Certain electronics retailers such as Apple and Sony offer engraving for laptops, cameras and MP3 players. It may seem like a nice service, but it really saves them lots of money. Why? Engraved products can’t be returned just because you couldn’t figure out how to use the product or because you realized that you spent too much on it and now have to eat peanut butter and corn tortilla sandwiches for a month to avoid defaulting on your student loan.
Returns caused by problems like “I can’t figure out how this works” and “buyer’s remorse” make up all but 5% of returns says the Wall Street Journal, and retailers are using engraving to fight back:
The company in 2006 added an option allowing consumers to engrave their name or other message on a Vaio computer. It expanded the program to its digital cameras last year. Sony says the program was started to let customers personalize products, but a side benefit for Sony is that engraved products can be returned only because of defects or other reasons that are the company’s fault.
Return rates on engraved Sony Vaios are negligible, compared with about 5% for non-engraved PCs, the company says, saving more than $1 million so far. “I have a feeling that people are understanding the condition that you can’t return it,” Mr. Abary says. “But also once they have engraved it, they feel like it’s a part of them.”
Electronics retailers spend a mind-boggling $13.8 billion a year reboxing and reselling the crap that you return, says the Wall Street Journal. Most returns are “because a product was too confusing to use.”
The War On Returns [WSJ](Thanks, Robert!)
(Photo: gothick matt )
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@Starfury:
Buy a Jitterbug [www.jitterbug.com]
They are designed for people like you that just want a phone
Can’t figure out how it works? support.apple.com? And can’t you bring it to the store and get help?
I’d like the Consumerist to find an example of a company who DOES allow returns on personalized items.
This is normal, any company that personalizes has the same policy- not newsworthy.
@ Garbanzo: That made my day.
And I agree. I used to work a a clothing/jewelery place and we would accept just about any return, as long as it wasn’t personalized (ie, engraved pendants, or even embroidery on sweaters/purses). This seems to pretty much make sense to me.
Okay, last time I checked, when you go to personalize the item from Sony they don’t hide that you CAN’T return it. Who is dumba$$ enough to personalize something they’re not sure about?
You’ll get my corn tortillas when you pry them from my cold dead hands!
Heeeeey, my iPod Nano says ‘HANDLE WITH CAUTION: Contains heavy metal.’
Gift from my pappy
)
Absoulutely true. DO NOT ENGRAVE. Sony Style cheated me on this one. I bought a Vaio EB series, 320 GB, 15 inch i3, white for $789. Within a week there was an offer from Officemax for the bigger EC series, 500GB, 17 inch for $779. Sony simply folded hands (talked to supervisor, manager etc.) and said they can give only a measly 5% discount. I cannot return or exchange it as I engraved it. Really felt pathetic afterwards. Never, never engrave and be cheated by their talk of personalization.