Buying online has the disadvantage of you not being able to touch and feel the product, try it out, see what its color really is and generally get a good idea of whether you like it or not. How often are not satisfied with your online purchases and end up returning whatever you have bought? For me it has to be something like 5% of the time. I usually accept whatever I get since I'm the one who ordered it in the first place anyway.
From what I remember, there was only one occasion when we returned a product. The item was the blue garden hose that was sold on a big discount so we availed of it. When it arrived, it cannot connect properly to the faucet as if some parts of the valve are missing. The item was returned but it came back after 3 weeks on the note that nothing was wrong with it. So what we did was to have it checked by a plumber and rubber gaskets were added.
I rarely return things these days because it is a pain. However, I saw this story where a retailer (customer service on the phone) told the customer to keep the coat and donate it instead.Log In Sometimes it costs them more to handle the returned goods I guess. I always make sure that returns are free though just in case.
I haven't had too many issues with having to return online purchases. I return more things to brick and mortar stores. I only make returns if there is a good reason though. As Theo said, it's a pain in the rear. I was cautioned after making a couple returns in a row once that if I made too many I'd be "on the list," and wouldn't be allowed to do any more. That really ticked me off, since I never do it frivolously. If something is broken or bad, I'm bringing it back. Deal with it (or sell better stuff that isn't junk).
Fortunately - having to return items is not something that I've ever really experienced in my 10 or so years of online shopping - as apart from having to return one item ( for which the return postage was paid ) due to it being damaged on arrival - everything else I've bought has been more than satisfactory. That said - I don't do all my shopping online - as although shopping online is not only extremely convenient and for me way more cost effective than visiting the stores - particularly as I live in the middle of nowhere - I generally much prefer to visit brick and mortar stores for any items that I want to see in the flesh so to speak - not just to check quality and or fit - but to ensure that I'm entirely satisfied with the item before parting with any money.
Yeah, the pain in the bum of having to return the product sure is a big factor when deciding to go ahead or not with it or not. The idea of asking customers to donate products they were planning to return is a great one. Good for the customer and good for whoever might need the product but couldn't afford it.
The things I buy online, most of them are cheap and I often buy in bulk. Even if I'm dissatisfied with any of them since I buy from the same sellers all the time, I'll contact the seller, tell them about it and next time I buy something from they sometimes replace it. The reason I don't bother sending back one or two items is because the shipping fees would cancel out my savings.
I rarely return things that I buy online because I'm one of those people that checks out the item in a physical store before going online to find the lowest price. So ,by the time I receive the item in the mail, I already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I research every purchase I make.
I have only returned an item I bought online one time., and the problem with the item was that it was defective. I bought it through Amazon and there was not problem with me sending the parts back and getting a refund. That is another reason I like to shop there, they usually back up and guarantee their purchases if purchased through them.
Never. I have never returned anything because when I'm not satisfied with a product I usually just give it to someone or sell it on my Ebay. Sometimes I end up making more than what I actually spent on it.
I do not purchase alot of stuff online because I do not want to go thru the hassle of returning it. I have only returned one item, a battery for my computer that died within a week and received a replacement for it.
Throughout my life I've been very lucky and didn't need to return items. Maybe once or twice I'd return an item because it was the wrong color that someone else didn't want at home and that was it. Just last year though there was a superb sale for a microwave oven only 35.00 by a very trustworthy brand. It was an online purchase from Walmart and best of all it can be delivered via post office. We have no car, so the sale was just what we needed aside of the microwave oven. It came defective and after speaking with the customer service of the product they said to return it to Walmart for a refund. All my life I bought things like appliances, gadgets etc....with no problems until last year. Refund was fast and easy, but lugging it to Walmart was a chore without a car of my own. Buying online can be a life saver too. I don't know why but Oahu has no nylon sports wrist band with buckle that you can use for a replacement watch band. Well my watch band made of plastic tore apart and I needed the wrist band. Only Sears has it for 11.00 plus tax. Way too much for me and I wan't about to buy it when I saw one at amazon for 2.98 or seen others at e-bay for .98 both with free shipping too! No one, had the little nylon wrist strap with a buckle anywhere else but Sears. Because of this and Cyber Monday I love online shopping!
I think my first two orders were a disaster and I had to return all the products I ordered because neither one fit (I ordered a pair of sneakers for myself and a polo shirt for my dad). I learned my lesson since then and now I make sure to ask a customer service rep or call the online store for questions and/or clarifications before placing an order. That was the only time I had to return stuff I ordered online.
The only time that I'm not satisfied with my item is when I bought clothes that were too small for me online. Unfortunately, the seller does not offer returns so I'm stuck with them. I also bought a brand new phone that only lasted for 8 months, so it really sucks if you bought a defective electronic item online.
I rarely return items. It just seems like too much of a hassle to do so. I do a lot of thinking and research before shopping, and don't buy nearly as much as I have in the past. I will usually find some way to use what I've bought that didn't work out for its original purpose. I usually have a few garage sales per year, and will sometimes put those items in the bin for my garage sales, list them for sale in one of my online shops, offer them for sale in the Facebook groups, or donate them. If it's an item that's faulty I won't do that, and will usually return it when that happens.
Thankfully most of the things I have purchased online have been of great quality. The only time I have returned something is when I purchased clothing and it just didn't fit right. Most of the time I purchase my clothing from Old Navy. If something doesn't fit right, I can just bring it back to the store that is located fairing close to my home. Usually everything I buy from them has been pretty great. Other times I have purchased some dog leashes on Amazon that I wasn't 100% satisfied. I was going to return it but I didn't want to have money taking out for the return shipping. So I just kept the product. It wasn't much for it and I just took the lost. It all depends on how much I spent on something. If I spent a couple hundreds of dollars and the product is not up to snuff then I will definitely return it. If it wasn't very much then I will just take the lost and see if someone in my family can use the product.
Pretty much never. I am VERY careful when I purchase online. I get every single measurement, read every single review I can find.. I pick apart every detail to be sure of what I'm buying, so if it gets to me and I don't like it, it's because the details were completely wrong. It's rare I buy something I don't end up liking when it gets to me.. but when it happens, I write it off as a loss and donate it to someone who could use it more than I could.
I'm the same way- even if I'm not entirely satisfied with whatever I ordered, I'll probably end up keeping it or regifting it, rather than send it back. It's just too much of a hassle to me to return things, most of the time. However, that kind of thinking leads to me not even making a lot of purchases, for fear that I might feel inclined to return it.
Before I didn't use to return pretty much anything. I would even lose some things because I thought returning was difficult. But when I started to do it and saw how easy and convenient it is I started doing it more and more. If anything does not look good or does not fit properly, I will return it even if I could use it if I wanted to. Opposed to just returning it if it absolutely does not work... It is a convenience most stores offer and we have to take advantage of it.
I absolutely hate having to take anything back to the store or send it back if I ordered online. I like to try my clothes and shoes on before I buy them so I try not to order them online. Unless there is something wrong and the item is completely unusable, I will not take it back. It seems such a hassle to me and I am not sure why other than having to travel back to the store. So for the most part, I try to make sure everything fits and I find out the return policy if I order online.
