Strange return experience at Costco

[Rustic23]

Friend of mine bought a smoker at Sams. It had a 10 year warranty. At the end of 8 years setting outside the grates needed replacing. Sams no longer carried that item and took it back for a full refund! It was just about the dirtiest thing I had ever seen!

 

[Chuckanut]

I get prescription sunglasses from places like Goggles4U. The price is cheap as long as I don't need to look great in designer frames. $70 for the progressive lenses.

Sometimes people who work for stores like Costco don't get the big picture. They may think they are doing the company a favor when they save the company $20 by turning a loyal customer into a disgruntled customer.

I have never had a bad return experience with Costco. That's why I shop there often and rarely shop at places like 'Name Redacted' which has previously surprised me with "Well, you should have been told this item was not returnable. Sorry you weren't, but we can't refund your money".

And, I'm only a bit sorry that Name-Redacted won't be getting much of my money in the future. I have shopped there once in the two years since that incident. Wanna guess how many times I've been to Costco in the same two years?

FWIW, I think sunglasses should last 2-3 years. Mine have.

 

[kcowan]

I tough they were picking on you earlier! Apparently not?

 

[COcheesehead]

I’ve given up on Costco glasses. I wore a few good pairs, but the last two seemed really cheap. One pair yellowed quickly and the other pair never fit - they’d adjust it and it would go right back to not fitting.

I bought Warby Parker a month ago and they were reasonably priced, fit well, weren't part of the cartel.

There are different frame materials. My wife bought a $60 frame for her prescription sunglasses at Costco. They were plastic and she had to return many times for adjustments. I have some composite frames that are going on 8 years old without ever having an adjustment.

 

[badatmath]

I wouldn't personally return something I had used that long. I would just not get that brand again.



But FWIW my $20 sunglasses last about 4 years . . . which usually includes being dropped or sat on.

 

[txtig]

I can get major name brand sunglasses (RayBan, Oakley, Maui Jim, etc.) for $5 in Mexico!! [emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]

 

[Scrapr]

I can get major name brand sunglasses (RayBan, Oakley, Maui Jim, etc.) for $5 in Mexico!! [emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]

Does the Rolex watch guy carry sunglasses too?

I wanted a nice looking pair of sunglasses. Brand name & prescription. Cost was north of Robbie's $350. I guard those with my life. I left them for 5 minutes at a job site. Went right back and nobody knows nutting. Until I pulled out a $20

4 or 5 years so far. Otherwise it's zenni

 

[Go-NoGo]

Seems like a lot of users here know very little about sunglasses...and that they're almost all produced by the same company...luxottica

Ray bans used to be cheap drug store sunglasses. Luxottica bought them up...pulled them from the shelves then re released them. Not a single thing changed other than the price...which skyrocketed. But since it costs more it must mean its better quality, lol.

Im not telling people to go out about buy glasses you get from a $0.25 machine...but if you think you have to drop $150+ for "good" glasses...I have a bridge to sell you.

+1

PonyBoy is right, Luxottica owns the market and charges exorbitantly for glasses.

See this Forbes article on Luxottica:

"Meet the Four-Eyed, Eight-Tentacled Monopoly That is Making Your Glasses So Expensive"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anaswa...aking-your-glasses-so-expensive/#310b96806b66

"..Luxottica controls 80% of the major brands in the $28 billion global eyeglasses industry. This monopolistic structure of the market leads to profits that are “relatively obscene,” says Tim Wu, a professor of law at Columbia University"

 

[grasshopper]

Yikes, my guy (optometrists) in Mexico, Flexon titanium frame, progressive UV and tint coated lens $160. About every other year he checks my vision and replaces the lens and nose pieces $40.

 

[calmloki]

Does the Rolex watch guy carry sunglasses too?

I wanted a nice looking pair of sunglasses. Brand name & prescription. Cost was north of Robbie's $350. I guard those with my life. I left them for 5 minutes at a job site. Went right back and nobody knows nutting. Until I pulled out a $20

4 or 5 years so far. Otherwise it's zenni

Cheapest metal frames from zenni - think they were $9.95 back then, $24 now, lasted me the longest. We go to stores and check out frames for the gal and normally she just gets new lenses installed in her old frames instead.

 

[Helena]

.

In the past, I've bought regular prescription glasses for about that same price and they lasted for many years. Why would sunglasses be different?

What the clerk is really telling you is... Costco sells overpriced cheap sunglasses that are expected to break prematurely so you will have to buy more.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

I could be wrong but I thought certain departments at Costco like Optical, Floral, etc don't fall under Costco corporate but instead are run by vendors that follow Costco branding and policy.

 

[Letj]

My underwear are getting a bit ragged, I wonder if I can return them to Costco? They are only a year old and for what I paid I sure expected to get better longevity.

Lol. Actually if you know anyone in retail at the higher end stores, they can tell you endless stories of people returning underwear. That’s why I believe the return policies are way too generous and all of us end up paying more. I had a good friend that was a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in New York and she told me women would return stockings and bras that were worn for years and they took them back.

 

[texasdiver]

I returned an 8-year old Kirkland Signature rollaboard suitcase a few months ago. Zipper had blown out and I had no way to fix it.

The woman at the counter commented that "it looks like you've gotten a lot of use out of this and how much more use did I expect?"

I pointed out that the exact same Kirkland Signature luggage sitting on the floor 100 ft away has a tag that says 10-year warranty on the label and that I would be happy if they simply fixed the zipper.

"Oh, we don't do that" she said.

"Then how do you honor the printed warranty?" I asked

"We just replace it" she said.

"OK then, as you wish" I said.

And she rang up the return without another comment.

 

[Badger]

Yikes, my guy (optometrists) in Mexico, Flexon titanium frame, progressive UV and tint coated lens $160. About every other year he checks my vision and replaces the lens and nose pieces $40.

I believe Costco has regular prescription glasses for that price and prescription sunglasses for about the same. I bought a pair like that a couple of years ago and don't have any problems.


I like Costco and their generous return policy.


I also like the stock that I bought a few years ago that has more than tripled in price/share. Seems like customers and investors are both pleased with them.

 

[JoeWras]

Lol. Actually if you know anyone in retail at the higher end stores, they can tell you endless stories of people returning underwear. That’s why I believe the return policies are way too generous and all of us end up paying more. I had a good friend that was a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in New York and she told me women would return stockings and bras that were worn for years and they took them back.

Yep. My sister worked in a high end women's store for her retirement job. She had stories...

They are now out of business. And she finally is truly retired.

 

[Helena]

Lol. Actually if you know anyone in retail at the higher end stores, they can tell you endless stories of people returning underwear. That’s why I believe the return policies are way too generous and all of us end up paying more. I had a good friend that was a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in New York and she told me women would return stockings and bras that were worn for years and they took them back.

Did she tell you what they do with the returns?

I asked my local Kohl's store this question and was told return items are "not" put back on the shelf. Yet, I have seen items for sale at Kohl's that were obviously used, including items labeled with another store's brand.

 

[Letj]

Did she tell you what they do with the returns?



I asked my local Kohl's store this question and was told return items are "not" put back on the shelf. Yet, I have seen items for sale at Kohl's that were obviously used, including items labeled with another store's brand.

She didn’t but the way she described the items, I don’t think these could be resold. Many of them were just gross. She did say that they were often returned by the little old rich ladies. She knew most of the regulars and many of them lived on the upper east side. That store is a very high end store and very intimidating at least for a poor college student as I was back then. I went there a couple of times to see her and felt so out of place at the time.

 

[Breedlove]

I remember many years ago I worked for a big Box retail hardware company . People would come in buy our paint sprayers use them all weekend or over a long holiday and return them dirty and all and we would 100% refund.

 

[CaptTom]

Wow. I should buy stock in a sunglasses company.

Since mine seem to find their way to the bottom of the ocean, or get sat on, on a fairly regular basis, I'll generally pick up a pair or two whenever I find them for around $5 for UV-A and UV-B rated, if they look halfway decent. An exceptionally good pair I might pay $10 for. That'll be the first one to get lost or broken, of course.

 

[Breedlove]

I know t might sound crazy , but I wear Oakley's they are about 10 years old purchased off the bargain showcase . I believe I paid 69.00 for them , but now I change the lens and it ends up close to 90.00 for the lens . I like these lens and glasses for the Texas sun

 

[tony d tiger]

"Starlite" safety glasses at $6 a pair provides UV A/B and ballistic protection... too easy.

 

[Chuckanut]

I returned an 8-year old Kirkland Signature rollaboard suitcase a few months ago. Zipper had blown out and I had no way to fix it.

.

Did you or Costco have the necessary proof that you were within the 10 year warranty? My guess is that most people could not find their receipt after a year or two if their life depended on it.

 

[brett]

Opposite experience. DW had glasses of 16 months. They were never right. She went in a few times. On the last occasion the lady in Costco optical dept. looked at DW, looked at the glasses, and said that the frames should not have been sold to DW. Not certain why..something about size of frame and lens.

Took the glasses. Rang a full refund through on two pairs. DW picked out two new frames, Costco made up the new glasses. DW paid the difference in cost only after a full refund of the other two pair.

We were surprised, and pleased. Great service.

Agree that you must have had an inexperienced clerk.

I was told by a vendor who sells to Costco in Canada that Costco is tough customer. A Costco vendor MUST agree to take back any returned item to Costco for full credit from the vendor. No ifs, ands, or buts. If Costco takes it back, the vendor has to take it back. This is apparently standard vendor T's and C's at Costco. All Costo seems to insist on is some original packaging and a bill. Sometimes not even the bill.

 

[CaptTom]

"Starlite" safety glasses at $6 a pair provides UV A/B and ballistic protection... too easy.

Sweet! They look pretty cool, too.

I just checked, and at least one style is $6.12 for a box of 10 on Amazon. I think I'll order a box for the boat. Hand them out to the guests and crew!

Maybe I could clean them with used dryer sheets and save on eyeglass wipes.

I'll be honest, I have a hard time working up sympathy for anyone who looses a $150 pair of (non-prescription) sunglasses over the side, sits on or scratches them. Sunglasses should be considered disposable if you lead any kind of active life.