Live data from Hacker News

Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

bandyt.site44.com

71–80 of 200 posts

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#71
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people do abuse this to rip companies off, to varying degrees; I know some people who treat returns as free rentals, buying something, using it without ever intending to keep it, and then returning it. Some people go even further and steal things and then return them for cash. But I guess that on the whole, the good customer experience for the honest customers outweighs the cost of fraud.

EDIT: My apologies. It looks like I'll need to have a discussion with my friend about this.

If the companies didn't want you to do this, then they wouldn't let you do this.

Why would a company want you to do that?! The only reason some allow it is that it's very difficult to have a policy that allows honest customers to return items they don't like (for whatever reasons) while at the same time preventing this behavior.

You'll find that there are many companies who have stopped the practice of accepting returns for any reason, for the very reason you stated. If you were running a product company, would you enjoy and encourage the "free rental" behavior?

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#72
I haven't since this event:

> In 1987, Tocibai Machine, a subsidiary of Toshiba, was accused of illegally selling CNC milling machines used to produce very quiet submarine propellers to the Soviet Union in violation of the CoCom agreement, an international embargo on certain countries to COMECON countries. The Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal involved a subsidiary of Toshiba and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The incident strained relations between the United States and Japan, and resulted in the arrest and prosecution of two senior executives, as well as the imposition of sanctions on the company by both countries.[6] Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania said "What Toshiba and Kongsberg did was ransom the security of the United States for $517 million."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba#1939_to_2000

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#74
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people do abuse this to rip companies off, to varying degrees; I know some people who treat returns as free rentals, buying something, using it without ever intending to keep it, and then returning it. Some people go even further and steal things and then return them for cash. But I guess that on the whole, the good customer experience for the honest customers outweighs the cost of fraud.

EDIT: My apologies. It looks like I'll need to have a discussion with my friend about this.

> This isn't morally wrong. My friend, a graphics programmer, did this with videocards in order to test his graphics engine on various types of hardware configurations. If the companies didn't want you to do this, then they wouldn't let you do this.

No, that's immoral.

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#76
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There would be very few companies to buy things from if we stopped doing business with every company that has ever had a complaint against them.

I just want my laptop fixed. Once they fix it I would gladly remove everything. Sadly this is the only way to get their attention.

I was with you until I saw this comment. If everything you've stated is true, why not keep what you have up and just add an update to how Toshiba fixed your laptop?

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#77
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4. Warn other consumers from buying Toshiba products. 5. Shame Toshiba into living up to their word.

Apple did exactly the same thing in Europe (worse actually, they lied to make people buy AppleCare). In China too iirc. Use your legal rights, and advertise what you did. If you don't know your rights you'll probably have a bad time.

Not to mention Apple in Australia. That kind of warranty protection is enough to make me want to move there! ;-)

Re: Toshiba says they made a mistake but they still cannot help me

#80
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people do abuse this to rip companies off, to varying degrees; I know some people who treat returns as free rentals, buying something, using it without ever intending to keep it, and then returning it. Some people go even further and steal things and then return them for cash. But I guess that on the whole, the good customer experience for the honest customers outweighs the cost of fraud.

EDIT: My apologies. It looks like I'll need to have a discussion with my friend about this.

If the companies didn't want you to do this, then they wouldn't let you do this.

They do not want you to do this. What your friend did is considered to be a form of return fraud and abuse. The industry term for it is 'wardrobing' or 'renting'.

It's a big enough problem that there is a company, http://www.theretailequation.com, that helps large firms blacklist people like your friend, though these defenses are fairly recent.

Returns require a receipt.

Not always.

Post reply on HN