Returns/refunds? - Do you return stuff? Is there an amount you won't bother with as it is too small?

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badatmath

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Do you return stuff?

Is there an amount you won't bother with as it is too small? I'm talking about new, undamaged, unused items only. Not defective or damaged shipments or return policies that allow you to return things years after purchase . . .(I'm trying to keep this from going off the rails here).

I mean just like last week you ordered $10 worth of X and subsequently decided you do not need it - do you return it? donate it? throw it out? Just curious.

I had a tiny purchase I regretted (and did end up returning) but a year ago I'd have just chucked it in the trash as not worth the effort. Not sure if I am just getting cheap(er) or simply I can return things now mostly without much waiting as I have more free time to do so. The item would have been completely re-sellable so I don't see the store being "harmed" if you are about that sort of thing.
 
It depends. If I'm going back to that store soon anyway, sure, no matter the amount. No, I won't bother to mail back and pack up a $7 item, but I will if I have a few that add up to $20 or more.

Just today, I returned a bunch of sprinkler/pipe fitting components, as I bought as assortment not knowing exactly what I'd need. Individually these were very small price items ($1-2), but I had about a dozen, and needed to go to Home Depot again anyway. Worth the effort of 2 minutes at the return counter.
 
The places I shop at make returning things relatively easy these days, and have such long return windows, that I do return things that I bought but have decided not use. The cost does not matter. Since for local stores I usually stop in at least once every few weeks, it is not a big deal. I usually have the item in my car and the next time I am near to, or going into, the store I return it.

The most recent small thing I returned was metal numbers used on home mailboxes or other outside fixtures, I have a change of mind about using them. The total cost was <$3 but I had 60 days to return them. I just put the in my car and returned them the next time an errand took me to the store.

It is one way I keep my household "clutter" to a minimum. I do not like trashing unused items, but I do not want to devolve into one of those folks - or hoarders - who hang onto things because "someday I might use it/might find a use for it" :) .
 
Our stupid Walmart story: wife buys a cat watering station (we don't have a cat). When it arrives, she walks it into Walmart for a return/refund. Gets the receipt. A month later, no credit on the cc. I look at Walmart.com...credited to wrong cc; a cc we don't own. Wife calls, "we will credit this within 2 days". Weeks later, nada. Wife calls again..."we will credit this within 2 days". Weeks later, nada. Wife calls again, "we will credit this within 2 days". Nada. three months later, I told the wife that it's not worth another hour on the phone for $20.
 
Aerides said:
It depends. If I'm going back to that store soon anyway, sure, no matter the amount. No, I won't bother to mail back and pack up a $7 item, but I will if I have a few that add up to $20 or more.
Click to expand...
+1 to both scenarios
 
Generally depends on how much effort it takes. Amazon...EZPZ.Just drop it off at Kohl's down the street. Anything much more than that I'll keep or donate to Goodwill. Walmart once royally screwed up our order (food). We were given a refund but they didn't want the items back so we donated the goods to the local food pantry,
.
 
erkevin said:
Our stupid Walmart story: wife buys a cat watering station (we don't have a cat). When it arrives, she walks it into Walmart for a return/refund. Gets the receipt. A month later, no credit on the cc. I look at Walmart.com...credited to wrong cc; a cc we don't own. Wife calls, "we will credit this within 2 days". Weeks later, nada. Wife calls again..."we will credit this within 2 days". Weeks later, nada. Wife calls again, "we will credit this within 2 days". Nada. three months later, I told the wife that it's not worth another hour on the phone for $20.
Click to expand...
So, stupid question, why did wife buy a cat watering station when you don't have a cat? >:D
 
On-line I will return anything. In person I'm not going to bother for under $20.
 
$10 or $20 is still worth it to me, even if it takes a bit more patience and followups. But one area where even I've admitted defeat is health insurance reimbursements.

I've forfeited a few when I ran into one too many brick walls fighting a huge, convoluted system. Many billing errors, none ever in my favor. I don't want to think about the # of hours lost to calls, emails, escalated appeals, pass-the-buck transfers to other depts that go nowhere.

Insurers, pharma middlemen & physician networks don't communicate well with each other and love pointing the finger elswhere when an issue arises.

I've won a few with help from state/federal agencies via complaints and investigations. But the time, anger and stress just aren't worth it.
 
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Even thought I have more time I am starting to spend less of it trying to get back small amount... this is mostly when I am charged wrongly, as an example I have $25 we spent to urgent care and the EOB just came in where I owed nothing....

Now, I hardly every returned stuff... I just do not buy things I do not need... so no regret on buying stuff... DW does all the time like others... buys something thinking it is what she wants knowing it might not be there in the next week or two and wants to decide if it really is what she wants...
 
I return everything, even the small stuff. It's more of a decluttering principle for me - if I'm not going to use it, I want it gone. I also think of it as taking proper care of my money- why would I leave/give my money, regardless of how small, to an impersonal business vs someone or somewhere I care about?
 
I complained a $8 container of hair paste was too solid (not creamy enough) to their 800 #. I got a full value coupon to replace it!
 
We buy most "stuff" from Costco which means the only real downside to returning is standing in a line for up to 10 minutes. SO, we return just about anything which is defective or doesn't measure up to our expectations. It's really not that common, but we will not hesitate to return (almost) no matter the value. YMMV
 
Just to reduce my impact on the environment, I will return them. I suppose the items are already there but maybe the store will get less/fewer of them?
 
As others have mentioned, it’s an evaluation on how much effort I have to make for the dollars given. For example, I ordered some golf balls from a place where they customize the balls (put my initials on it). They mistakenly sent them out without the customization. I wanted the balls I ordered, but the price on the ones they sent me was a good price anyway so I wasn’t going to go to the trouble to return them. I did call the seller and was disappointed that they made no offer of any type of compensation (like free shipping on my next order) to apologize for the inconvenience so I just kept the balls and will likely never order from them again. Too much trouble.
 
I don't make special trip to return something, but since I frequent the same places I'll just leave the item in my car until my next visit. Only problem with this strategy is that I often forget to return the item when I'm at the given store!
 
mystang52 said:
I don't make special trip to return something, but since I frequent the same places I'll just leave the item in my car until my next visit. Only problem with this strategy is that I often forget to return the item when I'm at the given store!
Click to expand...
Right. We're at "our" Costco once or twice a week. So returning something is not a big deal. I probably wouldn't make a special trip unless it were a big ticket item. Otherwise, I'd wait until it was "on my way."
 
Interesting some of you are more likely to return an online purchase. I am LESS likely to return if online as it is hassle to take it to UPS or whatever. Just not convenient for me go there generally.
 
It depends on what it is, what it cost, whether I have other items to return to the same store.

In the past when I was doing home renos I saved up all my Home Depot returns and took them back in one shot. Surprising how it can quickly add up.

Ditto for Costco. We save them up for a few weeks. And we wait until the returns line up is very short.

We have returned a few items to Amazon but they have tended to be more expensive items or 'not as advertised' items.
 
I try to return whatever I find unsatisfactory. I like Amazon as returns are so much easier using QR codes. I returned multiple items last month. One item cost only $10, but my total cost of all the returned items must have been around $150 or $200.
 
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