4 ms·

How is it different?

jb1991 4y ago
For starters, EU law requires the right to return no-questions-asked within a minimum 14 days (many places honor 30 days). In the US, there is no such law, though many retailers do it anyway. Some states, however, have implemented such laws, but it's not nationwide.
- sschueller 4y ago
  * if unopened and unused.
  - jb1991 4y ago
    Is your asterisk intended for the EU or the US? in the EU, you can return things after using them, no problem
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - tremon 4y ago
      Depends on the goods. Not many places will accept returns for opened/used underwear, for example. Same with digital goods (dvd/cd/games), if the seal is broken the shop will not accept a return.
      - jb1991 4y ago
        True, there are some obvious exceptions. But suppose I buy a vacuum cleaner and use it for a month and don't like it, doesn't matter how much I used it, I can return it in the EU.
        eps 4y ago
        Not that I don't believe you, but do you have a source for that?
        jb1991 4y ago
        My own life experience in the EU is my source.
        eps 4y ago
        Yeah, I assumed as much that's why I asked. Your top comment implied that it's a norm in the EU. It is not. It's very much retailer-specific.
        tremon 4y ago
        Here are the B2C rules for e-commerce in the EU, which are supposed to be the norm: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-goods-services/ecommerce-distance-selling/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-... . Anything beyond that is retailer-specific. Note that this concerns all forms of remote selling, i.e. phone sales, webshops goods, but even door-to-door vending -- basically anything that does not involve the customer setting foot in your brick-and-mortar store. > When can your customer withdraw from the contract? If you have given all the necessary information about the right to withdraw, your customer has 14 days to withdraw from the contract - without any penalty and without having to give any reason: For goods – this means 14 days after delivery For services – this means 14 days after the contract was concluded > What are your obligations after the consumer withdraws from the contract? You must reimburse the money received from your customer (or cancel their payment) within 14 days of being notified they are withdrawing. You may withhold this reimbursement until you have received the goods back from the customer, or at least received evidence they have actually sent them. > Who pays what? The Customer pays the cost of returning the goods (unless you failed to inform them of this in advance — in which case you will be liable for these costs).
        jacquesm 4y ago
- cvccvroomvroom 4y ago
  Wow. That's a huge difference. I purchased a Chinese brand scooter from a US-based dealer. Their customer service was awful. They had a phone number that changed often and didn't work, and lied about their intent to honor warranty claims. It was broken for 4 months. In the end, they decided to cancel my warranty and refuse any further assistance because I dared to ask for a functional product. I suggest no one ever buy a Kaabo scooter from any of the 3 major dealers in the US. Kaabo itself is even worse providing no support to customers at all.
  - jb1991 4y ago
    reverse the credit card charge, that usually works like a charm and weakens the company you bought it from, and enough do the same, they can't do business any more
    - cvccvroomvroom 4y ago
      That doesn't work in the US. Too much time elapsed and it's not something a credit card company would adjudicate. My one little encounter isn't something a credit card company would care about. It could be a small claims court matter if they were in the same state. It's cheaper to write-off the matter as a learning experience. Voro Motors. They're a fly-by-night operation like the other Kaabo dealers I found in the US. Ship from China and expect no support or warranty. Also, no e-scooter shops will touch Kaabos because they're not designed for repair and parts are difficult to source. The wiring inside looks like spaghetti with random colors that don't match their wiring diagram and wires that go nowhere. In addition, the early model forks would break spontaneously due to manufacturing defects that lead to a number of grotesque injuries and perhaps a death or two. PS: BBB is itself a widely-held misconception and fraud, perhaps the inverse of Yelp. It's mostly a feel good badge businesses pay for. Any business can join it and they have little incentive to police their "members" because, like binding arbitration, the "members" are the customers, not retailer's customers.
      - jb1991 4y ago
        I have never had a credit card dispute my challenge to reverse a charge (including in the U.S.). You are the credit card's more important customer, not the business. If you follow their steps, they will reverse the charge. It's not a lot of effort and bad business do go out of business when enough customers reverse the charges because then the business can't use credit cards any more.
- Elkekec 4y ago
  14 days minimum is only for online shopping, this is not true if you buy products in physical store(in EU).
  - jb1991 4y ago
    You are correct: > If you bought a product or a service online or outside of a shop (by telephone, mail order, from a door-to-door salesperson), you also have the right to cancel and return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua... I guess it's one more reason to always buy online!
- gggggg5 4y ago
  I get the legal differences, but in practice EU-like return policies are extremely common in the US. Are there really significant cultural differences with regards to returns?

jb1991 4y ago

For starters, EU law requires the right to return no-questions-asked within a minimum 14 days (many places honor 30 days). In the US, there is no such law, though many retailers do it anyway. Some states, however, have implemented such laws, but it's not nationwide.

sschueller 4y ago
* if unopened and unused.
- jb1991 4y ago
  Is your asterisk intended for the EU or the US? in the EU, you can return things after using them, no problem
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - tremon 4y ago
    Depends on the goods. Not many places will accept returns for opened/used underwear, for example. Same with digital goods (dvd/cd/games), if the seal is broken the shop will not accept a return.
    - jb1991 4y ago
      True, there are some obvious exceptions. But suppose I buy a vacuum cleaner and use it for a month and don't like it, doesn't matter how much I used it, I can return it in the EU.
      - eps 4y ago
        Not that I don't believe you, but do you have a source for that?
        jb1991 4y ago
        My own life experience in the EU is my source.
        eps 4y ago
        Yeah, I assumed as much that's why I asked. Your top comment implied that it's a norm in the EU. It is not. It's very much retailer-specific.
        tremon 4y ago
        Here are the B2C rules for e-commerce in the EU, which are supposed to be the norm: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-goods-services/ecommerce-distance-selling/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-... . Anything beyond that is retailer-specific. Note that this concerns all forms of remote selling, i.e. phone sales, webshops goods, but even door-to-door vending -- basically anything that does not involve the customer setting foot in your brick-and-mortar store. > When can your customer withdraw from the contract? If you have given all the necessary information about the right to withdraw, your customer has 14 days to withdraw from the contract - without any penalty and without having to give any reason: For goods – this means 14 days after delivery For services – this means 14 days after the contract was concluded > What are your obligations after the consumer withdraws from the contract? You must reimburse the money received from your customer (or cancel their payment) within 14 days of being notified they are withdrawing. You may withhold this reimbursement until you have received the goods back from the customer, or at least received evidence they have actually sent them. > Who pays what? The Customer pays the cost of returning the goods (unless you failed to inform them of this in advance — in which case you will be liable for these costs).
        jacquesm 4y ago
cvccvroomvroom 4y ago
Wow. That's a huge difference. I purchased a Chinese brand scooter from a US-based dealer. Their customer service was awful. They had a phone number that changed often and didn't work, and lied about their intent to honor warranty claims. It was broken for 4 months. In the end, they decided to cancel my warranty and refuse any further assistance because I dared to ask for a functional product. I suggest no one ever buy a Kaabo scooter from any of the 3 major dealers in the US. Kaabo itself is even worse providing no support to customers at all.
- jb1991 4y ago
  reverse the credit card charge, that usually works like a charm and weakens the company you bought it from, and enough do the same, they can't do business any more
  - cvccvroomvroom 4y ago
    That doesn't work in the US. Too much time elapsed and it's not something a credit card company would adjudicate. My one little encounter isn't something a credit card company would care about. It could be a small claims court matter if they were in the same state. It's cheaper to write-off the matter as a learning experience. Voro Motors. They're a fly-by-night operation like the other Kaabo dealers I found in the US. Ship from China and expect no support or warranty. Also, no e-scooter shops will touch Kaabos because they're not designed for repair and parts are difficult to source. The wiring inside looks like spaghetti with random colors that don't match their wiring diagram and wires that go nowhere. In addition, the early model forks would break spontaneously due to manufacturing defects that lead to a number of grotesque injuries and perhaps a death or two. PS: BBB is itself a widely-held misconception and fraud, perhaps the inverse of Yelp. It's mostly a feel good badge businesses pay for. Any business can join it and they have little incentive to police their "members" because, like binding arbitration, the "members" are the customers, not retailer's customers.
    - jb1991 4y ago
      I have never had a credit card dispute my challenge to reverse a charge (including in the U.S.). You are the credit card's more important customer, not the business. If you follow their steps, they will reverse the charge. It's not a lot of effort and bad business do go out of business when enough customers reverse the charges because then the business can't use credit cards any more.
Elkekec 4y ago
14 days minimum is only for online shopping, this is not true if you buy products in physical store(in EU).
- jb1991 4y ago
  You are correct: > If you bought a product or a service online or outside of a shop (by telephone, mail order, from a door-to-door salesperson), you also have the right to cancel and return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua... I guess it's one more reason to always buy online!
gggggg5 4y ago
I get the legal differences, but in practice EU-like return policies are extremely common in the US. Are there really significant cultural differences with regards to returns?