[Tonto Yoder]

Just a hypothetical question. Say a manufacturer makes a $99 audio widget that he believes improves performance, offering a 30 day money-back guarantee. Wonder how many people would audition the widget since it has the money-back guarantee and, for one reason or another, never return it for the refund????

1. Assume it's some gadget with some reasonably logical explanation for why it works.  

2. Assume it does no harm to the system (i.e. there's STILL music playing)

3. I'm not actually thinking of any kind of fraud situation where the manufacturer is intentionally trying to dupe the customer: no false "reviews" and testimonials, no hyperbolic claims etc.

[MaxCast]

Probably very similar to rebates.  There is a certain % that will not redeem the rebate and therefore pay the retail or sale price.

Returning the item at the buyers expense has an impact as well.  Especially for those "as seen on TV" ads.

[Tonto Yoder]

Probably very similar to rebates.  There is a certain % that will not redeem the rebate and therefore pay the retail or sale price.

Returning the item at the buyers expense has an impact as well.  Especially for those "as seen on TV" ads.

$$ amount plays some part too.The reason there are so many non-audio TV offerings at $19.95 is the belief that $20 is the "Not worth the trouble to return" amount????

[MaxCast]

Yep, I agree.

I do think that anyone looking at a $99 tweek is a bit more anal about everything vs the normal Joe.  Therefore, more likely to return product if it dosen't work out.  You get that tweek down to $20 - ? and it probably won't be returned.

[ABEX]

After using a few cables with a $$ back guarantee I find them to be virtually useless.

It took that long just to break in the cable and to figure out what I was missing in the presentation.By that time it was to late. I decided after that I would build my own Audio Cables and experiment to see what was best for my system before playing russian roulette with cables.I think it mostly has to do with the design as to what might work best in a given situation. You are not going to get good results using a silver cable with an already bright speaker as 1 example.

just thinking!

[Dan Banquer]

It's guaranteed at R.E. Designs. If your next question is that I honor that; the answer is yes. In addition I have no restocking fee, and I pay for return shipping. Beat that with stick!
                   d.b.

[nathanm]

I do not say this in a derogatory fashion Dan, but your pre and power amps are quite expensive items.  I'd be curious to know how many people have purchased and consequently returned these?  

In the case of a certain speaker vendor we now know that when the actual 30-day policy was exercised (by a single person no less!) a very rapid about face occured and all sorts of qualifiers were thrown into the mix.  (understandable, albeit humorous to watch)  I am curious if these 30-day return policies exist only so long as the vendor is not actually getting very many returned items, which I would expect would start puttin' the hurt on the cashflow right quick.

[Dan Banquer]

Yes Nathan people have returned units under the 30 day warranty. As to how many, I don't remember over the past 10 years. Most have been very nice, and only one has been not so nice. I don't have any qualifiers.
The thing that pisses me and Mike McCall off is that we honest direct mail folks take a lot of crap for the not so honest ones, and they hurt our business.
              d.b.

[ABEX]

Dan let's not go there with using sticks to beat anything! You might find yourself on the receiveing end.  

[Shamrock Audio]

I do not say this in a derogatory fashion Dan, but your pre and power amps are quite expensive items.  I'd be curious to know how many people have purchased and consequently returned these?  

In the case of a certain speaker vendor we now know that when the actual 30-day policy was exercised (by a single person no less!) a very rapid about face occured and all sorts of qualifiers were thrown into the mix.  (understandable, albeit humorous to watch)  I am curious if these 30-day return policies exist only ...

Having known Dan for a few years, and having essentially the same return policy myself, the bottom line is that it's all about the company behind the policy/warranty. The same is true regardless of the size/type of company.

I can say that at least part of the reason that we've only had one set of our speakers returned (because they just didn't make the customer's Jell-O jiggle), is because we bust our back-sides to make sure that you WANT to keep the speakers. That said, rest assured that things do slip sideways on us in one way or another from time to time. It just happens. What matters is how those situations are handled.

For instance; we had a customer in the LA area who was having a problem with his speakers. Several phone conversations just couldn't isolate the problem. We got the speakers back to verify them, found the problem, fixed it, and then I personally drove to LA to deliver them back to the client.

Obviously, that kind of thing won't happen on a regular basis. However, my position is that if we somehow drop the ball, it is our responsibility to go the extra mile (pun intended), to take care of you. If we blow it and you are inconvenienced by it, then we should be doing what it takes to set it right with you - within reason.

Of course, not everyone feels that way. It really is all about the character of the company behind policy or warranty. Unfortunately, there are to many "characters" behind the companies we all have to deal with.

[DVV]

Having known Dan for a few years, and having essentially the same return policy myself, the bottom line is that it's all about the company behind the policy/warranty. The same is true regardless of the size/type of company.

I can say that at least part of the reason that we've only had one set of our speakers returned (because they just didn't make the customer's Jell-O jiggle), is because we bust our back-sides to make sure that you WANT to keep the speakers. That said, rest assured that things do slip  ...

What Mike and Dan are saying correlates just about perfectly with my own experiences. Sometimes it's a sticky business, other times it's really smooth sailing all the way.

I think it all boils down to the people and their business philosophies; if they are sound, no problems are expected within reason, but if not, there will be problems.

Some months ago, I spoke to three local manufacturers about this, I was sort of curious. One said he had had several (unspecified how many) requests for reurning the goods, and since they were returned in perfect working order, their warranty stimpulates that the customer is charged with shipping back costs. I was told that before they introduced that clause, more people simply played around, ordered it, tested it and had it shipped back; after it was introduced, the level of such players decreased drastically in favor of serious customers. The problem is compounded by the fact that they sell all around the globe, so shipping costs are by no means small or gentle.

The second said he had had only one return for not at all cheap products, and that one problem was a bad case, because the unit had been returned seriously damaged in an original undamaged shipping carton (a large, deep scratch across about 2/3 of the front plate, one side hit with something REALLY heavy). The customer played stupid, made it look like the unit tried hara kiri all of its own accord. At that time, the debate was still on, so I don't know the outcome.

The third said he had experienced no praticular problems, a few units were returned, money was sent back, and that was that, no big deal.

But this made me think that just as there are all sorts of people offering 30 day money back guarantees, so there must be all sorts of people trying to benefit from such guarantees, from honest-to-God customers to bums of all sorts.

Stands to reason, really, when you think about it.

Cheers,
DVV

[Psychicanimal]

Anybody can give a guarantee.