Returning a two and a half year old couch to Costco

[Rainger99]

This is an interesting article on a woman returning a couch to Costco after 2.5 years because she "just didn't like it anymore. We just don't like the color anymore."

The couch cost $900 and Costco refunded her money.

Seattle woman who returned Costco couch after 2.5 years goes viral, sparks ethics debate (https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/full-refund-seattle-woman-returned-215546822.html)

[ThirdOfFive]

This is an interesting article on a woman returning a couch to Costco after 2.5 years because she "just didn't like it anymore. We just don't like the color anymore."

The couch cost $900 and Costco refunded her money.

Seattle woman who returned Costco couch after 2.5 years goes viral, sparks ethics debate (https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/full-refund-seattle-woman-returned-215546822.html)
I'm a little suspicious. If true it could be a double-edged sword: good publicity, but possibly a whole lot of folks wanting to do the same thing. Costco does have a pretty liberal return policy though.

A couple of years back I returned a 65" Sonia Bravia TV about four months after I bought it at Costco, because it had no provision for toggling between headphone and speakers. In order to do that I had to move it out away from the wall and unplug the headphones from there, then move it back. Far too much effort. Anyway I called them and spoke to the floor guy, and he said that they couldn't do it as it was over a month past the return "no questions asked" date. I spoke to the manager, urged him to check our purchase record at Costco and then decide. He did, and called back in a few hours, saying they'd be happy to do it for a full refund. I told him I didn't want a refund; that I wanted to apply the purchase price toward another ($500 more than the Bravia) TV, which is what happened.

Very happy with Costco overall.

[J1ceasar]

remember sears - everything returnable ?

I'm a little suspicious. If true it could be a double-edged sword: good publicity, but possibly a whole lot of folks wanting to do the same thing. Costco does have a pretty liberal return policy though.

A couple of years back I returned a 65" Sonia Bravia TV about four months after I bought it at Costco, because it had no provision for toggling between headphone and speakers. In order to do that I had to move it out away from the wall and unplug the headphones from there, then move it back. Far too much effort. Anyway I called them and spoke to the floor guy, and he said that they couldn't do it as it was over a month past the return "no questions asked" date. I spoke to the manager, urged him to check our purchase record at Costco and then decide. He did, and called back in a few hours, saying they'd be happy to do it for a full refund. I told him I didn't want a refund; that I wanted to apply the purchase price toward another ($500 more than the Bravia) TV, which is what happened.

Very happy with Costco overall.

[Jayhawk]

remember sears - everything returnable ?

Sears = RIP

[retiredguy123]

I'm a little suspicious. If true it could be a double-edged sword: good publicity, but possibly a whole lot of folks wanting to do the same thing. Costco does have a pretty liberal return policy though.

A couple of years back I returned a 65" Sonia Bravia TV about four months after I bought it at Costco, because it had no provision for toggling between headphone and speakers. In order to do that I had to move it out away from the wall and unplug the headphones from there, then move it back. Far too much effort. Anyway I called them and spoke to the floor guy, and he said that they couldn't do it as it was over a month past the return "no questions asked" date. I spoke to the manager, urged him to check our purchase record at Costco and then decide. He did, and called back in a few hours, saying they'd be happy to do it for a full refund. I told him I didn't want a refund; that I wanted to apply the purchase price toward another ($500 more than the Bravia) TV, which is what happened.

Very happy with Costco overall.
Note that TVs and other electronics can only be returned within 90 days of purchase. Almost everything else has no time limit for returns at Costco.

[Stu from NYC]

Sears = RIP

Are they all gone? When they merged with Kmart and Kmart came on top knew it would be the death knell.

[badkarma318]

The most ridiculous related story I know of involved a Chinese woman in California who returned a real Christmas tree to Costco on December 26th.

[Topspinmo]

Sears = RIP

Wards rip.

[Topspinmo]

Why wouldn’t they? They conned consumers into paying to shop in their stores. :bigbow:

[Dlctotv]

The most ridiculous related story I know of involved a Chinese woman in California who returned a real Christmas tree to Costco on December 26th.

Does it matter that she was “Chinese”?

[Retiredsteve]

Does it matter that she was “Chinese”? It must, they included it LOL

[msilagy]

Ya right!

[mraines]

Are they all gone? When they merged with Kmart and Kmart came on top knew it would be the death knell.

I had a boss who would buy shoes for his family and when they wore out, he would return them. K Mart always took them back. Talk about cheap.

[LuvNH]

I had a boss who would buy shoes for his family and when they wore out, he would return them. K Mart always took them back. Talk about cheap.

When I was in college there was a girl who would buy an outfit for a date, wear it and return it the next day! There really are people like this, but who taught them this stuff?

[escudel@bellsouth.net]

Best one I’ve ever heard was the return of a set of tires to a Nordstrom. But wait, you say, Nordstrom doesn’t sell tires. Correct, but the building Nordstrom was occupying used to be an auto supply store. They provided a full refund for the tires.

[MandoMan]

This is an interesting article on a woman returning a couch to Costco after 2.5 years because she "just didn't like it anymore. We just don't like the color anymore."

The couch cost $900 and Costco refunded her money.

Seattle woman who returned Costco couch after 2.5 years goes viral, sparks ethics debate (https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/full-refund-seattle-woman-returned-215546822.html)

I would consider that immoral. I had a friend who bought a pair of L.L. Bean hiking boots that were advertised as “if anything ever goes wrong with them, we’ll replace them.” He wore them for TWELVE YEARS, then returned them when a sole came loose. He received a new pair! That seemed wrong to me, but it was what Bean advertised. A couch is different.

[retiredguy123]

Legally, a merchant is not required to accept any returns unless the product is defective. So, having a return policy must benefit the merchant more than the customers.

[Meboko]

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[Meboko]

Does it matter that she was “Chinese”?

My exact thought :confused:

[RRGuyNJ]

This is an interesting article on a woman returning a couch to Costco after 2.5 years because she "just didn't like it anymore. We just don't like the color anymore."

The couch cost $900 and Costco refunded her money.

Seattle woman who returned Costco couch after 2.5 years goes viral, sparks ethics debate (https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/full-refund-seattle-woman-returned-215546822.html)

I know a guy in NC that does the same thing. He buys a new vacuum cleaner every year and returns it at the end of the year claiming it's defective. Moved to Las Vefgas and bought a washer and dryer, used it for a year, decided to move back and returned them. He does this with lots of items!
He mistakenly told me about this and I asked how did it feel to be a common thief. He didn't like that too awful much. Fortunately, he doesn't come around any more.
In the end, it's actions like this that will drive up prices for all the good people.

[retiredguy123]

I know a guy in NC that does the same thing. He buys a new vacuum cleaner every year and returns it at the end of the year claiming it's defective. Moved to Las Vefgas and bought a washer and dryer, used it for a year, decided to move back and returned them. He does this with lots of items!
He mistakenly told me about this and I asked how did it feel to be a common thief. He didn't like that too awful much. Fortunately, he doesn't come around any more.
In the end, it's actions like this that will drive up prices for all the good people.
Claiming a product is defective that is not defective is a crime called fraud. But, returning a product to a merchant using their generous return policy is perfectly legal.

[ehonour]

But, returning a product to a merchant using their generous return policy is perfectly legal.

Very true. There is legal and illegal. There is also right and wrong. They don't necessarily match.

We are the ones who pay for those who abuse return policies—not Costco and not insurance companies. That's because ultimately, all the money Costco (or any store) has comes from us.

[retiredguy123]

If you buy a $12,000 ring from Costco, you can return it 10 or 15 years later and get a full refund. If you buy a $12,000 ring from a local jewelry store, you have 2 to 3 weeks to return it for a store credit, no refund. To me, it is a no brainer to buy all of your expensive jewelry from Costco.

[ElDiabloJoe]

remember sears - everything returnable ?

The big difference here is that Costco is a membership store and therefore derives a very significant amount of their overall income from memberships. That is their business model. Sears business model was quality goods and services at discount prices - only the one stream of income.

Very true. There is legal and illegal. There is also right and wrong. They don't necessarily match.

Spoken like someone who knows what they teach at law school.

Does it matter that she was “Chinese”?

It might.

Looking at the discussion as a whole, makes one wonder how a right/wrong moral code is developed. If primarily by religion and religious values, then what religion is prevalent in China? If they are a CCP influenced Chinese person (as opposed to a born American of Chinese descent) that moral code may very well be just what is Legal or Illegal. The addition of identifying the person's citizenship may very well be an informative addition to the article and subsequent discourse.

Of course, in today's holier-than-thou virtue-signaling-is-primary culture, the application of common sense and common group practical experience opens one up to tenuous inferences and accusations of racism and other forms of ignorance.

[retiredguy123]

Very true. There is legal and illegal. There is also right and wrong. They don't necessarily match.

We are the ones who pay for those who abuse return policies—not Costco and not insurance companies. That's because ultimately, all the money Costco (or any store) has comes from us.
I partially agree. But, the merchant's return policy is entirely developed and enforced by the merchant. So, why blame people who take advantage of it, as long as they are correctly and honestly follow the merchant's policy?

[clossonjunk]

***Does it matter that she was “Chinese”?***

Does it matter that they are “she, he, guy, girl, woman?” You might as well include them all and your own post in your shaming…

[Ellwoodrick]

A few years ago I rented a home for a client as a Real Estate Broker. The couple who rented the home, the young Lady was a manager at a local Costco. She told a story about one of their customers who was in the Land Scape Business and had a Lawn Service. They had a customer who in the beginning of the season would buy new Lawn Mowers for his business. At the end of the season he would return them then buy new in the Spring. Costco eventually put in a policy change at that location to prevent such an abuse of their return policy. There is always one in the bunch who will push it to far.

[sowilts]

A few years ago I rented a home for a client as a Real Estate Broker. The couple who rented the home, the young Lady was a manager at a local Costco. She told a story about one of their customers who was in the Land Scape Business and had a Lawn Service. They had a customer who in the beginning of the season would buy new Lawn Mowers for his business. At the end of the season he would return them then buy new in the Spring. Costco eventually put in a policy change at that location to prevent such an abuse of their return policy. There is always one in the bunch who will push it to far.
Same with Home Depot, Maryland. Years ago during a Hurricane many Generators were purchased and then after power was restored they were returned. After that no more return policy. Many people buy tools and return them after one use.

[Cliff Fr]

Wards rip.
Montgomery Wards still exists as a catalog order/online company

[jimjamuser]

I had a boss who would buy shoes for his family and when they wore out, he would return them. K Mart always took them back. Talk about cheap.
So, the costs get passed along to normal people who would never dream of doing something so immoral. What a great role model.

[jimjamuser]

If you buy a $12,000 ring from Costco, you can return it 10 or 15 years later and get a full refund. If you buy a $12,000 ring from a local jewelry store, you have 2 to 3 weeks to return it for a store credit, no refund. To me, it is a no brainer to buy all of your expensive jewelry from Costco.
Assuming that a gold with diamonds ring is worth $12,000 today and it is undamaged 15 years from today, then in that future it would be worth $12,000 times whatever the inflation multiplier would be. So Costco could be buying back a ring NOW worth $100,000 for ONLY $12,000. So, they get a good sales pitch,, but it won't cost Costco anything.

[retiredguy123]

Assuming that a gold with diamonds ring is worth $12,000 today and it is undamaged 15 years from today, then in that future it would be worth $12,000 times whatever the inflation multiplier would be. So Costco could be buying back a ring NOW worth $100,000 for ONLY $12,000. So, they get a good sales pitch,, but it won't cost Costco anything.
I totally disagree. I have never seen anyone sell a piece of jewelry for more than they paid for it at a retail store. If you buy jewelry at retail, the chance of ever getting your money back is slim to none.

Also, if you paid $12,000 for a ring and it is now worth $100,000, you would be foolish to return it to Costco. The Costco guaranteed return policy provides peace of mind that other jewelers don't even come close to matching.

[Rainger99]

I would consider that immoral. I had a friend who bought a pair of L.L. Bean hiking boots that were advertised as “if anything ever goes wrong with them, we’ll replace them.” He wore them for TWELVE YEARS, then returned them when a sole came loose. He received a new pair! That seemed wrong to me, but it was what Bean advertised. A couch is different.

Because people abused it, LL Bean changed their return policy in 2018. Now it must be returned within one year. After one year, the item must be defective due to materials or craftsmanship.

But if you purchased the item before February 9, 2018, the one year limit does not apply.

At the time they changed the policy, LLBean said that “Some view it as a lifetime product replacement program, expecting refunds for heavily worn products used over many years.”

I would love to know how many items were returned after more than one year! And what the oldest item returned was.

Access Denied (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/17/why-ll-bean-ended-its-lifetime-return-policy.html)

[Topspinmo]

I had a boss who would buy shoes for his family and when they wore out, he would return them. K Mart always took them back. Talk about cheap.

Maybe they was cheap and wore out quickly. I use to buy tennis shoes with year warranty for toe ware out. I always got free pair cause my toe would be sticking out in 6 months. Now some only warranty for 6 months. Which makes the return rate drop drastically and the over pricing makes up for it.