Costo的话题之退货
来加拿大之后就不时去Costco买东西,那时候新移民还是很节俭或者说很抠的,每次去都是借朋友的会员卡,原因一来当时去的次数并不多,更主要的是省钱。后来慢慢自己工作也稳定而且收入还可以,就自己办了会员卡,办的时候柜台说普通卡是60多,高级会员卡是120好像,我第一反应就是普通就可以了,但职员推荐说高级卡是按比例返款的,而且如果返款不足会员费会自动补齐的,也就是说你这张高级黑卡其实是免费的,作为一个贪财的俗人我立马就上钩了。很快就发现,这个Costco的门一进去,原本只想着买瓶油拧罐牛奶,结果每次都是满满一车几百块的才出来。
买了很多东西回去有些发现用不上,早几年很少去退货,实在太忙,那时候两个娃早午晚都安排的满满的,自己上班也是紧张的不行。很多时候想推掉的东西,好不容易去趟Costoco,有时看排队的人太多,有时候根本就忘了带上,一来二去有些就这样不了了之。有次一些衣服袜子放了很久总算找了个空去退,全部收据都找不到了,柜台也没说什么,滴滴的扫码就收下了,最后把袜子退给我,说这个不是他们家的,我也不知道是哪来的,就拿回去了。在Costco买过好几次西瓜,印象中有起码1/4的机会那西瓜是生的,但已经切开了,感觉拿个打开的西瓜回去退也很难看,于是就扔掉算了。早两个月我买了两盒草莓,打开里面好几个是坏的发霉了的,我拍了几张照片想着拿照片去退,但后来还是觉得太麻烦就没去。
在Costo买这么多东西中,床是出问题最多的,7-8年前我们搬家,于是买了个king size的床,结果安装的时候发现中间支撑的那段尺寸相差好远,必须找块木板垫上才够得着地面,于是发邮件去反应,没想到居然重新发了一个床过来,但我不想把这个新的床打开就为找两根木条,于是又发邮件解释,并且附上照片,要求他们把新的床运走,然后把配件寄来,折腾了将近2个月,总算收到需要的配件,但其实还是很不合适,但这个床实在太大,要退感觉超级麻烦,于是就自己拾到拾到就这么凑活着用算了。
后来老大的床太小,于是订了个Queen Size的给他,估计这些床都是一家出的,这个中间的支撑还是有问题,而且我感觉就是不可思议的,中间的木方整整短了10公分,我真不明白怎么会有这样的差错,其实我们之前家具都是买的IKEA的,他们家的东西就是如果你不搬家还是可以的,只要一拆就很难恢复到原有的牢固程度,但IKEA家具至少是很精准的,安装图片和配件清清楚楚,我印象就从来没说打开个盒子结果装不上的。还是怕麻烦,于是我就自己加工了一下那个支撑,对付着继续用,其实这个应该发邮件去投诉的,但实在事多心烦就过去了。
前年家里打算把后面的单位做短租,于是又买了两个床,一个是Queen Size的普通床,一个是同样尺寸但可以收起的wall bed。那个普通的床这次倒没问题,安装很顺利,但那个wall bed就不一样了。这个wall bed其实就是个可以合起来像个柜子一样的床,用的时候拉开就可以用,这样平时不用就可以节省不少位置。安装的时候首先是说明书不太容易明白,最大问题是零件对不上号,或者就根本没有。还有就是其中把底座固定的螺丝非常长,我们家是用地热的,这么长的螺丝打到地板里,很容易会把热水管给打穿的,另外安装那个位置背后就是整个房子的电源电缆,所以这种螺丝使用是非常危险的,但说明书上根本就没有警告。因为缺少配件,也不想费劲去联络,于是就自己去买了合适的装上。弄完之后我写了封蛮长的email去投诉这个床的问题,觉得对方应该给个折扣,因为这个床是娃他妈在网上订的,用的是她的Email,所以我把这份投诉发到她邮箱,结果以为是已经发出转发的,所以就根本没寄出去,因为也不是我的邮箱,后续怎样就没再去管了。
过了一年多,那个床其实根本就没用,这样就打算退掉。我于是打电话去要求退货,接电话的女士查了一下说这个已经买了有一年半的时间了,过了退货的期限,而且之前你也没任何投诉。我于是说这个床安装的时候就发现不少问题也发过邮件投诉的,于是她给了个号码,让我把邮件找到后附上这个号码提交上去。于是我翻回之前的邮件,这时才知道根本就没发出去,但我写邮件发出的时间是可以在Gmail上查到的。于是我把这些全部复制贴到发给Costco的信息上,说明前后因由就发送出去了。不到半天时间就收到回复,说同意退货,两周内会有人上门收回,让把床按原样包装好。
这个床安装的时候就非常麻烦,到现在要拆也是很费劲,尽管是我自己装的,但实在想不起来是怎么弄的,原来的说明书也早就不知道去哪了,于是只能慢慢一件件的拆出来,折腾了整整一天,才总算把所有的部件拆开,找了个套子把床垫放进去,但床的所有部件就没办法包装了,只能就这样放在车库里。昨天Costco的人来了,是两个印度人,我打开车库门,他们也没说怎么东西不在包装里,估计他们也知道这个拆开了就很难再装箱了,花了大概20分钟的时间才全部放到车上,我看他们把所有的配件都集中放在一个大箱子里。
说起来Costco的退货还是很容易的,没有太多的折腾。儿子早两天在Best Buy上买了个电脑椅,安好之后发现太小,于是想退掉,这就没那么好办了,对方说不如给你10块的折扣?要不你需要自己把椅子寄回去,这样就很麻烦了,因为寄回去的费用可能比椅子的价钱还高,想想大概以后再也不会在那买了。
附上发给Costco的关于wall bed的投诉信。
Subject: Request for Return and Refund for Defective Wall Bed Purchased in July 2023
Dear Costco Customer Service,
I am writing to formally request a return and refund for a wall bed and mattress purchased online in July 2023 (Order # 104-----,Item # 41----). I attempted to report these issues via email on August 3, 2023, but due to a misunderstanding, I prepare the email and send to my wife as this order was her email account to order, but she though I just cc to her. In that the email was not sent to Costco. I have since contacted your team and was informed that the items were purchased over a year ago and might not be eligible for return. However, given the significant defects and my earlier attempt to report the issues, I hope you can make an exception to your return policy.
Below, I have outlined the specific problems I encountered during the installation and use of the wall bed:
Part Distribution Error:
The instruction manual indicates that the baffle under the front cabinet door should be part #80. However, this part is missing from the accessories provided. Instead, there is a part #85, which is similar but the wrong size, making it impossible to install. (Please refer to Pic 1 and Pic 2 in the attachments.)
Defective Accessories for Front Door Level Adjustment:
The accessories for adjusting the level of the front door are also problematic. These parts lack any labeling, making it difficult to identify the correct ones. According to the manual, the smaller set should be used, but its adjusting screw is positioned too high and cannot reach the required point. The larger set has an adjusting screw of about 2 cm, but the actual gap exceeds 8 cm, making it impossible to adjust the door level properly. As a result, I had to purchase longer screws separately to balance the door. (Please refer to Pic 3 in the attachments.)
Unclear and Misleading Manual:
The instruction manual provided is difficult to understand and does not match the actual parts. For example, the illustration for the front door level adjustment is significantly different from the actual setup, requiring extensive guesswork and trial and error. Additionally, the lack of part numbers on the accessories further complicates the process of identifying the correct parts.
Safety Concerns Regarding Installation:
The wall bed requires securing to the ground or wall with very long screws. However, there is no warning in the manual to check for water pipes, electrical lines, or gas lines in the installation area. This omission could lead to serious safety hazards. In my case, the installation location is near the electricity meter, so I had to take extra care to avoid damaging cables. A clear warning in the manual would help prevent potential accidents.
Given these issues, I am requesting a return and refund for this product. The defects and poor quality have made it impossible to install and use the wall bed as intended. I have attached photos of the problematic parts and accessories for your reference.
As a long-time Costco member, I have always trusted the quality of your products and your excellent customer service. I hope you can assist me in resolving this matter promptly.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your response.