Know The Rules: Holiday Return Policies : Best Buy
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Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com have lenient holiday return policies, although nowhere near as customer-friendly as last year’s policies. BestBuy.com and store purchases made between November 1, 2008 and December 24, 2008 may be returned through January 24, 2009 (last year’s policy allowed returns through January 31, 2009). Product exceptions (monitors, projectors, digital cameras, camcorders, radar detectors, and used video games) have a return deadline of 14 days from Christmas (January 8, 2009). That’s somewhat understandable, since some of these products fall into the “wardrobing” category: merchandise that can be bought, used during a vacation, and then returned as defective or unwanted. Best Buy’s exception policy for computers is a bit harder to understand. For desktop and laptop computers, you essentially have 14 days to return the item. If you bought a computer as a gift on Black Friday, your return period has already expired, even before Christmas. Best Buy’s policy goes on to state that “These exceptions are subject to the terms of our standard online return policy." Since the standard policy calls for restocking fees for desktop and laptop computers, this basically amounts to Best Buy having no holiday return policy for computers. Bah, humbug indeed. Last year, Best Buy included both desktop and laptop computers in its January 31, 2009 deadline. Further, desktop computers were not considered an exception item (nor should they be, since desktop computers are hardly a wardrobing item that corrupt shoppers long to take with them on vacation). |
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Circuit City allows there 14 day items to be returned until January 17 - however there is a 15% restocking fee if the products are open
This is not true. If you are returning an item at Best Buy, with a receipt you will get the full price you paid plus tax no matter what the lowest selling cost is (assuming no restocking fee). Even if you don't have a receipt most best buy stores will at least look it up with just the purchasers telephone number and give you store credit in full of what was paid.
Are you certain that's correct? I had written to them in mid November (unrelated to this article) asking about the holiday return policy, and their reply included: "Because technology changes so quickly, the return period for digital cameras, camcorders ... is 14 days." I called Circuit City while preparing the article, and was told the same thing. The return policy posted on their Website is also very specific, and never mentions January 17th:
"We're sure they'll love their gifts—but just in case, we've extended our return policy during the holiday shopping season.*"
And now the asterisk:
"*Other normal return guidelines apply, see below for details"
Among the return guidelines:
"Digital cameras, camcorders... must be returned within 14 days of the sale date...."
If January 17th is accurate, thank you for the correction. Did they give you any documentation, for example, a URL?
Your argument about having a receipt is off-basis here because the article is talking specifically about not having a receipt. Secondly, while many stores can look things up by your phone number or credit card(more often than phone number), that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have the credit card number of the person who bought you the gift.
After New Years, Best Buy gives their shoppers about a week to return any product with out a receipt. Even if you bought it 6 months ago. You only have about a week, a day after new years. If i recall correctly, it can be new or used/open product. Store Return Policy still applies for restocking fees.
But you dont need a receipt. As many gifts come with out a original receipt.
2 years ago i returned a Video Game that i didnt want, it was still new, sealed box, but i bought it 4 moths before x-mas. And a pack of 100 CD-R's. I got full refund on both products, Cash.
So they just let everybody in with no proof of where they purchased the items, used items are not a problem, and they give you back cash. You wouldn't happen to have some support for this (like a URL to the policy, or a press report, or ... anything)?
So they just let everybody in with no proof of where they purchased the items, used items are not a problem, and they give you back cash. You wouldn't happen to have some support for this (like a URL to the policy, or a press report, or ... anything)?
Well, I suppose without documentation, all we can do is try it, and offer up the old adage for deal hunters: Your Mileage May Vary.
Regarding Newegg's return policies: I just recently found out about them the hard way. I bought a DVDR just days ago. Got a very good price for it. When I connected it to my television I quickly found there was a fatal compatability problem among other problems with the DVDR so I went about getting my RMA for the device. To my horror
I found out that the product I bought was non-refundable. I went back to the product page and put another of the same DVDR in my shopping cart. Sure enough just below the product number in the cart was the following statement: "Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable
30-Day Return Policy". The problem is when I originally ordered the DVDR I just never saw the statement.....it just did not register.
Maybe I just saw the "30-Day Return Policy" and not the "Non-Refundable", who knows. But I can't argue that Newegg did not cover themselves: it's there in black and white. In my own defense I will say this: I have bought plenty of electronic products over the years esp. digital camera equipment from many sources (Best Buy, Amazon, B&H, etc.) and I had never before delt with this customer unfriendly a policy. It is an atypical return policy and it just took me by surprize. Buyer beware of Newegg!