My co-worker bought a $999 HP laptop from the Costco in New York City(Brooklyn location)
about a month ago during a $200-off sale.
He has returned to Taiwan and the laptop has been giving him headaches. The problem
include super-noisy/sueechy hard drive, left 1/3 of screen sometimes go dark, and about a dozen
dead pixels in the same area. (none of these problems were there while he was still in the US)
Last week, he took it to the Costco in Taipei (Edit: anonymous location)
He presented them the receipt and the laptop packed in original box with every accessory.
The clerks said they can’t accept a return on items purchased outside of Taiwan. My friend
pointed to Costco’s printed return policy on computer products, which basically said
6-month return period, to “any” Costco location worldwide. He even spoke to the manager
but got no resolution.
Does anyone know if it was just this particular Costco location that was being bitchy?
The manager even said “your US Costco card isn’t really valid in Taiwan, we just honor it
as a goodwill gesture…”(what a load of c*ap) I wouldn’t have believed it if my friend hadn’t
recorded the conversation with his camera phone… :mad:
I have personally returned a $1500 DV camcorder(bought in LAX Costco) to the Costco
in Korea about a year ago. (the three-week-old camcorder went dead while I was on a
trip around Seoul) about a year ago. They gave me zero problems. The refund in the local
currenty, after the clerk converted USD to Korean Won. Took they a few minutes to figure
out, but I did get my full money back. They even told me that they were sorry about the
camecorder dying on me on a trip… very nice people.
My friend will return to the US in 3 months, so he can either wait until then, or he can ship
the laptop to me and I can return it to me at my nearest Cost.
However, I really would like to know if he can get it returned to another Costco in Taiwan.
I strongly suspect that it was the (Edit: anonymous location) . Costco’s people who are unwilling to comply
with Costco’s own policy. The policy about being able to return to any location worldwide
is clearly stated in writing at the store, as well as the Costco website.
[quote=“Doctor Evil”][quote=“belgian pie”]
And isn’t Costco Taiwan a jointventure?[/quote]
That would explain why it’s turned into such a dump.[/quote]
It’s one of the things with Taiwan … turn it into local management and most places here are starting to look as nightmarkets … be it highclass nightmarkets …
Well, they are using Costco’s name and they aren’t getting that for free. If the Taiwanese shower are making Costco America’s promises look like lies then that is something HQ needs to look at. The only reason people shop there is because it’s American and if confidence in the superiority of an American retailer evaporates, then Costco Taiwan is nothing. Something for Costco Taiwan to think about.
I’m happy to report that my friend was able to return the laptop without any problems.
Apparently the customer service rep at Costco HQ in the US called the local Costco manager
in Taiwan… Not sure what was said, but they also called my friend in Taiwan. The next day
he brought it in and a refund was processed within 3 minutes.
While they followed up on the Costco worldwide policy, they broke another one in the process.
The refund was given in NT$ cash. The original purchase was made with AmEx card in the US,
so it should have been credited back to the same AmEx card, not cash… oh well…
Still, why was it necessary to get a kick in the rear from the HQ 6000 miles away to get the
Costco Taiwan to move their b*tt?
[quote=“creamypanda”]I’m happy to report that my friend was able to return the laptop without any problems.
Apparently the customer service rep at Costco HQ in the US called the local Costco manager
in Taiwan… Not sure what was said, but they also called my friend in Taiwan. The next day
he brought it in and a refund was processed within 3 minutes.
While they followed up on the Costco worldwide policy, they broke another one in the process.
The refund was given in NT$ cash. The original purchase was made with AmEx card in the US,
so it should have been credited back to the same AmEx card, not cash… oh well…
Still, why was it necessary to get a kick in the rear from the HQ 6000 miles away to get the
Costco Taiwan to move their b*tt? [/quote]
Excellent result! Goes to show that it DOES pay to contact HQ. And your friend will get some satisfaction knowing that whoever was an arse to him probably got into trouble.
This is Taiwan, what do you expect? USA return polices are over the top in my opinion. In Taiwan, if you buy something and you later have buyers remorse or it doesn’t work properly, you can get it fixed, but not get your money back.
Did you hear the scams in the USA. You buy a laptop, use it for a couple of weeks, return, it, then do the same thing again and again. Or you have a big interview, so you buy a suit on credit that you can’t afford, wear it, get the job, then return the suit. I went back home for a week, bought a GPS nav system for my rental car and an XM radio and radar dectector. I was ticked off I couldn’t return it without paying a restocking fee. Hahahaha…come on… get real. Take it back to the USA and return it.
One thing, I agree that if it is their policy and it is stated on the wall right there, then I do think they should take it back. I mean come on, if you are stupid enough to make it your policy then you have to abide by it right? I just think they never thought anyone would actually think they could get away with it. Time to threaten lawsuit.
it’s a nice draw as a policy, hey i can buy this thing in the states and if it craps out i can take it back to the local branch. knowing this i’m more likely to buy certain items at costco. if they decided they didn’t want to go with this policy i could understand that too, as long as they are consistent about it.
Exactly… if a company has a written policy, they should follow it. They should not make the
conssumer bear the burden of haivng to call the company’s bosses 6000 miles away…
Speaking of returns, I bought a Sony digital camera when I visited Tokyo a couple of years ago.
I went back to my hotel and discovered that it had a defective optical viewfinder(something was
loose inside). I had the hotel concierge call the store for me.(since I spoke no Japanese) The
concierge said the store said to bring it back for an exchange. I decided to go there the next
afternoon.
The next morning, while I was still sleeping, I heard someone knocking at my door. I looked into
the peep hole and saw a guy in that store’s uniform… I thought “shit, I compalined yesterday
and now they’re sending someone to teach me a lesson…!!!” The guy was huge, probably
6’ and nearly 300 pounds. I was about the call the front desk and yell “send hotel security!!!”
when the guy said “Mr Creamypanda, I bring you exchange for camera, Mr. Creamypanda?”
I reluctantly opened the door several inches and noticed that he did have a camera box with him,
so I let him in.(but kept the door fully open just in case) He started apologizing and said he
came to the hotel on his bike. I’m not sure how far the store was, but it was 6 or 7 subway
stops away from my hotel near Ginza.
He took the defective camera back and gave me the new camera. He even took out the new
camera in front of me, put the batteries/memory card in, and made sure everything worked
okay. The store had even included a new Sony camera bag and a 512mb MS Pro Duo card
as “compensation” for my troubles…
I thanked him and closed the door… only in Japan… I guess… If they accepted tips in Japan,
I would having gladly given him a 1000 yen(about US$10?). When I went downstairs for
breakfast, I stopped at the concierge and asked why they had given the store clerk my room
number. They said they knew the people from that electronics store and they did call my room
before coming up… I didn’t hear the phone call because I was still sleeping… oh well…
Not true, time period is perhaps shorter than the US, but refunds for change of mind and faulty goods are both given here.[/quote]
I retuend some spray paints to B and Q cause it was the wrong kind (it was enamel, not lacquer) and they took it back, even though one of the cans has been opened. Just go on about how it’s defective or didnt smell right and stuff like that…
note this does NOT work in any mom and pop outfit if you ever buy something and have buyer’s remorse (even if its new in box and not opened)! So if you want return buy it from a large outlet.
I know… but I have also written to Costco corporate headquarters in
The guy was huge, probably