what happens to items that are returned as defective? are they sent back to the manufacturer? i've heard that the store actually keeps (well, throws away) the defective product and applies for a credit from the company on their next order (so if they buy 10 doodads and 2 are returned as defective, their next shipment of 10 doodads only costs the equivalent of 8)

i'm just curious since i just got off the phone with a manufacturer's customer service for a warranty claim (the doodad is all of 4 days old) and rather than spend $40 on shipping it back to the company (it was only about $60 to begin with, but it's HEAVY), i'd rather return it to the store

thing is, i want the manufacturer to take the hit, not the store

i get the feeling that i've actually asked this question before on here...anyway, how is defective merchandise handled?

10/20/2009 4:28:33 PM

i hear at cisco they just send you the new one and then you have two

10/20/2009 4:29:48 PM

Ricky...it varies from store to store. Some stores do take the hit. Some actually send the item back to their distribution center, which in turn sends back to the vendor for credit. Many times the vendor actually includes a certain percentage of defects in their bulk pricing; in which case, the store or establishment takes the hit.

It all depends, man. It all depends.

10/20/2009 4:32:11 PM

At Best Buy, they were always sent back to the manufacturer.

In some cases, the store got a credit, in other cases, the manufacturer repaired it, sent it back, and they sold it as an Open Item product (essentially refurbished).

Most people don't know this, but you can actually take anything you buy from Best Buy back within the manufacturer's warranty period (with the exception of Apple and Bose prodcuts IIRC), and they will take care of getting the replacement. In certain situations, they give you a replacement product on the spot.

Note: this information may be outdated

[Edited on October 20, 2009 at 4:36 PM. Reason : ]

10/20/2009 4:32:36 PM

^Best Buy has always given me the "not our problem anymore" speech anytime I've gotten something that was defective or missing pieces out of the box. It's one of the main reasons I prefer Sears.

10/20/2009 4:57:56 PM

Sears? wtf man. this ain't 1986 ok

10/20/2009 5:06:36 PM

Sounds like you ^^ need to start making a scene at Best Buy until you get what you want.

10/20/2009 5:10:15 PM

you damage out the product in a log and then you throw it away

10/20/2009 5:13:22 PM

at build-a-bear we had to destroy anything that was defective. it was always fun cutting the limbs off a bear after a shitty day! i'm sure there was also some kind of documentation procedure that was sent off to corporate

10/20/2009 5:14:03 PM

^^ but who eats that cost? the store or the manufacturer? the manufacturer SHOULD, IMO, since they're the one that produced the crappy product

^ that's cool and creepy, both

10/20/2009 5:41:21 PM

I wish the companies that I worked for believed in recycling at least. They just throw it away and don't care. There has to be a wide range of how different retail store deal with this problem.

10/20/2009 5:44:44 PM

At both Linens N Things and Bed, Bath, & Beyond, we would have to destroy returned damaged merchandise and then get a credit back from the manufacturer. I have bad luck into infinity for all the mirrors I've broken, and they were generally the most fun things to break.

10/20/2009 6:01:09 PM

Quote :

"the store actually keeps (well, throws away) the defective product and applies for a credit from the company on their next order (so if they buy 10 doodads and 2 are returned as defective, their next shipment of 10 doodads only costs the equivalent of 8)"

[Edited on October 20, 2009 at 6:08 PM. Reason : or a credit from corporate so the individual store doesn't take the hit]

10/20/2009 6:07:38 PM

depends on item and manufacturer

10/20/2009 6:37:02 PM

At RadioShack/Alltel we sent that shit back

10/20/2009 6:40:05 PM

At Barnes and Noble it is usually either marked down and sold as a bargain item or destroyed and we get credit from the publisher.

At Games Workshop (it being a retail outlet for the Games Workshop brand) I was able to give it away or keep it if i wanted the models.

10/20/2009 7:56:56 PM

At media play we would send them all back to the manufacturer.

10/20/2009 8:46:27 PM

At the store I used to work for, we would throw away the defective item and get refunded for it by the manufacturer.

10/20/2009 8:54:22 PM

At Dillard's a "defective" item usually meant an electronic gift that didn't work or an article of clothing that was torn.

The department manager would do a damage ticket for the item, and then it would be thrown in the trash.

I suppose high-end homegoods might get sent back to the manufacturer, but it'd be pretty rare and I never saw a package like that when I worked at Dillard's.

10/20/2009 9:25:07 PM

At GNC we were supposed to throw out all of the returned items that had already been opened.

In reality I just gave all of my friends a hook up on diet pills.

10/20/2009 9:27:49 PM

Quote :

"the manufacturer SHOULD, IMO, since they're the one that produced the crappy product"

why should they if the contract between the mfg and retailer states that up to x % could be defective and it's priced accordingly?

10/20/2009 9:28:19 PM