Comment by roganartu | Hacker News Reader

Comment by roganartu | Hacker News Reader

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You'll find that replacements for change of mind in Australia (and perhaps other countries with strong consumer protections) are less friendly. I have definitely noticed there are more stores in the US (especially big box retailers that are competing with Amazon) that have flexible return policies in the short term for changing your mind, while my expectation for any store in Australia is that you are likely unable to return something for change of mind if it has been used.

The trade off for that is that you get very long periods of fitness for use, where you can comfortably buy something that is advertised for a purpose and know that you can return it after a reasonable time if it isn't actually fit for that purpose. A good example is smartphones and laptops, where Australian-sold iphones effectively have a two year warranty and macbooks have a three year one iirc because of these strong consumer protection laws.

It's these kinds of faulty goods returns to smaller retailers that I've had most trouble with in the US (and where I think consumer protection makes the most sense). In Australia the consumer would simply file a complaint online to the Department of Fair Trading (or whatever it is for their state) and these are usually resolved within a couple of weeks or less and usually in the consumer's favour. I'm not aware of any equivalent in the US, and if it does exist I'm sure it varies significantly state-to-state.

>> How am I supposed to test it to see if I like it without using it at all?

Test it in the store. Nobody in north america expects they can buy something, walk away with it, and then have a right to return it simply because they don't "like it". A store may take it back but only because they are kind, not because they are under any legal obligation.

Remember there is always a flip side to returns. Either the seller eats a loss, or they put the now used object back on the shelf as new. That is why safety-related products have a zero-returns policy. Rock climbing gear is generally non-returnable. I probably would not buy climbing gear from any store that did returns for fear of getting used gear with unseen problems.

> Test it in the store.

Thanks, but I will pass. I would rather test my stuff at home, taking my time. In general, it will lead to higher customer satisfaction and confidence. People would be willing to buy more often knowing that in case they are not satisfied, they can simply return the product hassle-free. (A concise and clear return policy gives consumers a feeling of security; that what they are buying is guaranteed to be what it is represented to be. If a retailer doesn't give this guarantee, then consumers often become suspicious and avoid buying the product.)

> Nobody in north america expects they can buy something, walk away with it, and then have a right to return it simply because they don't "like it".

Have you ever been to the Customer service section of a WallMart store? :)

Of course, there should be a code of honor by the customers as well. If you buy something with the intention of returning it after using, then you are just a bad person. But that shouldn't mean If I have legitimate reasons to return some item, I shouldn't. That is how stores maintain customer satisfaction, thus a competitive advantage.

> Nobody in north america expects they can buy something, walk away with it, and then have a right to return it simply because they don't "like it".

What are you talking about? Many refund agreements have exactly this in mind. It's a competitive advantage for the store to be lenient.

When I worked at Walmart and Target during summers as a teen, we were encouraged to get the customer to buy a few different options (curtains for example) and tell them to just return the ones they don't want. Especially clothes.

I encourage you to check out the terms of refund for the places you shop instead of assuming you're stuck with a product you don't want.

>> Many refund agreements have exactly this in mind.

Agreements, contracts between willing parties, not legal rights coming from law. I expect that I can return something, I don't pretend that I have a legal expectation that I can do so at any and all stores.

Well, the fact is Germany has neither. At least in the US customers do get higher quality customer service and that is what matters. I would rather have a satisfied consumer experience than a useless set of laws and regulations that does no good to anyone.

As @always_good pointed out already, a flexible return policy is actually a competitive advantage for the company if they know how to conduct a retail business properly. I, for example, would always prefer Amazon to any other German online store simply because the confidence Amazon gives me when shopping. I can easily go on a shopping spree on Amazon knowing that if I don't like something I can easily send it back, although, during the last 3 years, I haven't sent a single item back to Amazon.

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