getting it. I’m thinking about seeing if my Costco will take it back so I can get something else. Odd timing though, as I just got a 62″ Toshi for the living room and that Akai is in the bedroom.
qstn for mikey gee… where in canada are you? i would like to get that sharp 52 from costco, i was thinking of going down to the US to get it, but would prefer to get it here in toronto if possible.
Wondering if someone can comment on my situation. I bought a Garmin GPS receiver from Costco.ca in July 06 (7 months ago). I intended to take a road trip, but that never happened. Its been sitting on my shelf for 7 months – I have all the packaging and everything it came with. Never used it, or hooked it up. It cost about $500 and right now I’d rather have the money back. Is not having any use for a purchase a valid reason for returning it? Its obviously my fault for not taking it back sooner. Will they take it back? It was a wrong purchase entirely as I don’t go on out of town trip very often, and I know my city too well to lug around this thing in the car. Buying something and not liking it is one thing, but will Costco take back something because it was stupid of me to buy it in the first place?
great hotdogs
I tried to return a my 1 yr old lcd today and was told by the general manager to try the concierge service to resolve my television issue. I did bring up the fact I bought the tv under different return policies the year prior and that they should honor my original return agreement. I was given what seemed to be a bunch of corporate answers off a rebuttal sheet.
Do I have any legal recourse??? Won’t the district manager just regurgitate what the general manager said??
I’ll probably try another store in my area and see if another general manager is going for the corporate posterchild of the week award.
People who use Costco’s return policy when they want the latest product or if it breaks after a reasonable period of time are MAGGOTS!
When you do this, you just increase the costs for the rest of us. How do you think Costco aborbs these losses? They raise prices or membership fees you fools!
Fair is fair, but you abusers are selfish and inconsiderate.
For you who say you’ll take your business elsewhere if Costco changes their return policy, go right ahead! Retailers don’t need or want policy abusers like you…in fact, some of them track abusers and won’t take returns after a certain number of times.
I get tired of people I know who say they’ll take anything back to Costco just to get a new one after it breaks or gets old. You got our money’s worth. Things do not last forever.
I’m a cheapskate always looking for a good deal, but I won’t abuse a return policy when I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of a product.
The poster who said he expected a 100-dollar DVD player to last more than 4-5 years is a policy abuser, no matter what he believes. A person who say they’ve had a product 6 months or a year wand wants to return is an abuser. Seems to me you would know if you were genuinely unhappy with the purchase within the first month.
Remorse is not a legitimate return reason…you shouldn’t have purchased it in thef first place.
The policy change is “official” now. See link.
90 days for TVs!
To those unethical maggots who abused Costco’s return policy on electronics: Thanks for ruining it for everyone who has a LEGITIMATE REASON for returning or exchanging something.
Time to checkout Sams Club