What is your opinion on "restocking fees"? Greedy retailer? Or do you think the fees are justified?
-
Greedy retailer.
Any retailer worth their salt would include them in their profit margins.
When you run a retail store (or online store) selling physical goods, you are bound by the rules of matter (as oppoes to digital stuff). Stuff breaks. Food spoils. Old car models lose value. PC parts even quicker. Stuff gets lost. Stuff gets broken. An error occurs during manufacturing. These are all sources of loss which you have to take into account, predict and mitigate.
Adding returns to that already large (and by no means exhaustive) list isn't an unreasonable ask.
You just estimate the number and projected cost of returns and adjust your prices and profit margins accordingly.
A "restock fee" is definitely uncalled for. The store made the decision to order X amount of the product, with a Y margin of loss (lost, broken in transport, stolen,...). These present a loss of item. An item they could've sold. However, a return isn't a loss of item. They get the item back. And charging customers for the priviledge of buying something, getting dissappointed and making a big deal out of it with "restock fees" is a stupid business move - you risk losing the customer. Especially when you consider the fact that a return is the smallest cost out of all the issues mentioned here.
And if your competition doesn't treat their customers as bad as you do - the risk isn't small. And even if not, a boycott out of spite, even just one customer, is a much larger loss than the net gain of one "restock" fee.
So, it's just greedy. And a bad business move if you care about customer retention. Not doing it while others do is a smart move, since these things are bound to happen. And when they do at a competitor, who knows? Maybe the customer tries you next and just... Remains loyal. Although when you say "customer loyalty" today, people think of gimmicks like loyalty cards.
I think there is some more nuance here then all restocking fees are bad. For some businesses that sell items that are custom made or have so many varieties that they are practically custom parts. So when an item like this is returned it can’t be sold at the same amount & storing the item until it sells has a cost. So to encourage customers to be certain of their orders a restock fee is used on some items to stop customers from ordering testing then returning what they don’t like.
If you bring up Amazon’s restocking fee your right those guys are assholes who try to squeeze as much cash out of everyone.
-
When you return an item, sometimes a store charges a fee. So for example a $300 phone, they take $35 off your return, so you only get back $265 if you decide to return it.
Small shop: Depends how much they are asking.
It can be a hassle to get it back into inventory.Big shop/retailer: They are setup for that process. They can stomach the burden.
-
The customer always pays, not the business.
Do you want to pay extra because other people return items?
You act like every return is a scam.
Do you want to pay for a product you didn't get?
-
You act like every return is a scam.
Do you want to pay for a product you didn't get?
There's no restocking fee for an item that you didn't get, because it's not a return.
A company charging you a restocking fee in that situation is a scam.
-
There are so many cases where you must be able to use an item to determine its suitability. If brands and vendors don't facilitate that prior to sale then I have no way to test it without buying it first. Vendors take a gamble then if the product works for me. If it doesn't, well that's the cost of doing business. They make money enough for purchasing wares, paying utilities, rent, and salaries, covering logistical overhead, and turning profit all from the sale of their goods. There's no reason consumers should have to subsidize one of their risks through a special medium beyond the sale of product.
If a company doesn't like that then they can adopt consumer friendly protections like permitting trying on clothes, test driving a car or having a tool rental option prior to sale.
But if I:
- buy a phone and realize only when I get home that the brilliant engineers forgot to allow me to set a background image
- buy a new computer and realize only when I get home that despite them advertising it supports thunderbolt it won't actually work with my thunderbolt accessories and can't support 3 external displays
- buy a new mouse that is enclosed in a sealed cardboard box that doesn't permit checking the ergonomics only to realize it doesn't work well
- buy a pair of headphones only to realize they sound bad/creak when worn/have terrible cable noise
- buy an oil filter wrench and realize I can't fit it and my hand at the same time on the access port
Well, then, they can process a return.
This is correct.
-
There's no restocking fee for an item that you didn't get, because it's not a return.
A company charging you a restocking fee in that situation is a scam.
Fine I guess I have to spell it out. You get the crappy product, return it and pay a restocking fee. You just paid to end up with nothing. Get it now?
-
Fine I guess I have to spell it out. You get the crappy product, return it and pay a restocking fee. You just paid to end up with nothing. Get it now?
Do your research before buying something?
-
Do your research before buying something?
Yeah, totally easy. No such thing as fake reviews.
I've sat in chairs that my friends swear by; Secret Labs. Not comfortable to me. And guess what, no place to sit in one anywhere near me. Got lucky and sat in one in the UK. Dodged a restocking bullet there.
-
Yeah, totally easy. No such thing as fake reviews.
I've sat in chairs that my friends swear by; Secret Labs. Not comfortable to me. And guess what, no place to sit in one anywhere near me. Got lucky and sat in one in the UK. Dodged a restocking bullet there.
Thats fine, but then restocking fees become part of you wanting to test things.
That shouldn't be on the manufacturer or other customers.
-
Thats fine, but then restocking fees become part of you wanting to test things.
That shouldn't be on the manufacturer or other customers.
Yes it should. Agree to disagree. Also your wrong.
