Office Depot Tells Me to Return It to Wal-Mart?

UPDATE:::::::::::::


I was contacted by a "Senior Customer Relations Assistant" from Office
Depot.

SHe went above and beyond the call of duty to assist me with this
problem.

She got me a full refund (which I would have been happy with just a
store credit) and also had the store manager call and apologize
prefusly (which was definatly not needed).

I am very happy with the response from planet feedback, and will
continue to buy products from Office Depot (however not "technology"
products)

Thank you very much for going so far out of the needed box to resolve
my issues.

P.S. I have since seen the same associate wokring in the store, and am
glad to see that she was not terminated for what happened, I sincerely
did not want that)

One other things, as a tip for other router buyers: if you plan to use
it with VOIP (either immediately or are thinking of doing so in the
near future), always ask your VOIP company what routers and models
they recommend. Buy specifically what THEY tell you, preferably
something for which they can provide router-specific configurations.

Another tip: make sure to get the firmware version from your VOIP
provider. If the router doesn't come shipped with the right firmware
version, make sure to upgrade to the right version. Some routers make
this very easy. Others, not so much.

At first, I was thinking that this was a terrible employee and that
she should be slammed. Hard.

But then I thought about it and realized: she was trying to help.
Yes, she was helping by telling you to be dishonest, but she was
trying to help.

While I don't approve of her suggestion, the fact that she told you to
make the return to Wal-Mart shows (a) that OfficeDepot has a worse
return policy than Wal-Mart and (b) she was taking the initiative to
help a customer. She could have just blown you off, as so many
letters at PlanetFeedback speak about. But she didn't -- she tried to
help you, albeit in an awkward way.

The funny thing is, your resolution was to trade in an open box for an
unopened one, so that you could maximize your eBay proceeds. I think
this was good problem solving on your part, but it seems like it's
very similar to the problem solving that the salesperson was doing.

In other words, cut her some slack for trying. The real issue here is
an overly strict return policy.

For the record, I don't see any reason why a router shouldn't be
returnable for a refund, as long as it's within a reasonable period of
time, accompanied by a receipt, yadda yadda. This isn't like a video
camera, where people have been known to buy one, use it to film a
wedding or kid's birthday, and then return it for a "free" rental.
(Almost) no one buys a router with the intention of using it once.

Great Letter. The return policy of Office Deport is terrible on
electronics. I don't think any of thier competitors are any better (
I haven't read them so I am just guessing here).

Based on complaints I have seen here and other sites, I would suggest
that people avoid buying electronics at Office Supply Stores

Great letter.