How to avoid restocking fee?

[HumanShell]

Hey guys, I'm hoping some of you might have some sugestions. I'm going to be returning a camcorder to a retail store, and would like to avoid the "restocking fee" of 15% which would mean I'd loose $130. Any ideas? The receipt states.....

"A 15% restocking fee is charged on all non-defective camcorder returns and exchanges."

Please don't say to just break it, and return it as defective. If there is anyway around that way, I'd rather use it.


Thanks.

 

[HappyScrappy]

just sneak it back into the store and then put it on the shelves.
they'll never know and you don't have to pay that damn fee.

 

[HumanShell]

Umm...thanks Happy, but...I can't afford that method. Any others?

 

[HappyScrappy]

this is a mostly unrelated story, but I'm bored...

my dad used to burn through blenders very frequently making... pretty much they were protein smoothies (why's that sound dirty?). he finally settled on getting this one belnder by I think Hamilton Beach b/c they had a no questions asked return policy - you just had to send them your receipt and the broken blender and explain how it doesn't work.
this was probably the funniest thing I'd ever heard of.
I used to spend my days thinking of new ways to break the blender and send it in.
for instance, go to the top of a large building and toss the blender off. or mix concrete in it. or try to blend a brick....
I wanna know to what extent they'd support that warrenty.

now back to your regularly scheduled thread discussion (and to humanshell, I don't think there is a way around it - you could leave the camera on the dashboard of your car when it is really hot and maybe that will fry one of the circuits, or put a huge magnet next to it...)

 

[May1010]

Advise them that re-stocking fees are subject to state, county, & local sales taxes in most jurisdictions in the United States.

Second, advised them that if your receipt does not show that they charged you sales tax on the 15% restocking fee that you have every intention of advising your state's Department of Revenue (Sales Tax Division) that an audit of the store might result in a material tax change to the state's benefit.

They will not want to charge you the sales tax (trust me). Therefore, they are taking a big risk by not doing so. Hence, they should just take it back and bite their lip.

That should work.

 

[HappyScrappy]

he has a good point.
make sure this is a manager that you are speaking with and not some regular retard behind the desk... like me.

 

[HumanShell]

I've got one thing, and would like to know what you think. The camera is supposed to be able to film in 16x9 mode. I asked the salesman that I was purchasing it from if I would need any extra lenses to make the 16x9 film correctly, and he told me no, that the camera would take care of it. Well, when filming in 16x9 mode, it just stretches the picture top to bottom, where it is obvious that you need a different lense to keep the picture from distorting. Shouldn't this be a valid reason to return it without a restocking fee?

 

[HappyScrappy]

to me that sounds valid since the clerk lied to you (although they might have been new and didn't know what they were talking about) just to make a sale.

just be sure to speak to a manager and yell a lot and you'll get whatever you want. it is the american way.

 

[May1010]

HumanShell,

Yes. Ask to speak to the owner if you purchased the camera from a small store. If not, speak to the store's General Manager (not the shift manager).

If he or she refuses to waive the re-stocking fee, ask for the name and telephone number of the District Manager. This has worked well for me in the past when I bought a CD player at Radio Shack and I wanted to return it when it stopped working after 90 days.

I suggest that if you contact the District Manager and get no results, you write a letter to the corporate office.

 

[HumanShell]

Thanks guys, much appreciated