returns and exchanges

(Ninja M.)

Beware Of HP’s Free Nook That Isn’t So Free

On Cyber Monday, Brian called HP about their selection of computers, and ended up selecting and ordering a computer of his own. The salesman offered him a promotion: a free Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader with the purchase of his Ultrabook. Well, as long as it’s free… The problem came when he decided the computer wasn’t for him, and returned it. HP wouldn’t take the Nook back, and insists on charging him the $99 plus tax that it costs.  [More]

(Louis Abate)

Walmart Sells Fake Display Model iPad, Won’t Exchange It For Real One

A New Jersey woman took the two large Walmart gift cards that her husband had received as a holiday bonus and bought an iPad with them. Only the iPad that she she brought home from the store wasn’t the same one described on the box. The memory capacity and serial numbers didn’t match. She also couldn’t get the tablet to charge, or even to plug in to the cable. The item in her box, you see, was a plastic fake display-model iPad. [More]

You have 8 hours to decide whether to keep this sleeve.

The Return Period On This iPad Sleeve Is Surprisingly Short

Cheryl picked up an iPad sleeve from Target on Christmas clearance, because apparently no one buys iPads during the rest of the year. Great! What if she grabbed the wrong one or had to return it for another reason? Too bad, says Target. She bought the sleeve on January 4th and they gave her only until the 5th to return it. [More]

(CarbonNYC)

At Sports Authority, A Gift Receipt Doesn’t Mean Much

Marjorie received a Christmas gift from her sister from Sports Authority, and needs to take it back. No big deal: that’s why her sister included a gift receipt. The problem is that the item’s price has dropped, likely because it’s on clearance, and they want to give Marjorie $77 when her sister paid $101. That’s funny, because that’s against the chain’s stated holiday season return policy…on the web site. In retail stores, who knows? [More]

My Quest For A Defect-Free Microsoft Surface Goes Surprisingly Poorly

My Quest For A Defect-Free Microsoft Surface Goes Surprisingly Poorly

Being an early adopter can be difficult. Overall, Grady likes his new Microsoft Surface tablet, but noticed some hardware issues, like light distortion and a power button that doesn’t feel right. Those are relatively minor issues when the entire device is working well, but not what Grady expected when he laid out $600 for a new tablet. That’s when he began his quest to return his Surface to Microsoft and obtain one with no defects, cosmetic or otherwise. This quest turned out to be more difficult than he had predicted. [More]

(Karen_Chappell)

7 Roadblocks To Returning Gifts

Sure, right now is the season of gift-giving. But soon enough, we’ll change gears and consumers will be lined up to return some of the things they’ve been given. So there are some things you should be aware of before Dec. 26. [More]

(cmorran123)

Why Won’t Old Navy Exchange My Jeans That Won’t Fit?

If you go shopping on Black Friday at a clothing store, you should take the time to brave the fitting rooms, no matter how long the lines are. Nick learned this the hard way, buying three pairs of jeans for $15 each. He made it out of the store unscathed, but when he got home, found that the jeans didn’t fit. Boo. Oh, well, he can just take them back to the store and swap them for the correct size, right? Not so fast! [More]

(Tortuga One)

Returning Tools To Sears Should Not Be This Complicated

Oh, Sears. They sort of want to become a modern retailer, but don’t know how. They just can’t figure out this whole 21st-century retail thing. E-mail reminders? Returning items online that were purchased online? Too confusing. Too modern. Make it go away. Jim is the rare Consumerist reader who has no complaints about Sears, even though he actually shops there. But even he admits that his recent experience returning some Craftsman tools was needlessly complicated and required a lot more steps than it should have. [More]

(rafa_uoc)

Verizon Says I Owe Overages For iPhone I Returned 8 Months Ago

This past spring, Steve bought a shiny new iPhone 4S. It seemed like a good choice because his son was about to be born, and the 4S has a pretty nice camera for photographing adorable babies. When he got home, he discovered that Verizon’s coverage wasn’t so great there, so he brought the phone back within the initial 14-day return period. They took it back, charged him a restocking fee, no problem. Then, more than six months later, the collection calls began. Wha? [More]

(DCvision2006)

Installing Windows 8 Will Void Your Newegg Warranty, Too

Our archive is still unavailable due to baddies attacking our site a few weeks ago, but loyal readers may remember the saga of Norma, the Newegg customer who tried to exchange a non-working laptop for a working one after she had installed Linux on it. This time, Newegg is playing its  to a customer who had the audacity to upgrade his new laptop to a preview version of Windows 8. In the case of Linux user Norma, Newegg ultimately gave in, issuing her a refund and assuring Consumerist that it’s totally okay to exchange a defective system with a different operating system on it. Undercover readers posing as customers were, of course, told the opposite. [More]

Sears Can’t Accept Your Return Because They Just Can’t

Sears Can’t Accept Your Return Because They Just Can’t

The Ooma Telo is a voice over IP device that looks like a spaceship and lets you connect up your home broadband connection, your existing landline handsets, and the Ooma service. Francesca ordered one of these devices last week from Sears.com while visiting family, and used in-store pickup to fetch it from a Sears store near where she was staying. She didn’t open or use the Telo, and decided not to keep it. But that’s the point of visiting large chain retailers, right? You can buy an item from one place, or online, and return it anywhere. That’s true in theory, but not at Sears. [More]