Sorry for the delay – I was out of the country and didn't have internet access.
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I’d like to relate my experiences at one more major retailer in Canada: Home Depot.
Recall that I'm asking all retailers the following question about pressure washers and lawn mowers:
"If I take it home and it doesn't work, how much time do I have to get a refund?"
The official Home Depot Canada refund/exchange policies is here:
The site covers online purchases as well as those made in the store.
Regarding in-store merchandise, it says:
“Items Purchased in Our Stores …. Returns with an Original Sales Receipt Within 90 Days of Purchase … Any purchase made … will be refunded …”
It goes on to list the options for various methods of payment, but they all say 90 days.
But is there might be a loop hole:
“The Home Depot reserves the right to limit or refuse to accept the return of certain merchandise at any time and for any reason.”
So, is there a policy where they routinely deny refunds? Maybe the Customer Service line will have an answer.
2 – Customer Service Line
The number is 1-800-628-0525.
To be frank, I had to wait for several minutes to get through, and on the weekend I spoke with Heather, who seemed young and not very confident, so I called back on a week night, when I spoke with Katarina (do you think they use their real names?).
Katarina told me that there’s a minimum of 30 days for a refund on a pressure washer or lawn mower, and possibly longer on some models. She told me there was no difference between gasoline-powered and electric models.
I asked about the store “reserving the right” to refuse refunds. Katarina told me that this is for unusual cases, such as suspected fraud, and that this would be used.
I also asked about warranties, and Katarina told me that the store is “responsible” for the products during that time, and after that time the manufacturer’s warranty applies.
Based on these findings, I’m giving Home Depot full marks:
Note that all stores reviewed so far have received this same mark.
3 – Internet Complaints
As before, I used the following search to see if there are routine complaints about refunds for pressure washers:
canada refund "pressure washer" problem complaint “home depot”
Strangely enough, all the Canadian pressure washer complaints I found were for Crappy Tires, and in the first 40, none were for Home Depot Canada.
4 – In the Aisles
I visited a store, and looked at mowers and power washers.
The selection was far better than Costco or Walmart.
In the aisles, there were no signs about any special “Repair Only” or other terms for refunds, exchanges, repairs or warranties.
5 – Customer Service Desk
I went to the Customer Service desk. Margaret was there, but she wasn't sure if it was 90 days or 30 days, so she asked Jill, the Seasonal Manager.
Jill said a refund or exchange for 30 days.
Is it my choice, or the store’s choice? Jill said it was my choice.
I asked if there was a different rule for gasoline equipment. She said the gasoline needs to be removed, for store safety.
As with all the stores I checked so far, there were no surprises.
There was a bit of confusion in the store as to the actual number of days a customer has to return pressure washers and mowers for a refund, but in the end, its at least 30, and that's all I was looking for.
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Next up: let's just say, “Bring It On”.
