Our company, which is a small company regularly saw return chargebacks after a year for reasons like ” wrong color”. Come on , it takes a year to decide the lamp is the wrong color or did someone paint their house and this lamp no longer fits in their decor. Today we received a return authorization for which our company will be charged for (costco will send us a bill since we no longer have any items listed with them) for two lamps that ” doesn’t light anymore” from Northridge , Ca. These lamps were purchased 1 1/2yrs prior to their return.

My first question was why would two lamps quit working at the same time. Power surge, lightening strike? Then it occured to me that California has had a rash of wildfires that may have burned through wires and created a power surge. So I go to the trusty internet and lookup wildfires Northridge, Ca. What do you know, the search results turn up an article and vivid pictures of a wildfire that raged through the Northridge , Ca area on 10/13/2008 and we received a chargeback and RTV (return to vendor) authorization on 10/31/2008. Coincidence or blatant abuse of a generous return policy.

Now the company I work for will be charged back for the cost of the two lamps as well as the shipping for lighting that a costco customer enjoyed for 1 yr and 8 months until wildfire caused their demise. That would not be covered by the most liberal of warranties, yet it will cost us money.

How this kind of behavior can be ethical, i don’t understand. Yet costco doesn’t care because it doesn’t cost them anythign in their bottom line. They simply pass the cost off to their suppliers because they don’t care about their bottom line. There are enough small companies out there that if one goes out of business they will just find another. Costco sale people mislead our company on the rate of returns and they make everything sound very beneficial to the small supplier to lure them in. However if it had been really profitable we would still be selling to them. After two years we found that their return rate was much higher than we had be lead to beleive and in far to many cases they were returns after extended periods of time for “wrong color” or “didn’t like” as reasons.

Costco’s return policy may be great for consumers, however not good for small vendors at all. Unfortunately, being on the supplier side of this coin we have learned to try to avoid clients with the “costco mentality”.

I appluad the manager that had the intestinal fortitude to deny you. You were satisfied with it for the 1st year? 2nd year? 3rd year? then after that, you want all your money back? hmmm. We still have a bike that we bought for my 10 year old from 2004. It no longer is the right size for her, should I take it back?

“despite the fact that I am still a member in good standing, I had the receipt and all of the equipment looked as if it were new.” you mean despite the fact that it does not have all the bells and whistles that the newer units have? It is a 2003 model product!

It is people like you that caused them to change the store policies. you should be ashamed of yourself.

I have been a member for many years for the very reason that most other folks are… good prices and a great protection against defective merchandise. I recently tried to return a home theater system that died after 4 years of VERY light use and was told that they would not accept it despite the fact that I am still a member in good standing, I had the receipt and all of the equipment looked as if it were new. I tried to explain to 3 people including the assistant store manger that there was a 100% satisfaction guaranteed retrun policy. The response that I recieved from all of them was perplexing. They all pointed repetedly at the sign on the wall that says 100% satisfaction guaranteed and said thats our return policy, we cant accept this. When I pressed them for where it excludes my non-operational equipment that I am “not satified with” they continued to point lamely at the sign and told me “thats the policy, we cannot accept this.” Now, I understand that 4 years is a good bit of time to return something. However, If Costco means to prohibit folks from returning items they buy after a certian period they should state that specifically in the warranty. However, Costco has only restricted computer returns and nothing else by my understanding.

So what is Costco’s real return policy? 100% satifaction guaranteed? It certainly doesnt seem so. I sounds like they have the tendency to adjust the policy as they see fit.

I should also add that I am not a serial returner. The only other thing that I have returned was something that was the wrong size. That item was simply exchange for the correct one.

We looked at each other like “What??” and decided to return the TV, because 4 yrs for a $1700 TV is not that long. The TV crapped out on us this past weekend.

We exchanged it for a Plasma at Costco.

Also, Costco is one of the companies that has municipalities use eminent domain against other property owners so they can get the land to build new clubs. That is the issue that was covered in the hot-button case before the Supreme Court, Kelo vs New London.

[EDIT: moved the URL into the link]

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.

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. Yes we are aware that people abuse our policy and when they have excessive returns we do put a stop to it. But considering most of our warehouses have 40,000-120,000 members the amount of people doing this is very small. Unfortunately as technology progresses along with prices we are losing more and more money. A new tv return policy is in the works aimed at around 2 years. You are correct when you realize that the irresponsible behavior of the few will make it harder for the majority of the good.

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, 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.

p.s. for the question asked in number 13, look up your local law, you will see that buying an item and returning it for more money is indeed fraud and while one may get away with on a small item a few times, if you try on a larger item you can be prosecuted.

I was shopping for a TV. So, I go to my costco… And being a noob. I ask, the dude on the floor next to the TV’s. “If I purchase this TV… How long do I get to bring it back if it doesn’t turn on?” He told me 5-6 years!!! Whoooa… I went to other places like sears/Best buy and for the same tv with a 3 year service agreement it would have cost about 400.00 more then what costco had.

Needless to say I bought the TV from Costco. The TV is working great and it’s been about 2 years. I guess… In my mind… I wouldn’t feel bad returning this TV in 3 years if it crapped out on me. But I wouldn’t return it 4-6 years later. I don’t think that is reasonable. I dunno, if the employee’s say you can bring it back in 5 – 6 years……. What is the real deal here? Unless I just got bad info?