Dealing with Returns

Computer Care: The art of returning faulty items

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED Sept. 12, 2009 12:57 a.m.

When I was a boy, my dad told me to always ask for the head barber. Tony owned the local clip joint where I grew up. He gave me a decent haircut, shaved my young sideburns with hot lather and tossed a steamy towel on me before slapping a cheap, aromatic after-shave on my face.

He made feel like a man. The secret, I discovered at an early age, was dealing with the one in charge.

It took some time for me to realize though, that my dad’s instructions applied not just for barbers, but for everywhere. His lesson has served me well. Wherever I go, especially when I have a problem, I ask for the head barber.

Recently, I went to a large superstore with a client to return a computer that was shipped to him DOA. We were politely shrugged off by all at the store. "Son," I heard my dad’s voice say. "Ask for the head barber."

So I asked to speak to the store manager. I’ll tell you in a moment what happened, but first here’s some tips to consider when dealing with a situation such as this:

• Whether in person or on the phone, get names of those you encounter. Know who you’re speaking with and take notes.

• Keep your cool. Don’t raise your voice and don’t make threats. Nobody responds well to threats.

• Be familiar with the warranty. Know when the store stops covering the product and the manufacturer takes over.

• Save all boxes, manuals, cables, etc., as they will check for them upon a return.

• Be flexible. The agent may be willing to trade your broken product for a similar, if not identical one. Be willing to consider a compromise. Be ready to accept it.

• Stand your ground, if you are certain you are in the right. Don’t be brushed off by, "Sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to help you." Find someone who can.

• Occasionally the manager will not be available. If you get nowhere with his assistant, go home and call the store, the head office or write them a strong, well thought-out letter. A snail-mail letter, especially registered, will have more effect than an e-mail. But you might start with that.

Understand sometimes you take a chance when you buy certain sale items. In those cases, should something go wrong, you may have to eat it. Open-box items, clearance sales, returns and many refurbished products are sold "as is," meaning you get a deep discount but take a chance on product quality. Most often there is nothing wrong with these items, but you never know. It’s a gamble and occasionally you lose.

But when you spend hundreds of dollars on a new item and something goes wrong, you then have a legitimate gripe. Most stores are reluctant to offer you a refund, but will exchange a broken item for one that works.

Be reasonable in your demands though. Don’t expect a trade because you don’t like the color of a product or because it has a small scratch on it.

Now back to my case. The computer arrived late and unable to boot up. This was after six days when my client paid for "expedited" shipping. I explained this to the sales guy, his supervisor and eventually to the store manager and that I was a PC tech who knew a dead computer when I saw one. What made me dig in even more was when he informed me there was nothing he could do, due to the fact that the computer was purchased on the Web site, not at the store.

I advised him that consumers don’t care about such details. The store, the Web site — it’s all the same to us, and that it should be for them as well.

I told him I was guilty of opening the case to see if there was a hard drive installed. He then matter-of-factly informed me that could void the warranty. I told him I broke no foil seal in the process. He told me the screws had special paint to tell if they had been tampered with. I told him I did in fact tamper with them to open the case. Wow!

So we went back and forth for some time. I think he finally realized I wasn’t going anywhere and that we had a legitimate gripe. He said he had to call someone in authority. I told him I could wait. He eventually gave in and allowed us to swap out the bad unit for a good one.

The bottom line here is that you should not be intimidated by a sales clerk. If you spent a lot of money in a store, you deserve a lot of customer service (not an oxymoron). Don’t accept that there is nothing they can do. Sure there is.

If you have trouble dealing with the person at hand, heed my dad’s words: Ask for the head barber.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly.