returns
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Amazon begins flagging ‘frequently returned’ products
Amazon has begun displaying a warning about frequently returned items as the company tightens its belt in response to shaky numbers in an uncertain economy.
Amazon will soon directly address claims over faulty marketplace products
Amazon is updating its return policy to make it easier for customers to file complaints over defective products from third party marketplace sellers.
Amazon launches new resale programs following backlash over stock destruction
ITV News' report on how Amazon destroys stock rather than re-list it has prompted a change at the mega-retailer.
Apple is allowing Solo Loop returns without sending back the Watch
Apple is now letting Watch buyers send back the Loop Solo bands without returning the entire Watch.
Return your Amazon orders to any Kohl's store starting in July
You no longer have to be lucky if you want to return your Amazon order to a Kohl's store instead of heading to your local courier. As of July, you'll have the option of returning your goods at any of Kohl's 1,150 stores in the US. You won't need a box or label, and it won't cost you a dime as long as you're covered by the return policy in the first place.
Walmart’s app makes the return process easier
Walmart is adding another new feature to its app and this one aims to make returning items as painless as possible. Starting soon, when you need to return something, you'll first start the process on the app. Then head to a store, scan a QR code at the Mobile Express Lane, and hand the item to a Walmart associate. The refund will be back in your account in approximately a day.
Kohl's will now pack and ship Amazon returns for you
A couple of weeks ago, Amazon and Kohl's announced a new partnership, which added spaces in Kohl's stores dedicated to selling hardware like the Echo and Dot smart speakers, called the Amazon Smart Home Experience. Now Kohl's is planning for 82 of its stores in Los Angeles and Chicago to offer free return service for Amazon customers. The Kohl's stores will pack and ship "eligible" Amazon return items for anything you buy from the online retailer, for free, starting this October.
IRS expects its e-file tax system to be back online today
If you're desperate to get tax refund cash via the IRS's e-file system, a server crash may delay it, though not by much. The agency said that it's "stll assessing the scope of the outage," but thinks any disruptions will be minimual, adding, "we continue to expect that 9 out of 10 taxpayers will receive their refunds within 21 days." This year, the IRS launched a new version of the Free File system aimed at consumers that earned $62,000 or less, a jump of $2,000 over last year.
Apple clamps down on its App Store refund loophole in Europe
Apple probably thought it was doing everyone a favour when it introduced a two-week refund policy for iTunes and App Store purchases in Europe. But of course, as is always the way with technology, if there's an unintended flaw hidden away you can guarantee someone will find it. On this occasion it was 9to5Mac, who discovered that anyone can keep a recently purchased app on their device, even after Apple has processed the refund for it. The apps aren't removed and the user isn't locked out, so there was nothing to stop savvy iPhone and iPad owners from abusing the system. Well, it appears Apple has already taken note. If you refund too many items, you'll now be greeted with a warning message that effectively locks you out of the refund policy. It won't stop determined users from claiming a few free apps, but it should mean Apple can keep a lid on a potentially dubious practice.
Tesla Model S is now cheaper to lease, comes with a return policy
Tesla has just revealed reduced lease rates for its Model S, along with a "happiness guarantee" that lets you return the EV up to three months after purchase with no penalty. Elon Musk said that buyers in certain states will get rates up to 25 percent lower, thanks to a new deal it struck with US Bank. Leasing currently starts at around $800 per month for a Model S. The return guarantee is "no questions asked," but Musk added that it's not possible to then turn around and lease a newer model unless you pay a pass-through fee. Tesla recently announced a new, more powerful "D" variant of the Model S and has the Model X SUV and cheaper Model 3 in development. The new lease rates and guarantee have led some to speculate that sales are down, but Tesla told the NYT that "demand remains extremely strong for the cars."
AT&T cutting returns and service cancelation period from 30 to 14 days, starting tomorrow? (update: confirmed)
Prone to bouts of buyer's remorse? Well if you were planning an AT&T flavored purchase, you might want to start the car. A tipster has sent in what appears to be a notice to staff advising that the returns period for equipment and service cancellations will be shrinking from 30 to 14-days -- effective tomorrow. Purchases made today would benefit from the longer period, and our tipster claims that there may be a grace period until November where returns could be processed as if still under the original scheme (what sounds, to us, like a courtesy for those who didn't read the fine print). We don't have all the fine print, but head past the break for a little more on the specifics. [Thanks, Anonymous] Update: AT&T has confirmed the policy change to us, noting that it'll indeed go into effect tomorrow, but won't affect certain business customers. You'll find the full response after the break, while we're getting word on how this will work in California, where 30 return periods are required by law.
Best Buy boosts return window from 14 days to 30
That adage of "less is more" definitely doesn't apply to retailer return policies, so we have no complaints here. Best Buy is reportedly going to offer a more lenient 30-day window for device returns, up from the company's current 14-day policy. Naturally, this also covers price matches, and applies to all products, including those from Apple, where two weeks is the norm. You'll find the full details over at our sister site TUAW, when you hit up the source link just below.
Apple returns a few Verizon iPad 2s to sender (updated: some got through)
Several 9to5Mac readers noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon this last week -- their freshly-ordered Verizon iPad 2 units shipped all the way from China just fine, only to boomerang back to sender right before delivery time. Now, Reuters has the official word: Apple's recalling an "extremely small number" of Verizon iPad 2s which were flashed with a duplicate MEID code. Should they have been delivered, users would probably have found themselves unable to connect to 3G, or booted off before long, as Verizon reportedly can only have one device with that unique identifier on the network at once. We're not sure whether to applaud, but it's good to see manufacturers taking responsibility for their hardware before it hits shelves. Update: We spoke with Apple about this, who wouldn't give us much beyond the official quote -- which is, for the record: "Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network." That said, we were able to confirm that a few of these 3G iPad 2s sneaked through and got into the hands of customers. Apple is, of course, replacing those free of charge, so if you're in possession of a brand new iPad that was never able to get on 3G... you know who to call. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Corsair recalls its 120GB Force 3 SSD due to 'stability issues'
Living amongst us right now, on our street, metro carriage, or section of highway, there are people who have recently bought a Corsair 120GB Force Series 3 with product code CSSD-F120GB3-BK. If you're one of them you need to know that this particular drive is subject to a recall due to "stability issues". Sweclockers has reported rumors that other SSDs might also be affected, but the manufacturers in question have swiftly denied it -- so it is only this very specific Corsair drive that is being recalled. Backup your data and hit the source link for further instructions. Don't get mad, get a replacement.
Motorola's Jha blames apps for poor battery life, says Blur can save the day
Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha took time yesterday to talk business strategy, the advantages of Android, and to take developers to task for poorly optimized apps. At several points during the 50-minute chat the topic turned to lackluster battery life, and Jha placed blame squarely at the feet of hastily tested apps -- which he said can sap between 30 and 40 percent of your phone's juice. The chairman even suggested their effect on longevity and performance were the impetus behind 70 percent of handset returns. But, the company has a solution, and (surprisingly) its name is Blur. In a moment of presumably unintentional creepiness Dr. Jha said, "MotoBlur allows us to know, with precision, what battery life you're seeing," before suggesting that future phones could warn you about power draining apps and bandwidth hogs. What wasn't clear though, was if he was talking about the existing Android battery manager or if Motorola has been collecting usage data -- since we never opted-in to such a program, we're really hoping it's the former. Hit up the source link for the entire conversation, you'll find the relevant bits at the 4- and 25-minute marks.
RIM recalls 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, here are the serial numbers (update)
We found the BlackBerry PlayBook to be a pretty solid piece of hardware, but it seems there was a problem batch -- an inside source tells us that nearly 1,000 faulty tablets were shipped to Staples, and now they're being recalled. We're hoping that Staples (and any other affected retailers) will reach out to customers and inform them of the problem right away, but just in case that doesn't happen, we've compiled a searchable spreadsheet of all 935 alleged serial numbers for you to check against your own. Find it right after the break. Update: RIM tells Crackberry that the faulty batch of the 16GB tablets was indeed limited to the approximately 1,000 units described here, and that they had a faulty build of the OS "that may result in the devices being unable to properly load software upon initial set-up." Furthermore, the company says that only a few went out to customers and that most are still in distribution, so with any luck you'll never have to deal with this problem to begin with.
Samsung refutes high Galaxy Tab returns, says rate is 'below 2 percent'
Poor Samsung can't catch a break. First executive Lee Young-hee was misunderstood, saying that sales of the Galaxy Tab were "quite smooth" but the transcript of that conversation saying that they were instead "quite small." Now the company is refuting another claim, that return rates for the Tab are near 16 percent. The company did so in a statement so tersely worded we can feature its entirety right here: The return rate of the Galaxy Tab in the US as claimed by an North American market research firm is incorrect. According to Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business the return rate is below 2 percent. So, there you have it. Below two percent, and right on par with what we've heard for the iPad.
Samsung experiencing a 16 percent return rate on the Galaxy Tab? (updated: Samsung responds!)
Just a few days back, Samsung announced it had moved around 2 million Galaxy Tabs in the latter part of 2010. According to new data released by ITG Investment Research using tracked point-of-sale info, however, the story is a little more complicated. The company tracked about 6,000 retail stores in the United States from the November date of release of the tab through January 15th, and the return rate hovered around 13 percent, rising even further -- to about 16 percent -- with holiday sales returns. Now, rates of return estimates are just that -- estimates -- but 6,000 locations is nothing to shrug off. We'll have to wait and see longer term what this means for the Tab's legacy, but let us know your thoughts in the comments: have you returned a Galaxy Tab, or are you still in love? Update: Sammy says no way.
Apple will drop restocking fees on January 11
A rumor out of 9to5 Mac suggests Apple will drop its 10 percent restocking fees starting January 11. These fees were assessed when a customer brought a product back within the 14-day return and could get quite expensive, especially for the high-end MacBook Pro notebooks or Mac Pro desktops. The reasoning behind this rumored policy change was not divulged, but Apple may be following in the footsteps of Best Buy, which got rid of its restocking fees this past holiday shopping season. This new no restocking fee policy may also explain why some Apple stores were covering their windows last night. Signage promoting this new policy would need to be set up by employees working under the cover of night. Coincidentally, this January 11 date is also the same day Verizon Wireless is hosting an event, we assume to announce the CDMA iPhone. [Via Engadget]
Apple will drop restocking fees on January 11th
9to5 Mac reports that Apple will drop its 10 percent restocking fees on January 11th. We've confirmed with our own sources that this is true. January 11th happens to be the day that Verizon will hold a mysterious event in New York City, presumably for the Verizon iPhone. While this certainly isn't incontrovertible evidence that the Verizon event is actually more of an Apple event, this definitely adds some tinder to the flaming rumor mill. Then again, Apple could merely be following Best Buy's lead, with the 1.11.11 date pure coincidence. Either way, we're fans of open return policies for expensive products, so if you ask us, it's more of a good thing.
