Unfair return policy

[cmarkj]

We bought 2 wireless remote levelers in December from CW. One for us and one as a gift. We went on our first trip of the season last week and ours does not work. Contacted CW customer service and was told that this is out of their 90 day return policy and I have to have it taken care of as a mfg warranty issue. I asked what the warranty was because all that came with the unit is the instructions in 3 languages and nothing about a warranty at all.
So I asked.....if I buy something for camping in December and the CGs don't open until the May 1st, then when I go to use it for the first time in May and it is defective, CW will not stand behind it??? The answer......you are right sir !
Amazon, here I come for everything !!

[DutchmenSport]

Warranty begins the date of purchase, not the first date of use for almost everything. Actually, I can't think of anything that might be the exception.

Sometimes we learn things the hard way.

[catkins]

Not such an unusual policy. Many retailers offer an extension around Christmas as a special case to encourage us to all buy early. Guess this is a good reminder to us all to wait until we will be using something before you buy it too early. Sorry things are a hassle.............

[Campfire_Time]

90 day return policies are pretty typical with most retailers. A few are far more liberal than that (Cablelas comes to mind), but most are at the 90 day.

[Sandia_Man]

I hear you it can be frustrating although I doubt other than the manufacturer's warranty (if one is provided), Amazon and even Walmart would probably mimic CW's response.

Samsclub and Costco do tend to have better return policies and may have allowed an exchange or refund. We purchased something last Christmas and were given a refund after 6 months.

It has happened to us as well, when making these type of purchases where we don't intend to immediately use item, we at least try and see if device is operational before return policy has expired.

[cmarkj]

I go shopping the 1st of October for Christmas gifts because stores are starting to have Christmas sales. I give someone a present on Christmas and the following week they try it out and it is defective. Gee, sorry, can't return it, it's past 90 days.
Same issue here, the camper was closed up, and not ready to use until last week. You might think 90 days is 90 days, but to me it's poor customer service if you can't make exceptions like this. Clearly the item is brand new. If I had been using it over some time, I would never expect them to take it back, that is what warranties are for. However, if an item is new, different story. It could have been sitting on their shelf all this time. I guess you do all your Christmas shopping les than 30 days before the holidays in case the stores only have a 30 return policy?

[ChooChooMan74]

I agree with the others. You waited 8 months to use something. Deal with the manufacturer.

[3oaks]

90 days from purchase is 90 days from purchase.

No different than when I finally took ownership of our new TT after waiting 6 months. The trailer didn't arrive until last December and we didn't get a chance to use it until May of this year. In the meantime, 5 months of the 12 month warranty period clicked off.

So in essence, I was left with only a 7 month warranty. However, I understood this going in and accepted it for what it was.

[darsben1]

cmarkj wrote:
We bought 2 wireless remote levelers in December from CW. One for us and one as a gift. We went on our first trip of the season last week and ours does not work. Contacted CW customer service and was told that this is out of their 90 day return policy and I have to have it taken care of as a mfg warranty issue. I asked what the warranty was because all that came with the unit is the instructions in 3 languages and nothing about a warranty at all.
So I asked.....if I buy something for camping in December and the CGs don't open until the May 1st, then when I go to use it for the first time in May and it is defective, CW will not stand behind it??? The answer......you are right sir !
Amazon, here I come for everything !!

Why does Amazon allow you to return stuff 9 months later?

NO IT DOES NOT
HERE IS AMAZONS RETURN POLICY
You may return most new, unopened items sold and fulfilled by Amazon within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. During the holidays, items shipped by Amazon between November 1st and December 31st can be returned until January 31st.

This is not CW's fault their policy is more lenient. They have a 90 day return policy After 90 days you need to deal with the manufacturer.
I do not like CW but your position is not reasonable. Theirs is understandable.