My Plan for the Bionic

[bberrynewbie84]

How can you return the phone after 14 days at costco?

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[Noble.Four]

How can you return the phone after 14 days at costco?

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Costco has a 90 any reason return policy for all electronics.

http://shop.costco.com/en/Customer-Service/Returns.aspx

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[shrugger]

It is why companies like wal-mart (owns costco)

Wal-mart owns Sam's Club, not Costco.

 

[bberrynewbie84]

How does the return work when you contract starts after the 14 day?

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[rkeller62]

The return policy says (at least at Verizon) you can return it "for any reason." That obliterates the intent. Retailers know this happens. That's why there is a restocking fee.

Sorry, read vzw's return policy again. The phrase 'for any reason' does not appear anywhere in it at all.

 

[rkeller62]

How does the return work when you contract starts after the 14 day?

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You can return the phone to Costco, but you are on the hook for the vzw contract. Also, vzw will not sell you another phone at the discounted price for 20 months. I have no idea what Costco does for you for the price of a replacement phone.

 

[rkeller62]

I actually got a Droid Charge at Costco and did not have the intention of retuning it for something better, however I've had such a bad experience with it (radios come and go spontaneously, the home key doesn't work, random reboots, etc.) that I will be using the 90 day return policy and will exchange it for another Charge but more likely a Bionic. I'm honestly glad that Costco had a 90 day policy because my experience has been so bad with the Charge. I didn't go in with the intent of being unethical, it was quite the opposite actually because people posting this exact save thing about how it was unethical. I agree and still do but more that I'm in a situation that I need to get another phone, I'm glad I have that option.

This is EXACTLY what the return policies ARE for, not for people that feel entitled and can't wait another flipping month for the phone they really want.

 

[rkeller62]

They (the retailers) absolutely realize the intent. I worked at Circuit City (bad example, I know) and they have a SPECIAL return policy for pple who literally treat buying a TV for the superbowl as a rental. Out of those who have the INTENT to buy the TV and return it afterwords, a surprisingly high number of them never do (return it). They get the TV in their house and fall in love. That is what the return policy is all about. No retailer wants the customer to return it, but they realize that in the long run its far better to get the phone in their hands, some way, some how. The OP may well have the idea to buy the bionic with intent to return, but I am willing to bet he doesn't. If he does return the Bionic, it was because he wanted a different phone, the bionic let him down in some way. No one would return a phone that they where perfectly happy with.

Not sure an example from a company that had to declare bankruptcy really sells this idea so well....

 

[rkeller62]

It is why companies like wal-mart (owns costco) are taking over smaller businesses, they can swing better deals like this, that smaller companies cannot. It takes enormous capital to be able to do this, but it virtually guarantees a positive margin at the end of the day. Its the interface between micro (personal) and macro economics that make this seem like either too good to be true, or unethical, but in the end, it is neither.

Wal-mart gets their margin from squeezing the b**ls of their suppliers till they bleed and working their management staff till they drop.

 

[rkeller62]

I have a pretty similar plan. I am currently on somebody else's contract, but I need to start my own ASAP. However, I don't want to sign a contract with any of Verizon's current LTE phones. The Bionic will be out soon, but I am really waiting for the Vigor. But I can't wait that long to start a contract. So I'll sign one at Costco for the Bionic, and exchange it for the Vigor when it comes out. It is not unethical. The return policy is designed to give their PAYING MEMBERS the privilege of making sure they find the product they are absolutely satisfied with. Hence the "any reason" guarantee. There are perks that come with paying to shop somewhere, and an extended return policy is one of those. Even if one were to return a phone every ninety days for a newer and better one, Costco would still be getting his or her money. The only difference is they are giving it back then getting it back every three months.

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You can tell yourself whatever you want, but buying anything when you KNOW it is not what you want because you are too impatient to wait until the product you want is released, and then returning your purchase for what you wanted in the first place is just plain wrong.

Before you all start telling me about return policies, I am not saying it violates anyone's return policy, I am just saying its wrong.

Man up and either wait for the phone you want or keep the phone you get if you just can't wait.

 

[pameladhall]

If you don't like it, change your return policy.

It is intent that makes the difference. If I have a customer do that I will probably limit their ability to return (eg: in store credit or number of times they can return a like product)...I am not going to punish other customers who bought the product because they really thought it was what they wanted but truly do not like the product or have issues with it. If the big retailers like Costco pass the cost of these types of purchases on to me, imho I do not want to shop where these type of buyers shop, I would prefer supporting a smaller business...too bad only big companies get these toys I like! But to each his own.

 

[KillerG]

I see nothing un-ethical in what you propose. You are merely using the system for what it was designed. Return dates are there to give the customer reassurance that if they don't like the product, or if they find another product they like more, within the pre-arranged time that you the customer and they the retailer agree upon, you may return it for a full refund. It is a business contract between you and Costco that you both agree upon. Trust me, things like the are already built into the margins. they run the risk of people doing this, but what they gain is more customers feeling comfortable and having a reduced fear of initially buying the phone. Who knows, you may end up liking the phone enough to not return it at all. That is the basis by which these return agreements are based on. Get the product in the customer's hand and they will like it.

I say go for it!

But you missed one important point...the fact that he's PLANNING on getting rid of the Bionic. If he had said that he wanted to get the Bionic, try it out, and then see how good the Nexus Prime is, that's different. That seems a bit wrong too, but I can understand getting something and then a little later something better comes out. I personally think that you'll probably end up liking the phone a lot, and then playing with the Prime you don't like it quite as much, or just as much. My problem is we don't even know if we're getting it or if it will be LTE. The Vigor seems like a great phone, but we can't confirm any specs yet, but I can say that HTC has a bad reputation for having poor battery life. Can't say that the Vigor will have bad battery life, but they do have a cookie cutter design.

 

[916ninja]

You guys do realize that vzw resells these phones as refurbished and only dock the price by $100 on average right? Not saying it's right or not but wanted to point out that they still make a killing on phones that have been refurbished. Plus you can't beat the phone to shat and return it. It must be in near perfect condition otherwise they can't refurbish and resell. In this case, I don't think costco or VZW has as big an issue with it as some of you are making it out to be. They aren't happy when people abuse this policy, but they still get theirs. Work with a corporation and you will realize that they almost always do. I could give you plenty of examples with the company I work for if I wasn't paranoid. Lmao.



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[Noble.Four]

You can tell yourself whatever you want, but buying anything when you KNOW it is not what you want because you are too impatient to wait until the product you want is released, and then returning your purchase for what you wanted in the first place is just plain wrong.

Before you all start telling me about return policies, I am not saying it violates anyone's return policy, I am just saying its wrong.

Man up and either wait for the phone you want or keep the phone you get if you just can't wait.

The thing about waiting for another phone is, you never know how long you will be waiting. My circumstances dictate that I NEED to start my own contract as soon as I can. So I can't wait an unknown amount of time for the Vigor. I will get the Bionic, and I will take care of it, and I'm sure I'll love it. When the Vigor hits, I'll decide if I want to switch.

The amount of money these companies make marking up these phones is ludicrous. I'm paying for the service, and the company will have my money for a phone no matter what. It is not wrong.

If you are really telling people to man up and wait for elusive phones that haven't even been announced yet, you obviously haven't been around these parts for long. The Vigor is RUMORED to land in October. Just like the Thunderbolt was rumored to come out last November. When did it hit? March of this year. I cannot afford to take my chances and see how long this release drags out.

If I return the Bionic, it will be because I am not satisfied with it. And that is what it comes down to.

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[916ninja]

Hahaha would everyone feel the same way if they were in the jam for locking in unlimited data and was waiting for the Bionic? If I were in that situation, I'd go costco for that very reason. Why buy a used smartphone when I could get a brand new 4g phone? VZW is still getting their money. And the new pricing is a joke. It's supposed to help save you money, but how is limiting you to two gbs for the same price a cost save? At least they could have lowered the cost to match ATT's data plan to actually save something.

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[adinofaries]

Hahaha would everyone feel the same way if they were in the jam for locking in unlimited data and was waiting for the Bionic? If I were in that situation, I'd go costco for that very reason. Why buy a used smartphone when I could get a brand new 4g phone? VZW is still getting their money. And the new pricing is a joke. It's supposed to help save you money, but how is limiting you to two gbs for the same price a cost save? At least they could have lowered the cost to match ATT's data plan to actually save something.

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Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[rkeller62]

The thing about waiting for another phone is, you never know how long you will be waiting. My circumstances dictate that I NEED to start my own contract as soon as I can. So I can't wait an unknown amount of time for the Vigor. I will get the Bionic, and I will take care of it, and I'm sure I'll love it. When the Vigor hits, I'll decide if I want to switch.

The amount of money these companies make marking up these phones is ludicrous. I'm paying for the service, and the company will have my money for a phone no matter what. It is not wrong.

If you are really telling people to man up and wait for elusive phones that haven't even been announced yet, you obviously haven't been around these parts for long. The Vigor is RUMORED to land in October. Just like the Thunderbolt was rumored to come out last November. When did it hit? March of this year. I cannot afford to take my chances and see how long this release drags out.

If I return the Bionic, it will be because I am not satisfied with it. And that is what it comes down to.

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The phone companies make NO money on a phone at the subsidized price. They make their money on the service contract.

You only read half of my statement. I said either man up and wait, or buy now and keep what you get assuming it does not have some flaw/missing feature.

I was waiting for an Android phone before most of the people on these forums had a clue what Android was.

 

[ChevyNovaLN]

Can't we all just get along?

 

[916ninja]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Tell that to VZW and the rest of the world wide corporations. What is moral and ethical in the world is decided by the way business runs in the world. We all choose to live the way we do, but the business world has spent trillions of dollars over the years to decide what paths are open to us. But I digress, this is not the forum for this conversation. Either way, we all give little, take a little. Does anyone in this thread root and tether for free?

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[bworley50]

Sorry, read vzw's return policy again. The phrase 'for any reason' does not appear anywhere in it at all.

Wireless Device/Accessory Return Policy

You may return or exchange wireless devices and accessories purchased from Verizon Wireless within 14 days of purchase. A restocking fee of $35 ($70 for netbooks and tablets) applies to any return or exchange of a wireless device (excluding Hawaii).

This return and exchange policy does not apply to customers who have purchased a Prepaid Plan.

Exchange New Merchandise

You are permitted to make one exchange. To make an exchange, return the merchandise (including device, charger, battery, instructions, and any other components) in the ORIGINAL box. All merchandise must be in like-new condition and accompanied by the original receipt. Shipping charges may apply to exchange merchandise sent to you by Verizon Wireless.

View Return/Exchange Instructions

Return and Service Termination

You may terminate service for any reason within 14 days of activation. If you purchased a wireless device at a promotional price at the time of activation, you must return it within the device return period to avoid being assessed an Early Termination Fee of $175, or $350 if you purchased an Advanced Device. You will remain responsible for your Activation Fee unless you terminate service within three days of activation. You will also be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date. If you paid a security deposit, it may take between 30 and 60 days to process the return of your security deposit. The charges for any service used on the account before the service termination date may be applied against your security deposit.

If you cancel your service after the 14-day period, but prior to the expiration of your minimum term, you will be responsible for all of the above-mentioned charges, including an Early Termination Fee.

If you return your merchandise, even by mistake, after the return period, you will not receive a refund and the merchandise you returned will not be returned to you.

At our discretion, we may decline your return or charge you a fee for a missing item, or for items that we determine are damaged or require service. If you return and we accept your merchandise within the return period, we will refund your purchase price, subject to the restocking fee. If you return a wireless device without a UPC on the box, the amount of the refund will be reduced by the amount of any mail-in rebate that was available for the wireless device at the time of purchase. Purchases made by cash or check, credit card or gift card will be refunded by check, credit card or gift card, respectively.