Restocking fee Rip Off

I work at Sears and part of my job responsibilities include marking
down returned items in hardlines. While we do in fact charge a 15%
fee. The initial markdown is 20% so even with the fee we lose 5%. If
the item doesn't sell it gets marked down even further as time goes
by.. The problem is yes while the store can return it to the vendor
they only get a partial credit of what they paid for the item. Sears
has their return policy posted on every cash-wrap, on the back of the
receipt and on the website. Sears also will not charge a restocking
fee on an exchange of defective items. And most every retailer
charges
these restocking fees.(bestbuy included) If I bought something from
you new and asked you to take it back used I wouldn't expect a full
refund either.

I just sent a very similar letter to sears after purchasing an LCD
Samsung that was not compatible with my digital cabel box from Time
Warner. I see you are from Texas as well!! I wonder if we are
shopping at the same sears in Frisco?

total deception and I will never buy from them again!

Dion

Best Buy, Wal-mart, Sams Club, JC Penny's, Circuit City, K-mart also
have this policy, but I'll be damned if I shop at any of those stores!
They can K.M.A.
TCC

Well.... Just so you know, that mannager and that those sales people
really ripped you off because if the TV and DVD player didn't work
they were suppoused to give you a brand new tv and Blue ray dvd
player.... in the back of your receipt states the return and exchange
policies... which you have 30 days to return it or exchange it if the
item or items are defectives, with no restacking fee. and regarding
the signs you didn't see, once again I tell you to read behing the
receipt it tells you right there. and infront of the cashwrap there's
a sign that stays all the return policies....
P.S. I tell you all this because I worked for Sears... Just resign
today.... always remember every electronic company is going to do
anything on their power to rip you off... you just have to be smart
enough and do some research befor buying any product, especially if
the product your buying is a computer..... ppl never buy the guarantee
from the stores call the manufacture company before buying the product
and se how much they offer their guarantees for....

Most stores will now charge a restocking fee on these big ticket items
such as big screen tv's beause people take them home, watch them for
certain events i.e. sports, pay per view, etc and then return these
and say they just did not want it.

It gets worse around super bowl time.

I know when we purchased our big screen tv it read on the reciept that
an equal exhange will be attemted if the product was defective and we
were told by the salesman that the only way they would refund our
money was if the second set was not working. This was at Sears by the
way in Cleveland Ohio

I don't know why you didn't just exchange it for a new one if the
product was defective. You'd have no restocking fees. If the new
product did the same thing again, then I would have returned the items
and disputed the "restocking fee" with my credit card company.

Best Buy has restocking fees too on certain items. I'm not sure why
you would state in your letter that "Best Buy, they do not practice
this deceptive policy."

You know what? I went and bought a GPS on December 27. I went to best
buy and they had signs stating their restocking fee. I was leery and
went to radio shack and saw no signs. I asked and they had no
restocking fee, so I bought from there.

It pays to research! No Credit for You!

Kim H.,
I pulled this form the Sears site.
BillR.


Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back

Our goal is that you are completely satisfied with your purchase. If
for any reason you are not satisfied, simply return your purchase in
its original packaging, with your original packing slip and sears.com
Order Confirmation E-mail Receipt within 90 days of your purchase, 30
days for Home Electronics and Mattresses for a refund or exchange. If
you are not satisfied with your purchase after these time periods,
please let us know. Your satisfaction is important to Sears.

A 15% restocking fee applies on Tires, select Home Appliances, Home
Electronics, Home Improvement, Household Goods, Lawn & Garden, and
Automotive products not returned in the original box, unused, and
containing all original product packaging and accessories.
Special orders cancelled after 24 hours of purchase are subject to a
15% order cancellation fee
For mailable and home delivery items, see our returns options below.
Shipping and handling charges are not refundable. For additional
questions on sears.com returns or order inquiries, email
webcenter@customerservice.sears.com.

Hassle-free Returns & Exchanges

Returns/Cancellations/Restocking Fees
Returns
Return policies vary between products. If you're still within your
product's return timeframe, call 1-800-624-4434 and a Customer Care
representative will arrange a time to pick up the product. Please DO
NOT return the product to a Best Buy store yourself. We'll pick it up
from your home for free. Restocking fees do not apply if item is
damaged when you receive it. Restocking fees only apply to in-store
returns.


This is right off Best Buy's Website. So those of you who *know* Best
Buy's restocking policy may very well be incorrect.

Contact the State Attorney General. My nephew went through this same
crap with Sears & was finally issued a FULL RESTOCKING CREDIT to his
account.

Sounds to me like it was an expensive cowboys loss!

This is not a rip off. There are signs posted at every cash wrap and
register. I just think you didn't look. The receipt also details the
restocking fee. Many electronics retailers have similiar fees.

Generally, Sears doesn't charge for items returned that are faulty. I
think this is a case of the managers not believing you and I can see
why. They might feel that you took home the tv and the dvd player for
a night party and returned it the next day because both of the items
were "broken." People do this. It's very strange to have both items
come back "broken."

If it was truly broken, you could have asked them to test the items
right then and there to see if they were truly faulty or if this was a
case of user error. They can test, even though it might be hard to do
it for the TV. It can be done.

But this whole story is very strange and I don't really believe it at
all. Sorry. I'm with Sears on this one.

Hmmm...Texas...Cowboys played (and lost) on the 13th...I'm not saying
anything innappropriate happened here, but just like everyone else is
stating, this is pretty much the reason stores charge a restocking
fee. I used to work at Circuit City before those fees existed and we
all dreaded selling big screen TV's during the playoffs because half
of the time they were "rentals"--30 day exchanges. It's a horrible
practice by consumers so I certainly get why the fee exists (and I'm
all for them--they are pretty much the ONLY way to stop this practice,
and you just know there are still people out there that do it).

You don't mention why you didn't exchange it? From what I've seen in
most retail stores there's never a fee for exchanges for defective
merchandise. You normally don't even have to buy the same brand.
Something's fishy about all this...

First off, Best Buy most certainly DOES charge a re-stocking fee only
big screens. ALL STORES DO - for the exact same reason that sears
does. Dont blame the stores, blame the jerks that "rent" the big
screens for the superbowl and return them the next day.

I know its frustrating, but electronics today are more complex then
they used to be - and they do require research prior to going into the
store and picking one out. Gone are the days when you could just walk
in a store, point to the pretty looking set, and take it home. If you
are willing to plunk down thousands of dollars on electronics, you
should definitely research them first. You wouldn't buy a car without
checking out the specs first, would you? (i certainly hope not
anyway...)

That's crazy, $224.00 for returning something that didn't work? I
don't get the whole restocking fee charge, to me it's just another way
to squeeze money from the consumer. If it doesn't work why in the
world would they restock it and sell it to someone else? If in
business, just keep selling damaged goods and make money when people
return them by citing store policy restocking fee applied? The store
should just return damaged merchandise to the vendor. It's not like
this was a year later we are talking 1 day.

Hate to break it to you. Best Buy does not have a restocking fee for
damaged electronics. Please view this policy on their website for
further details.

but the policy you posted is for BestBuy.com. Best Buy receipts say
that instore policies are different. If you don't believe me, search
this site, we've had other letters about Best Buy charging a
restocking fee.

It's not a rip off, it's common practice in electronics and high
ticket items. The consumer has to read everything a store hands you
before opening the product

Is there really a place called "Squeaky"?

I think it's RIDICULOUS that retailers charge a restocking fee for
returned items that don't work properly. Now, maybe if you had
exchanged the TV for a working model, then they wouldn't have charged
the restocking fee? I don't know. I just know that if the consumer
can show that the electronic device doesn't work as a reasonable
person would expect, that person shouldn't be out a single penny.

And I believe CC has a fee.

Why do the retailers have these fees? It is pretty simple. That tv
you returned is now used. Would you want to buy a tv for full
price that someone took home and used? That is now an open box item
that they will have to stock and sell as used.

What I don't understand is why you didn't pursue solving the ghosting
and interference problem. Was this broadcast or cable or satellite?
It sounds like either you had buyer's remorse or for some reason
figured you couldn't get around the interference problem. Either way,
you returned an expensive, used item.

I can see Sears' position on this.