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Comment by Retr0id | Hacker News Reader

This article made me realize I'd never consider returning a non-defective product, I wonder why that is.

I'm the opposite, for big purchases. I consider the first week or so basically the demo and I'm conscious of the fact that I'm in "returning range".

Hard to do otherwise when everything from reviewers to reddit comments are astroturfed.

The way I do it is not to read any reviews or comments until about 6 months later. I have no pressing need to buy produx-x before that. I could also wait years, depending on what it is. Video games for example work well with this, because who cares if you play something 10 years after it comes out? It'll be a fraction of the price, and you'll know for certain if you want it or not.

The UK inherited the EU 14-day return policy, it's great. Especially nowadays when there are a ton of products that you can't see in person at all, only order online.

Under the EU policy you can only return unused items.

Not exactly. You are allowed to open the packaging, inspect it an check that it functions. Otherwise it would be pointless, wouldn't it? The exceptions are sealed games, health products, food, etc.

If you use it in a way that results in visible wear, the seller is allowed to deduct depreciation when you return it; that rarely happens.

Yes you are allowed to check that it functions. You are not allowed to use it. TFA is about a product used for considerable time.

The unspoken social contract of “if you don’t like it that’s on you” that companies have an incentive to maintain in their customer service experiences

It might be a sense of personal responsibility, or maybe you purchase mindfully without a "let's try this out" feeling.

Also, there is a wide range of attachments to money people have. I have seen lots of poor people give money to homeless people, and well-off people who use coupons/gift cards and return things in ways that would make me uncomfortable.

Although it is interesting how amazon treats returns and I wonder if seeing how the sausage is made might affects how people view returns. Oh, and things like grocery stores - they have to throw out returns.

In most places around the world, it wasn't and still isn't an option. I grew up in Eastern Europe where you needed to fight tooth and nail to even return a defective one under warranty - when I learned in certain US retailers you can return anything anytime (Target), that blew my mind.

Maybe you're like me and give careful consideration to your purchases for several years, going down the rabbit hole and learn to know about the specs, pros and cons better than any salesperson or even the engineers that made it...

Or like me: Eventually you get used to -and learn to appreciate- nearly anything, and you enjoy that process of discovery?

I switch Android/iOS (and once Windows Mobile) every time I get a new phone (which is when it breaks, usually after 5-6 years), it's always a bit of pain, like now I really miss some iOS features (iPhone mini 12 did not survive the humid jungles of Malaysia), but my Pixel 10 with GrapheneOS has some cool things, like a desktop mode! I'm beginning to appreciate the (in screen) fingerprint reader, but indeed, at first I really missed face-id. Overal Android (at least GrapheneOS) is more like a full computer than iOS. Which has pros and cons. And, hooray for LibrePods ;) (AirPods work without it, but it adds some nice things.)

I also feel a switch to KDE/Konveyor coming up after years of vanilla Gnome...

I agree. I have never once done it my life. This behavior is wasteful.

I'm pretty sure large companies like apple have a good pipeline to put what you returned in the hands of other customers.

meanwhile, my ability to not waste devices is poor. They tend to grow old in a box somewhere in my house until their utility is zilch.

Its one of those "what poor people think rich people do" things that doesnt actually send the signal they think it sends

Maybe you're very amenable, or you have too much money.

Maybe a bit of that, but I think I'm just more careful about what I buy in the first place.

By reading articles like this one, for instance?

You have empathy for strangers, that's all. I also wouldn't do that, because then some poor innocent person would buy something "new" for full price, and will receive used returned product, either overpaying from their pocket or facing a hassle and waste of time to punt that can down the line, until some innocent buyer #734 in the chain will accept used product for a price of new and won't return it. I consider such consumerism behavior very sociopathic.

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