Would this be taking advantage of Costco return?

[grlpwrd]

Where would we draw the line? 3.5 years? 4 years? 6 years?

The product had a manufacturers warranty; it broke, after lasting more than 3 times the length of the warranty. It's not guaranteed forever, it's only guaranteed for 1 year. Taking it back to Costco at this point, IMHO, would be wrong. I disagree that a mini-fridge should last more than 3.5 years; it should last as long as the manufacturer's warranty, and that's it. If the warranty is not long enough for your taste, then buy another product.

Costco's liberal return policy is something they put into place to be better than other stores, and because they are not just a store but a membership club which you pay to join. The money you pay in membership dues gets you certain advantages, primarily lower prices, but also the liberal return policy (plus travel discounts, etc). But the more people abuse that policy, the less profitable Costco becomes, and the higher their prices and dues will have to be to compensate - then everybody loses.

I don't think it's right to return anything to a store after more than 90 days - that's what the manufacturers warranty is for.

Once the warranty is up, you're on your own.

After all, standing by the products you sell is one thing, but why should Costco be expected to stand behind a product 3 times longer than the manufacturer does? That's unfair to Costco, and unfair to all the other members who pay their dues every year.

Yes, but regardless of how long the warranty is there could be a defect. I don't think the warranty translates to life of the item necessarily either.

My BIL works in Costco's corporate offices and if something is "bad," whether a food product or item, they end up dealing with the manufacturer accordingly. Surely this would jeopardize the company's future relationship with Costco because they do not want to sell "junk."

I am just saying this could be more than just a refund. It could be about a defective product. The OP even states:

it appears there were tons of problems with this machine and Vinotemp is absolutely useless about doing anything about it or helping it to get repaired. We called Vinotemp and what we got was a great big

I am sure Costco would want to know because perhaps they will reconsider selling their (Vinotemp) products.

 

[shirleyb]

I think it's taking advantage, but that's just me.

 

[eeyoregon]

Let me begin by saying that I do happily work for Costco.

Would it be taking advantage to return it? Yes and no. Costco will gladly take it back...that is just they way they are. Is it right? I personally don't think so BUT thousands and thousands of people do it every single day. I see swimming pools, b-b-q's and patio furniture get returned like clock work come September. Or they buy a best seller book, read it in one day and return it the next. Many folks don't have a problem with buying something, using it and getting a full refund when it is no longer needed.

FYI: Costco has changed it's return policy effective March 1st for MANY items, mostly electronics.

 

[DianeV]

If it was a defect surely it would have started being defective before 3.5 years?

 

[Benducci]

I think it is taking advantage. You used it happily for 3.5 years with no complaints. Who is to say that you didn't cause the damage that caused it to break down. Did you try and have it repaired? How long do you think it was suppose to last? I wouldn't call it a lemon unless you had complaints with it from day one. It worked. You used it. Time for a new one.

 

[Benducci]

Well, I see as usual my opinion straddles public opinion. Life would be alot simpler if I didn't have this pesky other voice in my ear!

Thanks everyone. Yes, we did research this fridge, but I'm thinking we must have bought it when it was a new product, because there really was no information available on it. We'd had another, smaller Vinotemp that's still kicking (in fact, we pulled it out of the garage to house at least a few of our bottles until we find a solution, and it's humming away). So, dunno? I guess with knew products you're always dealing with a little caveat emptor.

I think what we will do is just call Costco first and talk to them. No harm in just laying it all out on the table and seeing what they think about it. If they tell us we're stuck, I will accept it without pleading my case. BUT I will write a letter to Costco telling them that since they talk and talk about their reputation for customer service and their products, they really shouldn't be carrying a pricey lemon like this, and I will include all the problems I've read about on this product. I do honestly believe if they know about the fridge's problem, and still chose to continue to carry the product, they should be prepared to take it back if they really stand behind their reputation. As stated in a previous posting, one of the reasons I have a membership at Costco over Sam's is because of the excellent customer service. Without it, they lose a very important part of what gives them an edge.

I think you are being a bit harsh to Costco. You haven't even asked if they will take it back & already you are outlining what you will do when they say no? And you are going to list the problems you have read about the product? Did you have these problems? If not, why mention them? they don't concern you. If they brag about their customer service, it may be because they have good customer service. You haven't encountered their customer service yet so you really cannot comment on it. And as for the lemon part, I addressed that in my prior post. It is not a lemon if it did not break down from day one. Every product has issues, pros & cons, people who like the product & people who do not. Should they stop offering each item because there 'may' be an issue with a customer further down the line? No. Obviously you felt that it is taking advantage of the return policy because you asked about it here & have a checklist of what you are going to do about it. If you did not feel there was an issue, you would have just gone to Costco & returned the item. Good luck! Let us know how you do.

 

[bumbershoot]

I personally wouldnt even think of returning something 3.5 years later..that would be like trying to return a car 3.5years after purchase that ended up with alot of problems (and many of us have had that happen) to me anyway

I sure hope you checked your state's Lemon Law about your car! My 95 Jetta was ONE more oxygen sensor (within 2 years) away from being considered a Lemon, meaning that I would have the law on my side in "returning" it. Silly o2 sensor didn't blow AGAIN until AFTER that 2 years, oh well.



To the OP, I wouldn't write that letter unless and until Costco turns down your return.

 

[Chloesmom]

I own my own wholesale company and this is my take on it. Would they take it back? Yep. Most likely with a smile. Should you take it back? Probably not. As others have said its way beyond the warranty period. The fact that others had trouble with it is not Costco's fault. They are merely retailers not manufacturers. I think they do stand behind all of their items by accepting anything back at any time but there has to be a reasonable cut off for expecting them to stand behind an item. If the manufacturer itself only stands behind their products for a year then why should anyone else do so for longer? Unreasonable and unfair returns are a HUGE reason why prices on merchandise is climbing. Someone has to deal with those whether it is with the salary they are paying their return desk staff or the actual manufacturer who may have to eat a loss from an item they normally would not have to. As a business owner I personally see the price increases caused by the high rate of returns. Naturally valid returns are expected but so many of them are unreasonable. I bought a $300 vacuum less than 3 years ago but it died last week. Guess what? The warrenty was only a year.I too bought it at Costso. Instead of returning it I researched, bought a new one.. and added an extended warranty this time.Also, there are so many factors that manufacturers cannot control such as how the item was maintained or handled. You should keep this in mind when you think about returning something. Whether you realize it or not every consumer is affected by each and every return made at some point.. in some way.
I would suggest having the item repaired. It is just a fridge so why can't a repair person fix it? Might be worth looking into.

 

[Iluvthemouse]

I just bought an 37" LCD tv from Costco before the change over to the new less liberal return policy. I was told by 3 different employees that I "could return this tv for any reason, even if it is 5 years down the road" Would I?-No way. 2 years maybe and only if it stopped working but not 5. That being said, Costco made their policy-they stand behind their products. Sams has the exact same policy but it isnt "advertised". I cant blame anyone for following Costco's policy they created.

 

[DianeV]

In order for a car to be a 'lemon' there has to be the same problem or multiple problems happening over a period of time...not all of a sudden a problem 3.5 years after purchase

 

[branv]

Thanks everyone for your varied inputs. Many of you have echoed my own concerns.

I would like to clarify what I meant by the "letter". I didn't mean I would chew Costco out for every carrying a bad product. What I was stating was that I would feel that it would be my duty to let Costco know that they were carrying a product that had some big problems (for those of you who don't understand why a messed up wine fridge is a problem, let me explain that we have $$$ worth of wine in the fridge. Luckily, ours merely stopped working. Some of the people had the fridge super cool beyond what it's supposed to and ruin their very expensive wine...it's not just about losing the fridge, but the product it's supposed to help preserve). I don't expect Costco to be infallible, but I would expect ANY retailer to welcome information about the products they carry. When I said Costco should be prepared to stand behind their policy of customer service, I never said I would complain to Costco about their current service or even failure to accept my return. I said that I would be disappointed in them if they ever chose to knowingly carry a poor product and then refuse to accept it back when it fails...let me repeat that, KNOWINGLY carry a bad product. By writing them a letter, I would merely be making them aware that they were carrying a product with problems that could cause them future customer return issues. How can they fix an issue if no one ever makes them aware of it. Good businesses love feedback like this. I never blamed them for carrying a bad product. I would only blame a company in the event one could prove they knew of these issues, kept carrying the product, then refused to honor returns FOR that issue. If Costco is the company I think they are, they would welcome information about their products.

One thing, I disagree that a car isn't a lemon if it dies after 3.5 years. If my $20K car after normal use dies in 3 years , that's wrong wrong wrong. My Honda has lasted forever, but my 2 Fords were pieces of junk...so we know it's not like a good car can't be made...but some care, and some don't. I am rather sick, in fact, that these products we spend so much money on, that used to last decade or longer, now rarely last beyond a few years (fridges, washers/dryers). Maybe its because we're putting imperfect technology into products, but I can tell you that having a DH in the computer biz, I know very well that manufacturers release products all the time knowing full well there are bugs and issues they haven't fixed yet. Also, Warranty time limits are shrinking and shrinking. I wonder why we're all so complacent about it. I fully understand why I shouldn't return this product, but I'm shocked that people think you should be grateful if a product makes it a year?! I honestly think sometimes that people think businesses are doing them a favor by giving them something to spend their money on. I wish more people would complain about problems, but we all sit back and take it. Consumers drive the market, but sometimes it feels like they're driving us. We're all so convinced we need the newest and best every other year, that heck, we really have no one else to blame but ourselves that businesses wouldn't expect us to care that a product doesn't last.

Though those spiffy front load washing machines look reallllly tempting, you can bet I'm holding onto my 12 year old machines with both hands. Otherwise I worry I'll get stuck into a loop of having to buy a new machines every 4 years 'cause repairing the "spiffy" broken machine is more expensive than replacing it.

Wow, sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a soapbox about the state of mass consumption and product quality today

I really have appreciated all your opinions. Sometimes we know what feels "right" we just need someone to knock that little devil off of our other shoulder

 

[disneychrista]

Yep IMO 3.5 years is way too long to be returning something, regardless of the reason.

Just because there is a policy that it is okay to return something regardless of time, regarless of reason, doesn't make it actually "okay" to do so.

But then again I guess I could take back my DVD player that I bought at COSTCO 10 years ago since it stoped working a few months ago.

 

[DianeV]

Just a final thing about lemons for cars...look it up. If a car dies after 3.5 years it isnt a lemon..its probably made pretty bad but its not a lemon

 

[branv]

Oh, mea culpa, I didn't realize you'd segued from discussing the subject into debating semantics/language use. I thought you were actually speaking conceptually rather than literally, as I was. In which case, yes, the word "lemon" is used incorrectly. Perhaps I should have said "piece of junk".

 

[DianeV]

No it just seemed to me you wanted to justify returning it by stating it was a lemon which it isnt

 

[Elfstar]

I'm sorry if I'm naive, but have you tried to find out why it wasn't working? Are the instructions that came with it still available? I'd try and see if it was just a minor problem before I started thinking about returning it to the seller, especially after 3.5 year. And I, too, have some $$$ in wines here at home, in a winekeeper, so I know what the risks are.

I agree with you on the older appliances being invaluable - my microwave was purchased in 1983 - in all these years, I've replaced one fuse, nothing more. And it's still working fine (darn it, 'cause I'd love one of the newer smaller and more attractive ones).

My funniest story is my Sears Kenmore sewing machine - purchased in 1965. It came with a 25 GUARANTEE - we don't see those anymore, do we! Well, about a month before the guarantee expired, a cast metal part broke in half. Sears was astonished that the machine had lasted all those years without other problems. It took them several weeks, but they came up with the replacement part. And I still have the machine, which still sews like a dream!

Good luck with your finding a solution to this!

 

[KirstenB]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but if you decide to try to return it, I think it might be fair for both you and Costco to agree on a % of it's value, for the 3+ years you had it. Kind of like depreciation. Then apply the % they give you (if they will) to another item there. That way everyone wins.

 

[wdwfan1]

I would not return it.

 

[supersnoop]

I would not return it.

I wonder if they did. Eight years ago.

 

[angierae]

If Costco will take it back after you explain to them how old it is and what happened, then to me, it's on Costco, not you. It's not taking advantage if you tell them exactly what's going on, truthfully, and they still take it back.