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this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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I bought a brand new DeWalt thickness planer from Amazon. I open the thing up, and it's already got sawdust in it. "Huh, was it...tested for some reason?" Wasn't much sawdust; like it looked like it had planed maybe one board. I set it up to do a test run on a 2x4, it feeds about 5 inches and stops HARD. The board hit the back roller and just STOPPED. Nothing I could do to get this thing to feed a board through, what I had was a $700 snipe machine.
Okay, planer's defective. This happens sometimes. Called DeWalt first, they could service it but probably the fastest way to get a working planer in my hands was to return it to Amazon for an exchange. Call up Amazon; their phone tree is slightly computarded but I get an actual operator who arranges a pickup of the old unit and a dropoff of a new one.
Here's the problem: That sawdust that was already in the machine. Not much, just a little bit. Almost as if someone had already bought this planer, hooked it up, started it, found it wouldn't feed a board, and returned it to Amazon.
And instead of being sent back to DeWalt or a service center for repair to be sold at a 15% discount as a refurbished unit, instead it was sold to me as-is at full price. I'm guessing it's going to bounce back and forth between customers until they find someone who will just eat the cost.
Mind you, this was labeled as "sold and shipped from Amazon."
Playing devils advocate here but.. I suspect what is happening here is a previous purchaser bought it (broke it?), returned it under a different reason (eg. I dint like it) and Amazon decided it is not worth the hassle of rechecking every return labeled as such.
Mind you this is no consolation for someone like you who has go to through this return process, but I cant believe Amazon is "winning" by keeping a defective product like this in rotation long enough for someone to "eat the cost". Defective products hurt Amazon as well and I'm sure they'd rather take the hit if they could pin point which products are defective.
You could argue that they should bear the cost of validating every return, but clearly someone has crunched the numbers and the program is likely not cost effective.
Okay let's set aside the fact that the machine arrived inoperable. Let's say I got a working planer that arrived with sawdust in it.
Why was I shipped a planer that had been used and returned when I ordered and paid for a brand new one?
Even if the previous owner of the planer had returned it as "changed my mind" or something, surely it would be sold as "Used - Like New" rather than "Brand New?"
Then remember that it was defective, and now what?
Here I agree with you. They either got a retun reason like "never used, changed my mind" or simply figured out that for a vast majority of purchases with return codes like this, it is safe to reshelf the object and ship it as new.
Whether the object is to be considered "new" or "like new / used" is probably a gray area. I'm not aware of where most other retailers draw the line on this one (walmart, target, costco, etc.). I'm sure the problem is even harder for online retailers, mostly because its much easier for people to lie on an online return form.
Regardless, my only gripe was people in this thread assuming a conspiracy where they intentionally rotate and peddle defective items hoping someone eats the cost.
Well in this case, I will note that DeWalt shrink wraps their boxes. If the shrink wrap has been removed, consider the "seal" broken and the product is not "new."
As for it being a "conspiracy"? Naw just shitheaded callousness you'd expect from a corporation the size of Amazon. "Keep sending it, someone won't return it."
I can assue you they do not open and check returns, at least not with any regularity. I bought a 3d printer, used, off of amazon, via sold by/shipped by amazon, and the previous owner/returnee had simply dumped it in a box with some inadequate padding. Amazon never opened the box, and when it arrived on my doorstep it had broken glass, bent frame parts, missing screws, etc.
Some amazon returns require an explanation while others dont. My guess, they took the default or went through the drop down to one that didnt require any actual reasoning.
It is for this reason I have stopped buying some things like Hard Drives (almost always get sold as new but are refurbs or used), or computers. Even when labeled as used amazon allows certain things, like glittery dbrand skins to still quality as "pristine". Also there is a new thing where they will come wiped, but had been registered in Azure/Intune/Apple MDM and thus will still be locked or reporting in.