Complaint Review: HVAC Parts Warehouse - Internet
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- Author Confirmed
- HVAC Parts Warehouse Internet USA
- Phone:
- Web: http://www.hvacpw.com
- Category: Heating, Cooling & Ventilation
HVAC Parts Warehouse Return Policy amounts to "No Returns"
*Author of original report: Compare to other online stores...
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: Our Side
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I purchased a thermostat from these guys. After reviewing several similar products from the same manufacturer, I selected (I am pretty sure) a model T8900. I subsequently received (and upon review, every post-purchase record from them reflected) a model T7900. These two devices are exactly the same price, come in a nearly identical box and have identical outward appearance in nearly every way visible prior to installation. The firmware is different and there may be a slight difference in processor speed, but otherwise, the products are nearly indistinguishable.
As such, I did not notice the error until the thermostat powered up after installation. I promptly contacted them to try and return it and they basically told me that as soon as I opened the box, any possibility of a return was out the window. They do not accept returns on merchandise that has been opened.
After looking at their rebuttal to another report here, I fully expect them to attempt to discredit my report and give some c**k-and-bull story about me being unreasonable and trying to take advantage of them.
Fortunately for that guy, he purchased through Amazon and Amazon refunded his purchase. That tells me that things probably were not as claimed by HVACPW. Unfortunately for me, I had ordered from them directly, so I had no recourse beyond their refusal.
(Google and PayPal protection are limited to them complying with their policies, which, they did. Their policy if you carefully review the fine print does, indeed, say that they don't accept returns on merchandise that's been opened.)
To this day, I believe a software error in their site translated my order to something different from what was displayed in my cart at checkout (I'd bounced back and forth between the products before making a decision enough times, it's not unlikely this was stale hidden form data, javascript variables, or even cookie cruft), but unfortunately, I cannot absolutely prove that. Without absolute proof, I'm stuck with them claiming I clicked the wrong product and it's supposedly my fault.
I ended up having to sell the wrong thermostat on eBay for about a 25% discount off what I paid after paying all the hidden eBay and PayPal fees and covering the shipping.
So... Caveat Emptor. I won't ever buy from these guys again. As to their likely rebuttal... Bring it.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/21/2015 07:33 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/hvac-parts-warehouse/internet/hvac-parts-warehouse-return-policy-amounts-to-no-returns-1243409. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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#2 Author of original report
Compare to other online stores...
AUTHOR: - ()
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
I've had similar issues in the past with other online stores. There is common shopping cart code out there which does fail in interesting ways when you use multiple tabs to compare similar items in a store and I have seen it fail in the way described in my report.
I don't have screenshots, so I cannot say with certainty that this occured in this case (otherwise, I would have taken this further rather than giving up and selling the item on eBay).
Most other online stores have a customer satisfaction policy. These guys have a satisfaction policy that mimics the average used car lot.
For example, had I bought this product from Amazon, I could have returned it for a full refund, including Amazon paying the return shipping. I remember Amazon being about $8 more with Prime shipping, so roughly the same price overall.
I was perfectly willing to pay a restocking fee and the return shipping, but these guys wouldn't even allow that.
So, they may think their policy is fair. It's certainly fair to them... They don't have to worry about any risks, they transfer all risks to the buyer.
#1 REBUTTAL Owner of company
Our Side
AUTHOR: HVAC Parts Warehouse - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Everything that this customer reports about our return policy is true. We do not sell used items, and therefore once an item has been installed, we cannot accept a return on it unless it is a warranty issue. In this case, there was no warranty issue, and the item had been installed so it cannot be returned as it is no longer sellable. We do not sell used items and would have to dispose of any used item that is returned.
Our website does not change what items are in a cart or on an order, and customers are shown the order several times at checkout and also sent an order confirmation, and a shipping confirmation. The customer did not ever notice or check that the item he ordered matched what he wanted to order. This check did not occur when the item was received and opened either. Although both the T8900 and T7900 look the same, the boxes are different, and clearly labelled with the approproate part number. Our packages also have an invoice in them that can be used to verify the correct part was shipped that was ordered.
We believe this policy is fair, and that our customer have every opportunity before installing an item to make sure it is the correct part for them, or make sure it is actually what they wanted to order. Had this been checked before installation, returning the thermostat would not have been a problem at all.
Please feel free to check our ratings and feedback on Amazon and eBay. Although we may not always be perfect, we do our best to help our customers and treat them with respect and honesty.
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