Have you ever returned a used item for a refund?

[mrs.chappie]

A few weeks ago I bought a printer. I used it for a couple of weeks but just couldn't get on with it. The paper kept jamming and it was very slow. Wasn't sure whether it was actually a fault though.

I thought I'd be stuck with it as I'd run off a lot of work, but Argos gave me a full refund, even though I'd told them I'd used it for two weeks.

[Buenchico]

I took a laminator back to Sainsbury's when, a few weeks after I'd purchased it, a document (with the designated thickness limits) caused it to jam up. I couldn't find the receipt but they still replaced it without question.

I had a power supply from Maplin (which was quite expensive because it was a high-current model) which worked well for several months but then packed up. I couldn't find the receipt but it was an 'own brand' model, so I couldn't have bought it anywhere else. After a bit of hassle I got a brand new replacement.

I also purchased a printer from Staples. They hadn't got the (£90) model I required on display but they offered me a 'customer return' for half price (£45). When I got it home it wouldn't work. I phoned asked them if I could exchange it for a functioning printer at another of their stores. They directed to me to a store where they said the printer was in stock. When I got there, they'd not got it! So I ended up driving to another store, where (after explaining my frustrations) I got my brand new £90 printer and £30 in vouchers, so that I'd actually only paid £15 (plus a bit for my fuel) in total for the printer ;-)

Chris

[mrs.chappie]

Very true Fezzy.

Wow, that's good going Chris!

[milly143]

Yep. I think I tried about 100 alarm clocks from Argos before I found one I liked. They never fuss there, although that's probably because you can't usually see the item before you buy it.

[micmak]

Fezzy you naughty person you. Sounds like something Mrs MM would do.

[dotty.]

Fezzy i know why retail workers have to put up with poor pay and long hours, customers rip stores off without thinking of the impact their actions will have, a woman came in the store today saying that she had bought 2 books for Christmas and had read them now but didn't like them, she wanted a refund. It took all my will power to not throw her into the street. And I am being serious now, we've had cuts in staff hours and frozen salaries for 2 years, it doesn't help at all when people take the mick

[mrs.chappie]

Surely no shop would give a refund in those circumstances dotty?

[janzman]

I recently bought a pair of Rohan walking boots from an ad in my local newsagents for £40. Brand new with tags attached.After wearing them round the house for a couple of hours I decided I didnt really like them after all.I took them to my local Rohan shop and explained they had no box and there was no receipt.The shop manager had to go back to the winter of 2007 catalogue to find these boots and still offered me £40 towards the purchase of any item in the store.Thats customer service of the highest quality.

[237SJ]

I would never return something to a shop that I had used unless it was faulty. Against the old principles and all that....

[milly143]

Look at it from the customers point of view though Dotty. You buy an electric toothbrush (which are not cheap) and it has a 90 day warranty. You're happy with it until day 91 when the thing stops working for no apparent reason. You're going to feel a little bit cheated aren't you.

[Caran]

I bought a Humax Freeview harddrive recorder from Maplins, after 3 months it didn't always record, very frustrating so took it back, replaced it with another one no problem, that also had an intermittent recording problem, this happened 4 times in all. With the last replacement, they said the guarantee would run from the start date of the first purchase so the fact the last replacement was in September it is already out of guarantee as the first one was bought nearly 2 years ago. Luckily this none works like a dream, I can record 2 and watch another channel.

[mrs.chappie]

I must say I was quite surprised about the printer. There was no quibble at all, I thought they might suggest I swap it for another, but there was no mention of that.

[dotty.]

No mrsc and I didn't, but the customer was vile and kicked off about it, first off to the young girl on the till, then started on me, asked for my name and the HO phone etc. Gave her both in a calm dignified manner whilst the other customers looked at her like she was an eejit. People are mental

[MrIncredible]

I was in argos the other day, and the lady next to me was returning a kettle, I couldn't help but notice that the kettle was disgusting, covered in stains, discoloured, probibly only fit for the bin, she had no box or reciept, the manager said without a reciept he was unable to offer a cash refund but would replace the kettle, unfortunatly they no longer stocked this model (another sign of how long she has had this kettle) so the manager offered her another kettle! I couldn't believe it, I would have been so embaressed to even attempt to return an item in such a condition!

[Sir Alec]

My Mum once returned a three year old shirt to Marks and Spencer because it had grown thin. She told the management that she expected better from one of their shirts. The management, amazingly, agreed with her and gave her a refund. I have never been so embarrassed!

[237SJ]

Regarding the toothbrush, yes you would feel cheated but if it has a 90 day warranty, it has a 90 day warranty (unusual as warranties are normally one year). I bought a Sony TV and I was pretty hacked off when it packed up 18 months later. Even if it was a small item that I could have smuggled back into the shop and "done a fast one" I wouldn`t have. That`s fraud. Fraud puts the cost up for everyone. Far better to write a letter of complaint and get a result the legal way. In my opinion.

[janzman]

When something breaks shortly after the warrenty runs out it isn't neccessarily bad luck.In industrial design terms its called 'Planned Obsolescence'
http://en.wikipedia.o.../Planned_obsolescence