Circuit City restocking fees for defective items ripoff Vestal New York

"This leads me to believe that you were only suffering from "buyer's remorse" and were using the "defective" excuse to get out of paying a restocking fee for a purchase you wish you hadn't made."


If CC feels that way, then they should test the product out and see if the complaint is legitimate. It may be time consuming, but since they don't want to take the customers' word for it, they should check it out themselves right in front of the customer. Whether you like to admit it or not, CC seems to sell a lot of defective merchandise. I had to bring back a Samsung 42" TV because the speakers were blown out. Behind the CS desk were about 8 boxes of Samsung and LG big screens of various sizes that had been returned.I think I'll go with W/M or B/B for future purchases, since they won't accuse me of "buyer's remorse" when THEY sell me a bad product.

"Why would you NEED a refund rather than exchange?"

Because I have no faith in the products they sell anymore. Other than their word, I have no assurance that this "new" item was not actually a defective item reboxed and resealed and sold as new. I have spent valuable time and money (and sometimes considerable effort in case of a large purchase such as a big screen TV) to get to the store and back home. Why would I want to risk going through that experience again?
Show me another retailer that charges a restocking fee for a refund on a defective item.

As I've pointed out earlier B B's policy is clear. Full refund, no restock fee for defective item. Same with W, K, S's C, or any retailer that wants to stay in business.
What makes CC think every customer is out to scam the retailer? Besides, CC is supposed to get credit from the manufacturer, so what do they care? If that's not the case, then CC needs to look at their contracts carefully and not do business with manufacturers that won't back up their product.

Aparently you haven't been paying attention. Read back through the thread. THEY DID NOT HAVE THE SAME MODEL TO EXCHANGE!!! As I said way back in this thread, I research what I buy carefully. They could not give me another of the same thing. Other vendors could.

After all this time I find it hard to figure out why people seem to think that since I bought something from a company, and it was not satisfactory, that they should still get to keep my money. As I said many times now, I have recouped ALL my money. CC has lost a customer. I steer as many people away from them as I can. There are many other companies to deal with that treat customers in such a way that they will keep coming back. I spend my money there now. You might think CC is too smart for us consumers.

They are so smart that they lost a customer that used to spend a good deal of money there.

To answer your question, I have yet to step foot in another Circuit City since this whole incident transpired. I have removed circuitcity.com from my favorites and will not look at a Circuit City ad. And I am the original poster. As I have said, I consider this incident closed, as my credit card company refunded the fees charged by Circuit City.

You paid for a computer ... it was defective ... so you should get another computer. Common sense.

Why would you NEED a refund rather than exchange? Obviously if you need a computer, then exchanging it would be the thing to do. This leads me to believe that you were only suffering from "buyer's remorse" and were using the "defective" excuse to get out of paying a restocking fee for a purchase you wish you hadn't made. Sorry - Circuit City is way too smart for such scams.

"You're lucky the store even offers a return policy, it's done out of courtesy."

It is a courtesy, but it also happens to be the right thing to do. That's why retailers do it.
I suppose you wouldn't know much about that, Andy.

"If you are unsatisfied with the restocking fee, tough."

Yes I am unsatisfied with it. When something is sold as new and the consumer pays full retail price and it's defective right out of the box, there should be no re-stocking fee and a full refund should be in order. There is no reason the consumer should be expected to still have faith in your company as well as the manufacturer. Forcing an exchange or restock fee will win you that particular issue, but do you actually think that the customer will ever step foot in your store again? I would like everyone who has posted previously on this thread to respond to that question.

Your statement above, Andrew, makes me think you are extremely immature and that you feel having customers buy from your store is some sort of birth right. I can tell you from many years of retail experience that it is not, but you will find that out later on life. Good luck with that attitude.
K- DB, Fl.

If you had a defective PC an went back to the store during the 14 day return period and the same or comparable model was not in stock then the restocking fee could have been waived and you could have gotten a full refund....but that is a decison someone most likely someone form manangement has to make....i would have personally have approved the waive and given u full refund instead of loosing a customer...next time ( if ther eis a next time) try talkin to management or call customer service @ 1-800-251-2665 and ask to speak with a sup.

...and it will get worse.

Considering they are permanently laying off over 3800 workers, ( and they actually came out and said they're doing it to hire cheaper help,) most of their tenured reps will be gone. I can't see how this will help with service at all.

Gladly I made the original payment with credit card. Just yesterday I received a letter from the credit card company stating that they are returning to me the money appropratied by Circuit City. So, in the end, I'm out no money. I still will not shop in that store, nor will I recommend anyone to go there. Case closed.

So you're saying that the customer doesn't know about the policy until it's too late? Wrong.

First issue here; the the customer can first ask the employee to explain the policy including restocking fees or (if untrusting of any employee), ask to see it in writing/example receipt...etc.

Second issue; the restocking fee only applies to open items. When you purchase a new item (and then get the receipt) you can actually read what was probably signed. (I understand that sometimes the customer will pay with cash or check, but that is irrelevant). The customer is not required to open the item before reading the receipt. If unsure about the product or anything whatsoever, be an intelligent consumer. Find out what the policy is by reading the receipt that you were handed that shows what you actually purchased.

If you are unsatisfied with the restocking fee, tough. You're lucky the store even offers a return policy, it's done out of courtesy.

Finally, the computer isn't Circuit City's product, it's Hewlett-Packard's product. If you're upset with the quality, then complain to HP, not Circuit City.

Circuit City's customer service is laughable. I purchased an item they advertised as having a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. Less than half a year passed and it broke. Guess what? It had a 3 month warranty. I called the manufacturer when it ceased to work and they told me the truth. Circuit City lies on the website, lies on the phone, and flat out refuses to honor what they promise.

Circuit City's customer service is laughable. I purchased an item they advertised as having a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. Less than half a year passed and it broke. Guess what? It had a 3 month warranty. I called the manufacturer when it ceased to work and they told me the truth. Circuit City lies on the website, lies on the phone, and flat out refuses to honor what they promise.

Circuit City's customer service is laughable. I purchased an item they advertised as having a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. Less than half a year passed and it broke. Guess what? It had a 3 month warranty. I called the manufacturer when it ceased to work and they told me the truth. Circuit City lies on the website, lies on the phone, and flat out refuses to honor what they promise.

of CC's attitude towards customers, and not for my sake but their own sake.
Thank you for your input , Peter, from fictitious "Pony", Alabama. I don't know whether you are a CC employee, a CC competitor's employee (trying to hamstring CC), or someone totally unrelated. I doubt you are a competitor's employee because no one would spend the amount of time you do putting customers with valid gripes down on a website. Besides, they would be too busy actually taking care of their customers to ensure that they keep coming back. Likewise, an unrelated person wouldn't put this much energy into something so trivial. That only leaves one possibility. I'm assuming you are either a CC store manager or someone higher up because the non-commission non-bonus employees at store level are barely getting fairly compensated for the work they do at the store, let alone defending the company here. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me or anyone else posting here. Let's take a close look look at your statements.

"Don't like restocking fees?? Then don't shop at Circuit City. Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)."

No, I don't like them, not when the store sells me defective merchandise. Here is the 1st policy I pulled up. It's from Best Buy and this is their store policy. not their online policy. There is no restocking fee if the merchandise is defective.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&entryURLType=page&entryURLID=cat12098&categoryId=cat10004&contentId=1117177044087&id=cat12098

That took me less than a minute to find and I suspect Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, etc. will all have similar policies.
"You certainly do NOT have the right to demand that the store alter their policies to suit your fancy. "

No one wants to change CC's policies. If their policies stink compared to other such stores (and they do), the consumer will likely do what will hurt the company even more than providing refunds for defective merchandise and that's to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

" If store policies infringed on consumer rights in any way, legislation would be enacted to ensure that every store in the entire country follows the same exact policy. "

You're correct on that one, but if CC sold 100 defective big screen TV's and not provide a refund to all those customers within the 30 day time frame and those customers went to small claims court, I'd bet a majority of them would end up winning. Sometimes, common sense overrides legalities.

Also, here's a little tidbit about the refund policy, which is printed on the receipt. A customer won't have a receipt in hand until he actually pays for the merchandise; perhaps a case of caveat emptor or "let the buyer beware".
To tell you the truth, I am the kind of customer that Circuit City would love to have shopping in their store. I buy big ticket items on impulse. I am polite and not condescending and will allow the salesperson to educate me on the items they sell. I don't ask too many questions. I have never returned anything to any retailer because I simply didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I won't even return clothing that does not fit me. I comply with the rules of the retailer and, rarely, if ever complain about a price and I would rather die than to cause a scene the way some customers do. I have worked for many retail establishments and seen the tactics customers will resort to, some of which are outright thievery. However, the one thing which I will not tolerate is not offering a refund for defective merchandise sold as "new" right out of the box esp. if it's over $500.00.

Congratulations, Peter, you have just managed to turn away the only type of customer CC prefers to cater to. You said "Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)." I will turn the tables on you and dare you to find a customer that would NOT be insulted with CC's refund policy on defective merchandise (besides you or your friends and family). Good luck trying to find such a creature. I'm quite sure your attitude will be made to change once CC has no more customers left and you are forced to work for a competitor that is more customer friendly or not work in the retail sector at all, but that's neither here nor there. Thank you again, and have a nice life.

of CC's attitude towards customers, and not for my sake but their own sake.
Thank you for your input , Peter, from fictitious "Pony", Alabama. I don't know whether you are a CC employee, a CC competitor's employee (trying to hamstring CC), or someone totally unrelated. I doubt you are a competitor's employee because no one would spend the amount of time you do putting customers with valid gripes down on a website. Besides, they would be too busy actually taking care of their customers to ensure that they keep coming back. Likewise, an unrelated person wouldn't put this much energy into something so trivial. That only leaves one possibility. I'm assuming you are either a CC store manager or someone higher up because the non-commission non-bonus employees at store level are barely getting fairly compensated for the work they do at the store, let alone defending the company here. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me or anyone else posting here. Let's take a close look look at your statements.

"Don't like restocking fees?? Then don't shop at Circuit City. Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)."

No, I don't like them, not when the store sells me defective merchandise. Here is the 1st policy I pulled up. It's from Best Buy and this is their store policy. not their online policy. There is no restocking fee if the merchandise is defective.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&entryURLType=page&entryURLID=cat12098&categoryId=cat10004&contentId=1117177044087&id=cat12098

That took me less than a minute to find and I suspect Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, etc. will all have similar policies.
"You certainly do NOT have the right to demand that the store alter their policies to suit your fancy. "

No one wants to change CC's policies. If their policies stink compared to other such stores (and they do), the consumer will likely do what will hurt the company even more than providing refunds for defective merchandise and that's to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

" If store policies infringed on consumer rights in any way, legislation would be enacted to ensure that every store in the entire country follows the same exact policy. "

You're correct on that one, but if CC sold 100 defective big screen TV's and not provide a refund to all those customers within the 30 day time frame and those customers went to small claims court, I'd bet a majority of them would end up winning. Sometimes, common sense overrides legalities.

Also, here's a little tidbit about the refund policy, which is printed on the receipt. A customer won't have a receipt in hand until he actually pays for the merchandise; perhaps a case of caveat emptor or "let the buyer beware".
To tell you the truth, I am the kind of customer that Circuit City would love to have shopping in their store. I buy big ticket items on impulse. I am polite and not condescending and will allow the salesperson to educate me on the items they sell. I don't ask too many questions. I have never returned anything to any retailer because I simply didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I won't even return clothing that does not fit me. I comply with the rules of the retailer and, rarely, if ever complain about a price and I would rather die than to cause a scene the way some customers do. I have worked for many retail establishments and seen the tactics customers will resort to, some of which are outright thievery. However, the one thing which I will not tolerate is not offering a refund for defective merchandise sold as "new" right out of the box esp. if it's over $500.00.

Congratulations, Peter, you have just managed to turn away the only type of customer CC prefers to cater to. You said "Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)." I will turn the tables on you and dare you to find a customer that would NOT be insulted with CC's refund policy on defective merchandise (besides you or your friends and family). Good luck trying to find such a creature. I'm quite sure your attitude will be made to change once CC has no more customers left and you are forced to work for a competitor that is more customer friendly or not work in the retail sector at all, but that's neither here nor there. Thank you again, and have a nice life.

of CC's attitude towards customers, and not for my sake but their own sake.
Thank you for your input , Peter, from fictitious "Pony", Alabama. I don't know whether you are a CC employee, a CC competitor's employee (trying to hamstring CC), or someone totally unrelated. I doubt you are a competitor's employee because no one would spend the amount of time you do putting customers with valid gripes down on a website. Besides, they would be too busy actually taking care of their customers to ensure that they keep coming back. Likewise, an unrelated person wouldn't put this much energy into something so trivial. That only leaves one possibility. I'm assuming you are either a CC store manager or someone higher up because the non-commission non-bonus employees at store level are barely getting fairly compensated for the work they do at the store, let alone defending the company here. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me or anyone else posting here. Let's take a close look look at your statements.

"Don't like restocking fees?? Then don't shop at Circuit City. Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)."

No, I don't like them, not when the store sells me defective merchandise. Here is the 1st policy I pulled up. It's from Best Buy and this is their store policy. not their online policy. There is no restocking fee if the merchandise is defective.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&entryURLType=page&entryURLID=cat12098&categoryId=cat10004&contentId=1117177044087&id=cat12098

That took me less than a minute to find and I suspect Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, etc. will all have similar policies.
"You certainly do NOT have the right to demand that the store alter their policies to suit your fancy. "

No one wants to change CC's policies. If their policies stink compared to other such stores (and they do), the consumer will likely do what will hurt the company even more than providing refunds for defective merchandise and that's to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

" If store policies infringed on consumer rights in any way, legislation would be enacted to ensure that every store in the entire country follows the same exact policy. "

You're correct on that one, but if CC sold 100 defective big screen TV's and not provide a refund to all those customers within the 30 day time frame and those customers went to small claims court, I'd bet a majority of them would end up winning. Sometimes, common sense overrides legalities.

Also, here's a little tidbit about the refund policy, which is printed on the receipt. A customer won't have a receipt in hand until he actually pays for the merchandise; perhaps a case of caveat emptor or "let the buyer beware".
To tell you the truth, I am the kind of customer that Circuit City would love to have shopping in their store. I buy big ticket items on impulse. I am polite and not condescending and will allow the salesperson to educate me on the items they sell. I don't ask too many questions. I have never returned anything to any retailer because I simply didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I won't even return clothing that does not fit me. I comply with the rules of the retailer and, rarely, if ever complain about a price and I would rather die than to cause a scene the way some customers do. I have worked for many retail establishments and seen the tactics customers will resort to, some of which are outright thievery. However, the one thing which I will not tolerate is not offering a refund for defective merchandise sold as "new" right out of the box esp. if it's over $500.00.

Congratulations, Peter, you have just managed to turn away the only type of customer CC prefers to cater to. You said "Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)." I will turn the tables on you and dare you to find a customer that would NOT be insulted with CC's refund policy on defective merchandise (besides you or your friends and family). Good luck trying to find such a creature. I'm quite sure your attitude will be made to change once CC has no more customers left and you are forced to work for a competitor that is more customer friendly or not work in the retail sector at all, but that's neither here nor there. Thank you again, and have a nice life.

of CC's attitude towards customers, and not for my sake but their own sake.
Thank you for your input , Peter, from fictitious "Pony", Alabama. I don't know whether you are a CC employee, a CC competitor's employee (trying to hamstring CC), or someone totally unrelated. I doubt you are a competitor's employee because no one would spend the amount of time you do putting customers with valid gripes down on a website. Besides, they would be too busy actually taking care of their customers to ensure that they keep coming back. Likewise, an unrelated person wouldn't put this much energy into something so trivial. That only leaves one possibility. I'm assuming you are either a CC store manager or someone higher up because the non-commission non-bonus employees at store level are barely getting fairly compensated for the work they do at the store, let alone defending the company here. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me or anyone else posting here. Let's take a close look look at your statements.

"Don't like restocking fees?? Then don't shop at Circuit City. Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)."

No, I don't like them, not when the store sells me defective merchandise. Here is the 1st policy I pulled up. It's from Best Buy and this is their store policy. not their online policy. There is no restocking fee if the merchandise is defective.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&entryURLType=page&entryURLID=cat12098&categoryId=cat10004&contentId=1117177044087&id=cat12098

That took me less than a minute to find and I suspect Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, etc. will all have similar policies.
"You certainly do NOT have the right to demand that the store alter their policies to suit your fancy. "

No one wants to change CC's policies. If their policies stink compared to other such stores (and they do), the consumer will likely do what will hurt the company even more than providing refunds for defective merchandise and that's to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

" If store policies infringed on consumer rights in any way, legislation would be enacted to ensure that every store in the entire country follows the same exact policy. "

You're correct on that one, but if CC sold 100 defective big screen TV's and not provide a refund to all those customers within the 30 day time frame and those customers went to small claims court, I'd bet a majority of them would end up winning. Sometimes, common sense overrides legalities.

Also, here's a little tidbit about the refund policy, which is printed on the receipt. A customer won't have a receipt in hand until he actually pays for the merchandise; perhaps a case of caveat emptor or "let the buyer beware".
To tell you the truth, I am the kind of customer that Circuit City would love to have shopping in their store. I buy big ticket items on impulse. I am polite and not condescending and will allow the salesperson to educate me on the items they sell. I don't ask too many questions. I have never returned anything to any retailer because I simply didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I won't even return clothing that does not fit me. I comply with the rules of the retailer and, rarely, if ever complain about a price and I would rather die than to cause a scene the way some customers do. I have worked for many retail establishments and seen the tactics customers will resort to, some of which are outright thievery. However, the one thing which I will not tolerate is not offering a refund for defective merchandise sold as "new" right out of the box esp. if it's over $500.00.

Congratulations, Peter, you have just managed to turn away the only type of customer CC prefers to cater to. You said "Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist)." I will turn the tables on you and dare you to find a customer that would NOT be insulted with CC's refund policy on defective merchandise (besides you or your friends and family). Good luck trying to find such a creature. I'm quite sure your attitude will be made to change once CC has no more customers left and you are forced to work for a competitor that is more customer friendly or not work in the retail sector at all, but that's neither here nor there. Thank you again, and have a nice life.

... the consumer has the right to purchase from a store in accordance with that store's posted policies.

Don't like restocking fees?? Then don't shop at Circuit City. Shop at an electronics store that does not have restocking fees (if any such stores exist).

That is the extent of your "consumer rights." You certainly do NOT have the right to demand that the store alter their policies to suit your fancy. If store policies infringed on consumer rights in any way, legislation would be enacted to ensure that every store in the entire country follows the same exact policy. That is not the case now, is it?

What the hell is wrong with Circuit City? Charging a restocking fee unless it's an exchange for DEFECTIVE merchandise sold as NEW? Any retailer in America EXCEPT for Circuit Shitty will cheerfully refund your full price if you receive a malfunctioning item which was sold as new within the return period. After getting crappy merchandise, what makes them think the consumer should still keep their faith in Circuit City or the manufacturer of the item? The customer has a right to a full refund with no restocking fee in this case. This is the exact reason I try to steer clear of CS.

It states on the back of a Circuit City receipt (quote)There is no restocking fee for defective product returned in exchange for the same product, or for product originally purchased as Open Box (unquote) In other words, they charge to restock unless you agree to take another piece of their defective merchandise, you are not allowed to receive your purchase price back and take the money to a different company, once they got you-they got you. They further state to visit their web site for specific information on restocking fees.

Sharon
Hilbert, WI

It states on the back of a Circuit City receipt (quote)There is no restocking fee for defective product returned in exchange for the same product, or for product originally purchased as Open Box (unquote) In other words, they charge to restock unless you agree to take another piece of their defective merchandise, you are not allowed to receive your purchase price back and take the money to a different company, once they got you-they got you. They further state to visit their web site for specific information on restocking fees.

Sharon
Hilbert, WI

It states on the back of a Circuit City receipt (quote)There is no restocking fee for defective product returned in exchange for the same product, or for product originally purchased as Open Box (unquote) In other words, they charge to restock unless you agree to take another piece of their defective merchandise, you are not allowed to receive your purchase price back and take the money to a different company, once they got you-they got you. They further state to visit their web site for specific information on restocking fees.

Sharon
Hilbert, WI

The "general" can do nothing if you do not read whats printed on the reciept. It says store credit can be issued which is after the restocking fee should you refuse an exchange option. They offered to ship you one. Let it go.

In a perfect world everything purchased would work. But when you buy something, you should get something. I can understand restocking fees for things purchased and the buyer changed their mind. But when something is defective, and the seller cannot do something for you, you should get your money back. Now, to the details. The store did check if they were getting any of the same item, they said they were not right away. How many days in a "right away" could not be answered. As for the "direct ship", I cannot fathom why a retailer would not return your money so you can purchase the item elsewhere. That is probably the answer, you would take your business elsewhere. When I buy something, it is after much research, and I expect what I pay for. Not in 2-3 business days. If that was acceptable, I would of mail ordered it in the first place.

Yes, the terms are clear, on the BACK of the receipt. I was digging through something I purchased at Staples, and the sticker they placed on the box stated their terms. They too had a restocking fee, but not if the item is defective, and they did not require you to "take something else". That goes back to the research, why take something else if it isn't what you wanted in the first place. Yes, I'm impatient, if you cannot sell me what I want, I go elsewhere.

People that know me, know that I don't go running off complaining about every little thing. For me to get to this point, takes some doing. In the end, lousy service means no more business. Excuse me, we have an Attorney General running for Governor, and he sent me some paperwork to fill out about this ordeal.

If you buy products like PC's there are re-stock fees after being opened etc, but if it is returned & you want to exchange it for the same product again you can, or go with another "version". If your local CC did not have another one at that second and offered to ship you a new one via what we call direct ship you would have had it within 48-72 hours as that method is very quick and used for these situations.

For all we know they had another one coming on a truck that would have came either on the Wed. or Sat following the day this person notified CC they needed a new one. The terms are always clear, always stated but know one ever reads them and then you get called a "lousy" retailer because you do not have infinite stock on everything just in case all the time. It just comes down to being reasonable and nothing more on this whole issue. Some people are just more impatient than others.

Final note.... imagine simply if this situation was an item bought over the internet like millions of items a day. Said person would have had to mail it back and wait for another unit or a refund. The whole process could take two weeks or more. To many that would be un-acceptable and others just how it is and they would be pleased when the new item arrived and a bit disapointed with that specific transaction but they all don't run to the web to say XXX stinks. Everyone is entitled to a point of view and I am sorry this person feels the way they do but it does not seem we were "lousy" but instead doing all we could. To some that will never be good enough.

I like that "shaken faith" idea...that's exactly it. There comes a point when you still don't have what you want, you're sick of dealing with a company and just don't want to waste any more time on them. That's the customer's prerogative! Maybe you just don't WANT to wait for it to be shipped! Whatever! Never mind, give me my money back and no, a restocking fee should not apply in that case!

There is a legal doctrine applicable in some jurisdictions in regards to repair/replace warranties. It's called "shaken faith."

The idea is that, when the product so fails in its purpose, and the consumer has given the retailer/manufacturer reasonable opportunities to correct the problem, but the product still fails, the consumer should not be limited to a repair or replacement and should be refunded his money under a breach of contract theory.

I'm not saying that this would apply here, but let's be realistic: if the product is a piece of crap, and the retailer's service stinks, why should the consumer be limited to getting another crappy product from the same lousy retailer?

I don't understand why people think I'm "punishing" Circuit City. I researched what I wanted. Circuit City was one place that offered that specific item. It was defective, and they had no replacement. Why would I want something else they sold, when it wasn't what I wanted? I wanted the money returned so I could purchase the same item from a different store. There were no other Circuit Citys nearby, but there were other stores that sold the same item that I was looking for. I have since replaced the defective item with another and have forever lost respect for Circuit City. I will never give them the time of day or recommend them to anyone else. I will forever tell my story to prospective buyers.

I understand you needed a laptop quick. If they offer to ship you one you are indeed within the 14 day policy which means you could have also picked another one out in the store or near by CC location with no fees and could have got back to your work.

All the actuall options are not getting shown here. You said you wanted to just get the money to go some where else to buy a laptop so why not just pick another there?

Did you feel you need to punish CC in some way and buy elsewhere because an HP product failed and they happened to be the retail chain that sold the box?

There might be other reasons why someone would not accept this offer. In my instance, I have been without a computer for days and it was something that needed to be resolved immediately. Granted, I worked with them for 5 days, but at some point something has to happen. The refund was needed so that I could go to another store and purchase the computer. If they could not supply me with what was needed, what I purchased from them, what entitles them to my money? Some people might think a scam is taking place, but sometimes honest people are just trying to get what was paid for. In my case, I'm out $123.00 (for now)

If your item was truly defective, what was wrong with them shipping you a new item directly to your house? They were not only willing to replace your item with a similar or better model, but were also willing to have it shipped directly to your home at no additional charge. It sounds like they really went above and beyond to satisfy you without charging you a restocking fee.

People who claim that their item is "defective" and then demand a cash refund are usually trying to return a perfectly fine item and get out of paying the restocking fee. If the item is truly "defective," what is wrong with an exchange? Fortunately the stores are well aware of this scam and know better than to fall for it.