I have been hearing relatives, friends and just about everyone else tell me how Costco is a great place to buy electronics from as their warranty policy is amazing. You can return things apparently forever. I am no sure if this is the case but it seems everyone is buying from Costco and returning things at will.
At a recent lunch with TMC team members a waiter heard us talking about technology and asked us if we could help him. He had just purchased a TV from Best Buy and it broke after a few weeks. The company wouldn’t take the TV back -- they said he damaged it: He denies this is the case -- and the manufacturer told him it would cost more to fix the TV than the TV cost.
Anyway the lunch became a 5 minute sounding board on the virtues of Costco and the poor customer service and return policies of Best Buy. I have never had a problem at Best Buy and perhaps this is because I never returned anything there.
The moral of the story is having the best return policy can turn your customers into huge advocates of your company. I rarely buy electronics from Costco but I am considering doing so now.
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I feel for the waiter, been there. My husband bought me a digital camera a few years ago from Best Buy and it didn't work out of the box. We returned it, or tried to, three weeks later, and they refused to take it back or exchange it. I haven't patronized them since. Now Costco on the other hand should serve as a Customer Service Model -- never a question asked, they'll take anything back, even without a receipt and do it with a smile. They'll get my business each time.