Simpson Dabney Appliances We feel they stole the 35% of the cost from us, and do not deserve our business, nor the future business of our friends and associates. Conroe, Texas

You were lucky to recover ANY portion of the sales price... electronics are usually NOT returnable unless defective..

I fully understand your feeing ripped off... you would think that a return would be easy and not cause you anguish... HOWEVER... having been on both sides of this same situation and understanding the positions of both parties..

Let me shed a little light on why you are actually LUCKY they took the part back AT ALL.. most places won't take back an electrical part at all.. and here's a few reasons why..

1. It's impossible to determine if a part was bad before you got it or your device had other issues that caused it to go bad when installed. and since anything can happen... the best policy is to just not take them back.. 
2. Some people return the old part claiming it was the new one that was bad (or gut the part for parts).. FRAUD
3. Improper installation can cause a part to fail.. after the part leaves the seller, who knows what happens with it... it's easy to zap a part... that's why when you hire a technician to fix your stuff, it costs a lot.. but they are on the hook for mis-diagnosis.. or should be..
4. Many (MOST) parts cannot be tested without special equipment, there no way to tell if the part being returned is actually still working.. and if it's not serialized, and tamper-proof, you don't even know its the same part..
5. Sometimes installation of a part leaves signs that it was installed.. making reselling it at full, new part cost impossible.. and since it was installed, it's not a new part anymore.. 

There are other valid reasons why returns on electrical items are usually not allowed therefore, most places wont even take electrical items back.. it's too big of a liability.. and if they do, a restocking fee is acceptable practice to help ofset the losses they will incur over time...

NOW.. about the sign and return policy.. it SHOULD have been visable in the area where you complete the transaction... and verbiage should be printed on the front/back of the invoice/receipt stating their EXACT return policy... I haven't done business with this company so I can't speak on this.. but it sounds like they need to take a look at how they are disclosing their policies... it appears they have been in business a long time and have a pretty good reputation.. so I'm guessing they don't have too many issues like this.. 

If you want to be able to return anything for a full refund.. use ebay/paypal... the seller has ZERO protection.. you can actually rip off any seller and get every dime back.. even if the seller has done everyting right...  I don't recommend it.. it's dishonest.. but it happens every day.. scams targeting sellers... great reason to NOT SELL on ebay.. Amazon even has restocking fees if the Item isn't defective..

35% seems high for a restocking fee.. but when you are talking electrical parts.. it beats 0%.. and that's what you would usually get.. The service companies would like for you to call them out to do repairs.. but they are alot more expensive than DIY repairs... so things like this are part of the risk you take when you decide to fix your stuff yourself.. without the knowledge, tools, experience to make a proper diagnosis beforehand, throwing parts (MONEY) at a symptom, even with advice from seeminly knowledgable people, can get expensive quick.. 

Just something to think about.. so i can see both sides.. i hope they have made their return policy more accessibleand I hope you have learned to ask for that information if it's not offered... get it in writing.. it can make all the difference in small claims court should you end up there one day over something like this..

I feel your pain though.. but in the end.. getting to recoup even a portion was a solid win..  

Kilo