Comment on Free returns disappearing from retailers | The era of free returns — an essential part of the rise of online shopping — is ending

Mr_Blott@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• NateNate60@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Yes, it is. That’s because companies like trying unpopular policies in America first before moving them to Europe.

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  • Mr_Blott@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Try telling that to my unequivocal legal right to return anything for any reason within 14 days

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    • NateNate60@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes. You have to pay for postage. Americans pay nothing and Amazon forced them to pay one dollar. I’m sure retailers would happily trade free returns for a 14-day return policy that makes the customer pay for postage.

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      • dojan@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        In Sweden. Never paid postage to return anything to a shop. Never paid postage to send a product anywhere, actually, be it for warranty or what have you.

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  • 1smoothcriminal@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yup, thats because the EU actually protects their consumers unlike the great ol’ US of A

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    • NateNate60@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It depends. If the company dives in headfirst with anticonsumer practices in the EU, you’re correct; EU institutions will regulate them out. But there’s a much smarter strategy that works more often than I think you’d like to admit:

      • Start said anticonsumer practice in the USA
      • USA is slower to enact legislation against it
      • US customers get used to it
      • Inch EU customers into said practices
      • When confronted, point to the USA and say that the Americans are fine with it so it must not be that bad.
      • 50% of the time EU regulators respond with “oh, alright then”. The news of said practice being introduced into the EU appears on The Register for a day and then everyone forgets about it. Most EU consumers don’t realise it happened.

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      • realitista@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        To do this in the EU would mean breaking the law, which mandates 14 days of free returns with no requirement to justify the reason whatsoever, so I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t work ;-).

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      • barsoap@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        When confronted, point to the USA and say that the Americans are fine with it so it must not be that bad.

        Are you acquainted with the connotation of the term “American conditions”?

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• Arcane_Trixster@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  You guys don’t drunk-order a bunch of useless shit then expect to return it for no cost once buyer’s remorse sinks in?

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  • Knusper@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Point is, we have laws enforcing that possibility. It’s not goodwill from companies…

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    • kent_eh@lemmy.ca ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s not goodwill from companies…

      Nothing good for customers ever is

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  • Mr_Blott@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Why yes, yes we do

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• PeleSpirit@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  You guys get free health care and you can return stuff? Also, don’t you have a guaranteed warranty of 3 or 4 years?

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  • f314@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Five years, actually, here in Norway. Technically two years, and five if the product is meant to last appreciably longer than two years. But that is true for most things except wearable electronics like earbuds.

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    • PeleSpirit@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I know you guys don’t live in utopia, but fuck, you have it better than us in a lot of ways.

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      • K1nsey6@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Most 3rd world counties have it better than the US

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  • JackFrostNCola@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    In Australia our consumer protection laws have minimum warranty for most items (eg 3yrs or something for basic electronic products) but it scales with cost and quality.
    It does not apply to everything as far as i know, but say you buy a $8,000 TV, you would likely get 5-6 years warranty because a TV of that cost should imply, to a reasonable consumer, it is of a quality that would be expected to last 5-6 years.

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  • realitista@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    2 years by law everywhere in the EU.

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  • Mr_Blott@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Two, but I don’t think it applies to medical procedures

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  • tsonfeir@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    War-ranty? What is this? A guarantee of war? Sounds like apple pie to me. 🇺🇸

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