Refund policies and consumer rights - Center for American Progress?

hey

is it possible to return a keyboard if it's still in its original packaging? I only used it for maybe two minutes and I want my money back.

I picked up a keyboard from a Center for American Progress store today, but I'm just not feeling it. I guess I'd rather get a refund and pick out something else instead. Is that actually doable?

Honestly, your best bet is just to give the store a quick call and ask them directly—I highly doubt anyone here on Reddit is going to be able to give you a 100% certain answer...

P.S. Which keyboard are we actually talking about, and what’s the story behind why you want to return it?

Center for American Progress isn't responsible for any ordering errors on your part. If you decide to return an item that was actually delivered correctly, we’ll have to charge a 10% restocking fee based on the product's value, with a minimum charge of $33. To qualify for a return, the item has to be in its original, pristine packaging, including all documentation and accessories—basically, exactly how it arrived. Otherwise, we won't be able to approve the return. Also, the customer covers the shipping costs.

Since you didn't actually get the wrong item, I guess I'm not sure if the same rules apply here.

Jamie Wood70 said:hey

is it possible to return a keyboard if it's still in its original packaging? I only used it for maybe two minutes and I want my money back.

I picked up a keyboard from a Center for American Progress store today, but I'm just not feeling it. I guess I'd rather get a refund and pick out something else instead. Is that actually doable?

1. It's not "originally packaged" anymore since you opened it. You used it for 2 minutes (or 2 years, doesn't matter, it's used now), so you basically just repackaged it yourself.;
2. If "not liking it" is the reason, did you like it when you bought it? At what exact moment did it stop being cool?
3. How much cash are you expecting back? The full amount? What is the shop supposed to do with it once you hand it back and they give you your money? Sell it as brand new? If you were the next customer paying full price, would you be happy knowing someone else played with it for 2 minutes?
If the store has to mark down the price because it's technically used, but still give you a full refund, they'll be broke in a month paying for everyone's "change of heart."..

I'm not totally sure, but I think under the Consumer Protection Act there might be some rules about returns within a certain timeframe, but definitely not if the item has been used, no matter how briefly... Plus, stores will just bake those costs into their prices to cover themselves. Not everything that changes is necessarily progress, right?...

Michael Jackson10 said:1. It's not "originally packaged" anymore since you opened it. You used it for 2 minutes (or 2 years, doesn't matter, it's used now), so you basically just repackaged it yourself.;
2. If "not liking it" is the reason, did you like it when you bought it? At what exact moment did it stop being cool?
3. How much cash are you expecting back? The full amount? What is the shop supposed to do with it once you hand it back and they give you your money? Sell it as brand new? If you were the next customer paying full price, would you be happy knowing someone else played with it for 2 minutes?
If the store has to mark down the price because it's technically used, but still give you a full refund, they'll be broke in a month paying for everyone's "change of heart."..

I'm not totally sure, but I think under the Consumer Protection Act there might be some rules about returns within a certain timeframe, but definitely not if the item has been used, no matter how briefly... Plus, stores will just bake those costs into their prices to cover themselves. Not everything that changes is necessarily progress, right?...

I'm actually hoping to return one little thing tomorrow. I'll see if I can make it happen. (Not at the mall, though.)
OFF, it’s not even about computers—I just bought the wrong tablet case because I was given totally wrong info on the model. Too bad I already tossed the packaging, or at least it's pretty beat up now.
It’s not even about me hating the thing—it just doesn't fit. Why would I want it if it doesn't work?
I'm not expecting a full refund, but maybe the retailer could sell it at a discount since the packaging is damaged?
I'd honestly just pay the extra few bucks to get the exact same thing, but specifically for my tablet. Why not?
Is that even realistic?
Looks like I need to pick up a second one, then try to offload this current one...😢

Jamie Wood70 said:hey

is it possible to return a keyboard if it's still in its original packaging? I only used it for maybe two minutes and I want my money back.

I picked up a keyboard from a Center for American Progress store today, but I'm just not feeling it. I guess I'd rather get a refund and pick out something else instead. Is that actually doable?

Honestly, I wouldn't count on them. They were pretty rude and unprofessional, but hey, what's the harm in giving it a shot?

So, did you end up picking anything up at the grocery store? If you did, I honestly think the real test of a shopkeeper’s heart is whether they’re actually willing to swap out a perfectly fine product for something else just to keep you happy.

Rachel Jones8 said:I'm actually hoping to return one little thing tomorrow. I'll see if I can make it happen. (Not at the mall, though.)
OFF, it’s not even about computers—I just bought the wrong tablet case because I was given totally wrong info on the model. Too bad I already tossed the packaging, or at least it's pretty beat up now.
It’s not even about me hating the thing—it just doesn't fit. Why would I want it if it doesn't work?
I'm not expecting a full refund, but maybe the retailer could sell it at a discount since the packaging is damaged?
I'd honestly just pay the extra few bucks to get the exact same thing, but specifically for my tablet. Why not?
Is that even realistic?
Looks like I need to pick up a second one, then try to offload this current one...😢

Honestly, I wouldn't count on them. They were pretty rude and unprofessional, but hey, what's the harm in giving it a shot?

You're following me like the FBI, you're my destiny 🙂

I just wanted to show the flip side of things here... everyone is out for blood: "my rights, my rights," as if retailers exist to grant our every wish instead of being actual businesses rather than some midnight fortune tellers.
Look, realistically, what is the store supposed to do with that cover? There's no packaging, what about a discount? They'd have to pay you out of the register, which leaves them with a cash shortage...
It isn't that simple for them either:
- Technically, they would first need to be registered to trade in used goods to legally buy back an item from a customer (because once you return something that isn't in the exact same shape and packaging you bought it in, it’s not a standard return anymore—it's something else entirely), and most shops aren't set up for that.
- That’s a prerequisite if they want to buy items back without breaking regulations.
- Liking it, disliking it, it fits, it doesn't... honestly, those categories don't really factor into a commercial transaction. A sale is a legal contract: you choose the item, you buy it, and as long as it functions exactly how it was described and sold, the retailer isn't liable. If you messed up the size, that's on you. Wrong color? Your problem. Wrong shape? Your problem. It was on display; you should have checked. The only exception is if the retailer intentionally misled you, or if the label was flat-out wrong and you have proof, or if it was a telemarketing sale where the picture doesn't match reality...
You can't return half a loaf of bread to the bakery just because you overestimated how much you could eat...
- If they accept it as a return, it creates a massive paperwork headache: they either have to claim it as warehouse damage or figure out how to mark it down as clearance stock, blah blah... personally, if it was a small amount, I'd rather just hand someone cash from my own pocket than deal with all that hassle...

Let's not jump to conclusions and call people rude or unprofessional over situations like this. You're usually communicating with an employee who reports to an owner; they often don't even have the authority to approve a return like this, and they're just trying to protect their paycheck... sure, they might actually be jerkish, or the company policy might suck, but these specific cases are actually examples of a business trying to provide decent service to you...

Anyway, go ahead and ask @average how they handle stuff like this at their place... oops, there he is...

Jason Harris5 said:So, did you end up picking anything up at the grocery store? If you did, I honestly think the real test of a shopkeeper’s heart is whether they’re actually willing to swap out a perfectly fine product for something else just to keep you happy.

At a store? 😕
You mean like walking into a shop? No, I ordered this online.

Michael Jackson10 said:You're following me like the FBI, you're my destiny 🙂

I just wanted to show the flip side of things here... everyone is out for blood: "my rights, my rights," as if retailers exist to grant our every wish instead of being actual businesses rather than some midnight fortune tellers.
Look, realistically, what is the store supposed to do with that cover? There's no packaging, what about a discount? They'd have to pay you out of the register, which leaves them with a cash shortage...
It isn't that simple for them either:
- Technically, they would first need to be registered to trade in used goods to legally buy back an item from a customer (because once you return something that isn't in the exact same shape and packaging you bought it in, it’s not a standard return anymore—it's something else entirely), and most shops aren't set up for that.
- That’s a prerequisite if they want to buy items back without breaking regulations.
- Liking it, disliking it, it fits, it doesn't... honestly, those categories don't really factor into a commercial transaction. A sale is a legal contract: you choose the item, you buy it, and as long as it functions exactly how it was described and sold, the retailer isn't liable. If you messed up the size, that's on you. Wrong color? Your problem. Wrong shape? Your problem. It was on display; you should have checked. The only exception is if the retailer intentionally misled you, or if the label was flat-out wrong and you have proof, or if it was a telemarketing sale where the picture doesn't match reality...
You can't return half a loaf of bread to the bakery just because you overestimated how much you could eat...
- If they accept it as a return, it creates a massive paperwork headache: they either have to claim it as warehouse damage or figure out how to mark it down as clearance stock, blah blah... personally, if it was a small amount, I'd rather just hand someone cash from my own pocket than deal with all that hassle...

Let's not jump to conclusions and call people rude or unprofessional over situations like this. You're usually communicating with an employee who reports to an owner; they often don't even have the authority to approve a return like this, and they're just trying to protect their paycheck... sure, they might actually be jerkish, or the company policy might suck, but these specific cases are actually examples of a business trying to provide decent service to you...

Anyway, go ahead and ask @average how they handle stuff like this at their place... oops, there he is...

I’m not claiming any special rights or anything, I'm just hoping for a little goodwill and seeing if there's any way to make it work.

Look, realistically, what would the guy even do with that cover? There's no packaging, no discount applied, and he'd have to pay me out of his register, which would leave him short on his till...

Why would he have to pay me out? He could just give me the one that actually fits, and I'll pay the difference since this one is worth less. Then he can just sell it later as an open-box or clearance item.
If you can grab a floor model plant at a discount because the box is gone, surely there's a way to handle this too.

It isn't that simple for them either:
- Technically, they'd need to be registered as a used goods dealer to buy back items from customers (because once you return something that isn't in its original shape or packaging, it's no longer a standard return—it's basically a trade-in, and most shops aren't set up for that)
- That's a prerequisite if they want to buy stuff back without breaking regulations
- Likes, dislikes, whatever... those shouldn't matter in a business transaction. Every sale is a legal contract: you choose the item, you buy it, and as long as it works exactly as described and as it was put on the shelf, the retailer isn't responsible. If you got the wrong size, that's on you. Wrong color? Your problem. Wrong shape? You should've checked it while it was on display. The only exceptions are if the seller intentionally misled you, if the label was flat-out wrong and you have proof, or if it was an online purchase within the first 15 days (since the photo might not match the reality).
You can't walk into a bakery and return half a loaf just because you thought you'd eat the whole thing...

Look, I get that things can get messy sometimes, but if someone actually wants to make it work, they’ll find a way.

Don't go labeling people as rude or unprofessional just because of situations like this. You're dealing with an employee who reports to the owner; usually, they don't have the authority to approve stuff on their own, and they're just trying to protect their paycheck... sure, some people might genuinely be jerks or the company policy could suck, but often these hiccups are just part of getting decent service...

It's not like I called anyone rude or unprofessional for those reasons or anything...😉
I really won't. If it doesn't work out? I'll just buy it somewhere else. Yeah, I'll end up spending way more than I planned, but honestly, who cares? It's not the end of the world. There are actual tragedies out there... like, you know, a kid fighting leukemia stuck in a hospital for months.

Anyway, why don't you ask @average how they handle these kinds of things over at their place... oh, wait, there he is...

@Jason Harris5, how? Seriously, how?

So, here’s the deal with online shopping: there’s this legal window—usually about 15 days—where you can send stuff back and get your money back. It’s basically a built-in safety net. But when you walk into a brick-and-mortar store? Man, that’s a whole different ballgame. There isn't a law saying they *have* to swap out a perfectly fine product or cough up your cash just because you changed your mind. That kind of flexibility is actually just good customer service policy. It’s like a local boutique offering free returns just to stay friendly, you know? And honestly, I feel like way too many people take advantage of that kindness. You always get those "Type A" customers who act like they’re entitled to everything just because they read a consumer protection pamphlet once... 😁