Ritz Camera Unfair Return Policy Danbury, Connecticut

Robert, what makes him so special is that he has the money to spend and has been a loyal Ritz customer over the years. It seems that companies are missing that valuable connection, and sadly they lose customers. Note that they have not simply lost a customer, but they have made an enemy of this man. In this economic climate, I would not want to be Ritz Camera when the discussion of photography or cameras come up when he is with friends or aquaintances.

I own a company that has a very strong customer service program. Though from time to time we feel that a customer is being unfair and taking advantage of our fairly liberal return policy, I am happy to say that our responsiveness and positive attitude and has yielded incredibly loyal customers and thus higher sales. It seems to me that since the salesperson was familiar with you and knew that you have spent thousands of dollars at his store it would have made him a little more flexible and accommodating. This said, it seems that, generally speaking, good customer service is becoming a thing of the past. Though filling out the warranty card before giving the gift may not have been the best move, I can't believe the manufacturer couldn't delete the warranty if the lens was still in new and unused condition. As I get older, I have made it a point to purchase items from only reputable companies with fair exchange policies. Since I live in Fairfield County, the home of "Stew Leonard's where the customer is always right", I will take Ritz Camera in Danbury off my list of stores to purchase camera equipment from. Thank you.

"One salesman was especially familiar with the products that I had bought for my fiancee."

So, you expect the salesman to know exactly what items you have purchased "over the years"?

"When she opened it on Christmas Day, she realized it was the same as the lens she already had."

If that's the case, why would you register the warranty? As soon as you did that, you turned it into a used lens as far as the manufacturer is concerned. The store would not be able to sell it as new. As far as I know, Ritz is not in the used equipment business, so at that point it's up to you to sell it.

Your expectation that everyone but you should be responsible for your purchase decisions is unreasonable. It's definitely not a ripoff.

What makes you so special? It sounds like you are expecting the salesman to remember every item you ever bought, and are using that as an excuse as to why you should be able to return it. Well sorry but you really can't expect a salesman to remember what you have bought "over the years", especially when it seems that you could not remember.

But that stilldoes not explain why when your fiancee got it, she did not realize that she had the same lens, until AFTER the warranty information was filled out.

I offered to share in their loss,

- How generous of you. You bought the lens and filled out the warranty card. But were willing to share in THEIR loss.

If they don't let you return it, you should be able to sell it. You probably won't get what you paid but may get a good portion of the cost back.