
Originally Posted by
Unregistered
Obviously, if CT stores didn't allow returns on anything the stores sold, then they would not need to pay as many people to work at the customer service desk, and wouldn't need staff to put sealed items back on the shelves, destroy or return to the manufacturer any defective items, etc. So, yes, there is a staffing cost, but it doesn't appear to be large, so this incremental cost shouldn't be a big point for further debate.
The real question is, after a customer is given a refund for a defective item, who covers the cost of the item? The store, the corporation, or the manufacturer?
If the manufacturer agreed to credit the store for the wholesale cost of the item (maybe first needing a RMA number), then the store is covered. So, the manufacturer lost out (seems fair - the shipped a defective product).
But what happens if the manufacturer will not credit the store? Maybe the store was too quick to give the refund, and the manufacturerer disputes it. Or, there was no RMA number, and now the manufacturer won't pay. Or, maybe it's a "repair only" product, and the manufacturer said from the beginning that they would not credit the store for a defective item - i.e. they would only cover the cost of a repair, not a refund. In these cases, wouldn't the store lose the wholesale value of the item?
Some have posted here saying that there's some little known method for a store to request a credit from the CT corporation. If that's true, but nobody at the store does the rights steps, then it looks like the store still loses.
Even if the store does the right steps and is credited by the Corporation, then it's just CTC that is now out the money. There hasn't been a method described where the corporation gets money from the manufacturer.
The same thing goes for "no warranty" items. If the manufacturer said they wouldn't cover repairs, exchanges or refunds, then the store would have no way to get that money back if they gave the customer a refund.
So, basically we have several senarios where a store loses money by giving a customer a refund, and so they have a financial incentive to refuse a refund, even if the item is genuinely defective.
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