[SpudHarris]

Guys,

I am in new territory today... I have never returned a set of Headphones to a retailer ever, guess I have just been fortunate to have received great service and always found something to love about all the phones I have had and own at this point in time.

Where do I stand on returning a set of premium over ears?

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/i-want-to-return-something-bought-online

I found this which pretty much says I can return them but the supplier is refusing to have them back because of 'Hygiene Issues' which I would dispute. It's starting to get a little heated now so any advice (legal preferably) would be really appreciated.

I wont name the supplier (yet) but the reason for return, not that it matters is that the signature isn't what I was looking for.

Look forward to your thoughts. Head-fi has always steered me right over the years...

 

[arachnidsGrip]

Whats the state of the cans?

 

[SpudHarris]

Brand new. Tried them for about 3 hours.

 

[arachnidsGrip]

Oof. Check the conditions of the whole thing and whether they have the right to refuse just because.

 

[RobertSM]

I'd suggest trying to turning the heat down with your supplier. You should maybe think about conceding with a restocking fee. Also, maybe having to agree to having the supplier add new factory earpads if 'Hygiene Issues' are a sticking point. I'd also try to make it clear that you may want to buy again from this supplier letting them know that this set just didn't work for you. Above all else keep it civil.

But as @arachnidsGrip so rightly stated... Refer back to the conditions of the sale. Good luck.

 

[loopfreak]

There must be a clear public seller statement about returns and what products are excluded from this rule.

 

[davisman]

Check their website for a return policy, and like others have stated remain calm. I have learned this lesson the hard way. Now I just call state my issue, and wait for their response. I can actually feel the tension easing in the first few minutes in the conversation because I think they expect me to be emotional and angry. Case in point, I recently purchased some machinery for my business that was very large and arrived with some damage and missing parts. After we worked out how to handle the replacements, the lady actually thanked me for understanding and they sent me some freebies. Nowadays I consider it an opportunity to get to know the business and understand what their response will be in the future if you have any issues. That is more important to me in the long run, knowing they will stand behind their products.

Speaking of returns, I have been trying to decide on whether or not to make a thread asking where people shop for high end headphones. I am normally very easy to please, but where I am located I usually do not have an option to audition headphones first. I can understand a restocking fee, because I know when I purchase expensive headphones I want and expect them to be brand new in box so returning them opened means that there is a loss in value. I normally shop with Amazon but they have shipped me the wrong headphones that were an order of magnitude cheaper than what I ordered, and I have also been sent used headphones that were damaged. The only alternative I know of is to buy from a smaller company that specializes in audio, but then I would feel bad doing a return to a small business.

I don't know, what I am thinking is to just buy from Amazon knowing that it will be a risk but also knowing that they have have a great return policy. If I get a used pair, but decide I want to keep them I will just buy from someone more trusted. I would like to know what everyone else does.

 

[PointyFox]

Please don't buy headphones to demo them. Resell them if you don't like them. I've bought and resold at least a dozen headphones.

In the US, if the seller doesn't state that you can return them and you get what you ordered, the seller isn't legally obligated to accept a return.

 

[SpudHarris]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. @PointyFox, I would never do that, I honestly expected to love these phones but they just don't suit either a) my gear/set up or b) my favoured musical genre or even a combo of both.

The link in my original post is the UK Consumer Rights which looks to be on my side. I would strongly argue a hygiene issue for over ear phones which is their stance.

See what gives tomorrow.

Keep any ideas coming though... Appreciate it guys!

 

[megabigeye]

If you don't want to link, it might be useful if you could copy and paste the site's return policy so we can review it.

To add to the chorus: remain calm when dealing with customer service reps! Even do one better and be pleasant and patient. Say please, thank you, and apologize if you think they think you've been unpleasant/unreasonable. Chances are the person you're dealing with is a) not an idiot and is just abiding by some stupid rule that they possibly agree is stupid-- being pleasant might make them want to help you; or b) an idiot that will become an angry idiot if you're unpleasant toward them-- being pleasant will make them less likely to push back.
If you're talking to / dealing with an entry-level sales rep (E.G., not a manager), ask to talk to their supervisor. When/if you decide to escalate it, try to do it at a reasonable rate: if you're talking to the bozo on the sales floor, calling the regional manager to complain is just going to piss everybody off and make you look unreasonable. You'll never want to shop there again and they'll never want you to. Not to say that you can't escalate it in a big way (and quickly), but try not to pull out the big guns first thing.

Also, @davisman that's a great idea for a thread! A list (and ranking?) of good places to buy gear would be awesome!

 

[davisman]

Please don't buy headphones to demo them. Resell them if you don't like them. I've bought and resold at least a dozen headphones.

I hope my post didn't give the impression that I was looking to simply demo headphones. When I make a purchase I want to be happy with it! But sometimes it just doesn't work out.

 

[loopfreak]

I would strongly argue a hygiene issue for over ear phones which is their stance.

I thought you bought an IEM. It's pretty much clear now, they are dodging.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Guys,

I am in new territory today... I have never returned a set of Headphones to a retailer ever, guess I have just been fortunate to have received great service and always found something to love about all the phones I have had and own at this point in time.

Where do I stand on returning a set of premium over ears?

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/i-want-to-return-something-bought-online

I found this which pretty much says I can return them but the supplier is refusing to have them back because of 'Hygiene Issues' which I would dispute. It's starting to get a little heated now so any advice (legal preferably) would be really appreciated.

I wont name the supplier (yet) but the reason for return, not that it matters is that the signature isn't what I was looking for.

Look forward to your thoughts. Head-fi has always steered me right over the years...

Depends on the retailer, as some will deny a return based on hygiene reasons. But distance selling rules normally allow items bought online to be returned within 14 days.

https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds

"Online, mail and telephone order customers have the right to cancel their order for a limited time even if the goods aren’t faulty. Sales of this kind are known as ‘distance selling’."

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Please don't buy headphones to demo them. Resell them if you don't like them. I've bought and resold at least a dozen headphones.

In the US, if the seller doesn't state that you can return them and you get what you ordered, the seller isn't legally obligated to accept a return.

It's quite different here in the UK unfortunately, we have had a few serial returners. But there are laws that allow you to stop selling to certain customers if they abuse the returns policy luckily.