[meteorite-list] Dealer Refunds
From: Mark Miconi <mam602_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:43 2004 Message-ID: <007501c33d28$f5ead560$d7e16a44_at_ph.cox.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0072_01C33CEE.49507B00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Steve, The request is unreasonable. I have a house full of items I paid too = much for, I have no expectation of getting my money back from the palces = I purchased them from. One example: Cabelas...I bought Abu Garcia's New EON Baitcasting reel the first year = it came out...I am a southpaw so I had to wait for a left hand version. = I paid $119.00, which was below retail. One month later the price = dropped to $89.95. Cabelas offers a 60 day guarantee no questions asked = refund policy. I actually could have returned the reel saying it did not = feel right, waited a couple of weeks and bought the same reel for less. = I did not do that because it is wrong. Now they make a better model in a = low profile design that is $89.95.=20 Is it right for me to ask for a new model and a refund? I think not.=20 You sold the item, the person bought the item. The item is real, you = guarantee it is real. Just because he can get the same thing for less = does not make it your responsibility to refund him. People all over the world buy items that are not worth what they pay for = them, or that loose value or that can be had for less money from another = dealer. Unless you guarantee the price, you are not obligated in any way to = refund his money. Tell him to drain his bathwater and stop drinking it. Mark M. Phoenix AZ ----- Original Message -----=20 From: MeteorHntr_at_aol.com=20 To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 7:59 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Dealer Refunds Hello List, I have an ethical question I would like to get some feedback on. I just got a request from a customer that I give him a refund for a = specimen he purchased a month or so ago from me that he wants to return = now. His request was not based on the fact that the specimen was = damaged or otherwise in a different condition than described when it was = sold to him. The request he felt was justified because he thinks the specimen is = now not worth as much as he paid for it bach then. He seems to think he = can get the same thing for a lower price elsewhere. So I assume he = wants the refund to go buy the other cheaper specimen to replace the one = he wants to give back to me. While I do guarantee authenticity and that the specimens are as = described on all my specimens I sell, I do not have a Walmart style = lowest price guarantee, that the person cannot find a similar specimen = somewhere else in the present or in the future for a lower price. If = someone bought something and didn't like it for whatever reason and = wanted to return it promptly for a refund, that would be one thing but = this is another. I find this refund request unreasonable and bordering on unethical. A = similar but opposite request would be if I would contact buyers a month = after I sold them a specimen and demanded that they let me buy back a = specimen I sold them a month earlier because new information tells me = that I sold it to them too cheap and that if I had it back at the price = I sold it, I could turn around and sell it to someone for an even higher = price. That request would be absurd. As I recall, there is just one dealer that offers a written lifetime = guarantee to buy back any specimens at the customers purchase prices. = However, one would expect that having a stated guarantee such as that = would help such a dealer to generate more than enough extra sales to = cover the losses when a meteorite genuinely drops in value and a few = people decide to take that dealer up on his offer. But without offering = that incentive to make all the extra sales along the way, a dealer could = go bankrupt giving refunds on demand for price fluctuation reasons. I guess my question is, how would some of the other dealers respond to = such a request? Has anyone had such a request nade if them? And for = collectors out there, do you feel making such a request (and expecting = it to be fulfilled) is reasonable? Would a direct purchase be different = from an ebay purchase? Steve Arnold ------=_NextPart_000_0072_01C33CEE.49507B00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Steve,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The request is unreasonable. I have a = house full of=20 items I paid too much for, I have no expectation of getting my money = back from=20 the palces I purchased them from. One example:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cabelas...I bought Abu Garcia's New EON = Baitcasting=20 reel the first year it came out...I am a southpaw so I had to wait for a = left=20 hand version. I paid $119.00, which was below retail. One month = later the=20 price dropped to $89.95. Cabelas offers a 60 day guarantee no questions = asked=20 refund policy. I actually could have returned the reel saying it did not = feel=20 right, waited a couple of weeks and bought the same reel for less. I did = not do=20 that because it is wrong. Now they make a better model in a low profile = design=20 that is $89.95. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Is it right for me to ask for a new = model and a=20 refund? I think not. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>You sold the item, the person bought = the item. The=20 item is real, you guarantee it is real. Just because he can get the same = thing=20 for less does not make it your responsibility to refund = him.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>People all over the world buy items = that are not=20 worth what they pay for them, or that loose value or that can be had for = less=20 money from another dealer.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Unless you guarantee the price, you are = not=20 obligated in any way to refund his money.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Tell him to drain his bathwater and = stop drinking=20 it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mark M.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Phoenix AZ</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3DMeteorHntr_at_aol.com=20 href=3D"mailto:MeteorHntr_at_aol.com">MeteorHntr@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20 title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20 = href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list@meteor= itecentral.com</A>=20 </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, June 27, 2003 = 7:59 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [meteorite-list] = Dealer=20 Refunds</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT lang=3D0 = face=3DArial size=3D2=20 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF">Hello List,<BR><BR>I have an ethical question I = would like=20 to get some feedback on.<BR><BR>I just got a request from a customer = that I=20 give him a refund for a specimen he purchased a month or so ago from = me that=20 he wants to return now. His request was not based on the fact = that the=20 specimen was damaged or otherwise in a different condition than = described when=20 it was sold to him.<BR><BR>The request he felt was justified because = he thinks=20 the specimen is now not worth as much as he paid for it bach = then. He=20 seems to think he can get the same thing for a lower price = elsewhere. So=20 I assume he wants the refund to go buy the other cheaper specimen to = replace=20 the one he wants to give back to me.<BR><BR>While I do guarantee = authenticity=20 and that the specimens are as described on all my specimens I sell, I = do not=20 have a Walmart style lowest price guarantee, that the person cannot = find a=20 similar specimen somewhere else in the present or in the future for a = lower=20 price. If someone bought something and didn't like it for = whatever=20 reason and wanted to return it promptly for a refund, that would be = one thing=20 but this is another.<BR><BR>I find this refund request unreasonable = and=20 bordering on unethical. A similar but opposite request would be = if I=20 would contact buyers a month after I sold them a specimen and demanded = that=20 they let me buy back a specimen I sold them a month earlier because = new=20 information tells me that I sold it to them too cheap and that if I = had it=20 back at the price I sold it, I could turn around and sell it to = someone for an=20 even higher price. That request would be absurd.<BR><BR>As I = recall,=20 there is just one dealer that offers a written lifetime guarantee to = buy back=20 any specimens at the customers purchase prices. However, one = would=20 expect that having a stated guarantee such as that would help such a = dealer to=20 generate more than enough extra sales to cover the losses when a = meteorite=20 genuinely drops in value and a few people decide to take that dealer = up on his=20 offer. But without offering that incentive to make all the extra = sales=20 along the way, a dealer could go bankrupt giving refunds on demand for = price=20 fluctuation reasons.<BR><BR>I guess my question is, how would some of = the=20 other dealers respond to such a request? Has anyone had such a = request=20 nade if them? And for collectors out there, do you feel making = such a=20 request (and expecting it to be fulfilled) is reasonable? Would = a direct=20 purchase be different from an ebay purchase?<BR><BR>Steve=20 Arnold<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0072_01C33CEE.49507B00-- Received on Fri 27 Jun 2003 11:54:22 PM PDT |
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