Merchants without restocking fee.

[swinchen]

We should make a list of online merchants with exceptional return policies. I know that there are others like me who are terrified to order online because they fear the dreaded stuck/dead pixels.

I would like start with:

www.monitorsdirect.com
Monitors Direct has a 30-day no question asked return policy. You could return your LCD because it has a funny smell without any worries of a restocking fee.


Now monitoroutlet.com seems to have a good policy, but also much more limiting. I would suggest reading it carefully... from what I have gathered by reading http://www.monitoroutlet.com/info.html it seems as though the policy is much like monitorsdirect.

 

[MavericK]

Dell is another good bet for service.

 

[jpmkm]

swinchen: You just registered today and so far it seems like all your posts mention monitorsdirect and how great their customer service is. Do you have any relation to them? I'm not try to sound like an ass but it is pretty suspicious.

 

[swinchen]

Nope, none what so ever. I haven't even ordered from them yet. They are just the only site that I have found (so far) that seems to have no restocking fee. The whole reason I started this post was to find other sites with a similar policy. monitorsdirect is not the cheapest and doesn't have the widest selection, so it always good to have alternatives.

I, personally, would not buy from an online site that charges a 10% - 15% restocking fee for monitor returns (especially if you dishing out anywhere from $500 -$1000) It would really suck to have to pay $150 bucks for something you don't even get to use.

I don't know, just a personal opinion I guess.

 

[jpmkm]

Okay. Nevermind then. They do have a very good resellerrating.

 

[swinchen]

Dell is another good bet for service.

Man, I have tried calling Dell and asking them "what is your policy on dead pixels for the LCD monitors you sell" I got the response "up to 25% of the screen." I called back a number of times and always got an equally poor answer. Plus, even though it rarely happens, Dell _can_ charge a 15% restocking fee if they want to.

 

[popupsquad]

It'd be nice to have a list of these for B&M stores too.

 

[BillR]

Let me start with I’m very curious how anyone can have an opinion about a company they have never dealt with.

Dell’s return policy is very good, I’ve had to return a monitor to them and it went fairly smoothly.

First thing is to check the manufactures site for authorized dealers. A lot of people buy from non-dealers, distributors, and wonder why they don’t get good service. A distributor for the most part is only going to offer the manufacturer warrantee. That warrantee is as a rule 8 dead pixels for almost everyone. Not even an authorized dealer has any obligation to replace or return your monitor under those circumstances.

The biggest issue is the “buy to try” people. Many buy a unit only to try it out, return it and buy something else and return that etc. There isn’t much profit in any monitor and it’s that mentality that helps keep LCD prices so high.

I have quite a few LCD monitors; all but one was purchased at B&M stores where I could try before I buy. If you’re standing there with money in your hand most stores will let you try it out first. They may not like it, but they usually will.

Just my thoughts

 

[swinchen]

Let me start with I’m very curious how anyone can have an opinion about a company they have never dealt with.

Dell’s return policy is very good, I’ve had to return a monitor to them and it went fairly smoothly.

My opinion is based on their written policy and while this may not be a perfect gauge to measure the company as a whole, it does give me a certain piece of mind knowing that I can return an item without being charged a restocking fee.

As for Dell... Trying to get information before buying something is like pulling teeth. I had a very difficult time trying to get their return policy for LCDs and in the end I never did end up with a concrete answer. The most aggrevating situation occured when they told me to contact technical support to get more information on my problem. Well it turns out to talk to someone in technical supoort you need the service code off of the product you are trying to inquire about. I fought with Dell for two or three days and that was simply for pre-purchase information. I was not impressed.

And on a side note BillR: I heard you have a 213T. What is your opinion/impression of that monitor. I am trying to decide between a 213T and a VP201B.

 

[BillR]

My opinion is based on their written policy and while this may not be a perfect gauge to measure the company as a whole, it does give me a certain piece of mind knowing that I can return an item without being charged a restocking fee.

As for Dell... Trying to get information before buying something is like pulling teeth. I had a very difficult time trying to get their return policy for LCDs and in the end I never did end up with a concrete answer. The most aggrevating situation occured when they told me to contact technical support to get more information on my problem. Well it turns out to talk to someone in technical supoort you need the service code off of the product you are trying to inquire about. I fought with Dell for two or three days and that was simply for pre-purchase information. I was not impressed.

And on a side note BillR: I heard you have a 213T. What is your opinion/impression of that monitor. I am trying to decide between a 213T and a VP201B.

Hard to argue with either choice, both are good monitors. I believe the VP201B is faster in response time on paper. I played them side-by-side, I liked the bigger screen. Personal choice more then anything.

Dell as much as they have aggravated me in the past does in fact have a pretty good customer service policy. If you have a valid reason you have I think 21 days to return your purchase. I was upset by screen door effect on the upper right side of my monitor, they didn’t argue a bit. Tech support on the other hand was the nightmare from hell.

Would I buy from Dell again? Not a chance.

I almost bought my Samsung from Monitors Direct, even spoke to the owner. As it ended up with their price plus tax (they neglected to mention tax on the phone) they were over $200.00 higher in price. That’s a lot of money to me. I ended up buying it from Buy.com. They too have a very good return policy, you don’t even have to speak to a person, it’s all automatic. No need to return it though, it arrived in perfect condition with no defects.

Hope that helps

 

[swinchen]

Hard to argue with either choice, both are good monitors. I believe the VP201B is faster in response time on paper. I played them side-by-side, I liked the bigger screen. Personal choice more then anything.

Dell as much as they have aggravated me in the past does in fact have a pretty good customer service policy. If you have a valid reason you have I think 21 days to return your purchase. I was upset by screen door effect on the upper right side of my monitor, they didn’t argue a bit. Tech support on the other hand was the nightmare from hell.

Would I buy from Dell again? Not a chance.

I almost bought my Samsung from Monitors Direct, even spoke to the owner. As it ended up with their price plus tax (they neglected to mention tax on the phone) they were over $200.00 higher in price. That’s a lot of money to me. I ended up buying it from Buy.com. They too have a very good return policy, you don’t even have to speak to a person, it’s all automatic. No need to return it though, it arrived in perfect condition with no defects.

Hope that helps

Wow thanks! you are right. I just looked at buy.com and they seem great. Amazon doesn't seem to have a bad return policy either (although their stuff costs more on average).

It is unfortunate to be stuck in Maine when chopping for technology like this. We have a Best Buy, Circuit City, and Staples. None of them seem to cary any of the high end LCD's other than the 213T. I would love to compare the 213T with the VP201B but it doesnt look like it will happen. Hmmm... being a poor graduate student any of these monitors are more than I _should_ be spending. Eh, a dollar earned is a dollar spent.

 

[Iratus]

For people in the UK;

You do not have to pay a restocking fee for any company based in the uk, even if a website tells you that you must.

The distance selling regulations over here mean that you can return your item within 7 days for whatever reason you want. You are allowed to open it as the return criteria includes determining the suitability of the goods for the purpose for which they were bought and you cannot determine that if you cannot inspect the goods.

One of the best ways to take advantage of this is if you buy an LCD screen and it has burnt out pixels just tell them you want to send it back. They can't argue, you don't have to give a reason, they can't charge you. The only downside is that you won't be able to get a replacement for the monitor, you will have to buy a different model.

If anyone ever gives you any crap about their terms and conditions stating that you must pay the restocking fee point out the caveat in the distance selling regulations saying that conditions may not be placed on the purchase that break the regulations. AKA 'Shit outta luck'

So basically

You can return for no reason as long as you let them know in 7 days.
You are allowed to inspect the goods.
In the case of an LCD screen they cannot argue that plugging it in is not a fair inspection.
Restocking fees cannot apply and no terms and conditions can make them applicable as long as you let them know returning the items under the distance selling regulations.

 

[swinchen]

BTW:

Check out this awesome deal from www.buy.com:

http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?id=75&arg=retail/coupon.asp?prid=84349019

10% of (up to 50 bucks)

You can get a VP201B for about $830 after shipping.

 

[MavericK]

Well the good thing about Dell is that you have a 30 day customer satisfaction guarantee, meaning that for a month you can basically send it back for whatever reason you want, regardless of thier other policies. I sent back a CRT because it had some wierd flickering defect and they paid shipping both ways, no questions asked.

 

[swinchen]

Well the good thing about Dell is that you have a 30 day customer satisfaction guarantee, meaning that for a month you can basically send it back for whatever reason you want, regardless of thier other policies. I sent back a CRT because it had some wierd flickering defect and they paid shipping both ways, no questions asked.

Hmm, that sounds like a defective product though. I wonder if they would have been just as willing to pay shipping both ways if you told them you just didn't like the monitor.

 

[jpmkm]

Hmm, that sounds like a defective product though. I wonder if they would have been just as willing to pay shipping both ways if you told them you just didn't like the monitor.

uhh, how does that not fall under "whatever reason you want"?