only if i returned the synth but kept various important components to the value of £130 and refused to send them back to the retailer, eventually offering them between 20-40 pounds as a good will gesture
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I’ve only had good experiences with Andertons, Thomann and Juno - a little surprised to see them come up.
I guess a lot of the “chance aspect” of new vs B-stock comes down to how many devices are returned as a function of their generous return policies.
If you then combine that with the level of discount that a given individual within the org can offer off-the-bat when you call to complain (i.e. no more than 5% and can’t reclassify to b-stock) you have a system that cannot self correct for this situation?
Surely this costs more overall? (as a consumer you lose time, even if there’s no financial detriment)
yeah it’s either a rogue manager being a dickhead or something on their system makes this hard for them. either way, i literally don’t care
agreed, you shouldn’t have to - I just have a thing for thinking about how systems can fail.
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It absolutely is.
However, selling then the b-stocks as brand new (same price as brand new) is not the solution here.
Maybe they should charge the initial buyer a small fee corresponding to their loss when they have to then sell the item as a b-stock after return?
I don’t know what’s a good solution here, but as a buyer it is abolutely not ok not to be warned that you will receive a b-stock.
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maybe refurbished is the correct way of selling opened goods? I mean, once it’s opened by someone and someone used - it’s definitely not NEW anymore, if someone received the package, didn’t open it and decided they want to return it - it’s still NEW.
either b-stock or refurbished is the correct way of selling opened stuff, and it is a correct way of doing it for stores that offer return policy, and yeah maybe doing sort of clarification for the return policy in a way: if you’ve opened the box it will cost you the difference between new and b-stock.
I know I’d be ok with that!
i feel bad for whoever used this Syntak before me, as patterns A01 and A02 were just single note drones. clearly someone didn’t gel with it!
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yeah I get it and that’s cool, figuring out the sequencer and the workflow can take some time and maybe the person who got it wasn’t ready for it, but it’s still open and been used, so it’s not factory new anymore, so I figure the store can charge them at least partial difference for b-stock and not just move it over to someone else as new for full price.
It’s happened to me twice with Amazon purchases (and audio interface and a UNO synths) where the all the free software codes had already been used! To be fair they were Amazon warehouse so I knew they were returns, but people are obviously just getting stuff, using all thew software codes then returning it and Amazon is non the wiser!
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Having bought gear online regularly for many years I started to notice a pattern around 18 months ago. In the past new gear would always be new or at least appear to be new, maybe having been carefully handled and returned.
Nowadays it’s pot luck if anything is new. I bought a ‘New’ Squid sequencer from GAK last December. They sent me a display unit. When I called them they were adamant it was new but accepted it wasn’t when I sent an image of the label on the bottom which said “Display Unit Only. NOT FOR RESALE”
It was so ridiculous it was funny. Obvs got a hefty discount. Now I trust no retailer and actually expect everything to be a customer return ‘cos people expect ‘Buy, Try, Return’ and many of those doing it likely have little respect for the gear, the retailer or the next customer.
I’ve never bought anything with the intention of trying and maybe returning. If I don’t like it I sell it myself secondhand, but I suspect I’m a minority.
If I was a retailer I’d stop the buy it try it model and only offer credit notes for non-faulty returns.
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I’m not sure that’s an option in many countries with strong consumer protection laws. Same thing with charging restocking fees.
You have to keep in mind that there’s a pretty good profit margin on most of this hardware - especially after recent price increases.
But so long as it’s been returned in good/complete condition, it should be possible to sell it for almost full price anyway. Just be sure to label it as such.
Returning stuff is the problem though: if the box had been opened and it looks new but you power it up and you start on Bank 2 pattern 10 then it’s not new. Should I pay full price for something that’s been shipped around the country and could have had 2 previous owners who both returned it before their 30 day limit?
I want to buy new, not used. If it’s used, even if it’s just returned ‘as new’ it is still used.
Credit notes for non-faulty gear is common in other retail areas. If it’s not faulty then I believe, in the UK at least, there’s no obligation to refund.
For all those that play the 30 day return game you reap what you sow.
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I’ve had this happen to me a few times over the years.
I don’t mind with bass guitars and effects pedals as they are (generally) harder to abuse than a synth. If they work, they work.
Won’t accept B stock sold as new with a synth though. Could be all sorts of reasons why a customer returned the thing (and IME most times this has happened it’s been a customer return sold as new, not ex-demo).
My approach now is to buy in person in store and when the sales guy produces the box I ask to look at it and I check the security seal. If the seal is broken I’ll get the sales guy to unpack the whole thing in the store then I’ll look for fingerprints on the controls, screen protector removed etc. If the synth has clearly been used before I will either ask for a different one from the stockroom (if they have another one in stock) or I’ll negotiate a discount there and then as a B stock or ex-demo item. If it’s a particularly expensive bit of kit that I know won’t take abuse well, I’ll pass altogether if the thing looks sketchy.
Can be a PITA though not least because it involves going to the store in person. And one time, the only one the store had in stock (which was sold as brand new) had clearly been quite heavily used (the thing had dust all over it, no screen protector, scratches on several knobs and fingerprints on the keys) but the sales guy insisted it was unused and brand new and refused to sell it as B stock/ex demo. That episode did not end in a sale…
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Either that or they were a Giacinto Scelsi fan.
i support Grimsby Town mate
Return policies aren’t ugly to use, no need to blame the person who realizes they don’t like something when they have it in hand.
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I can’t believe that suppliers do not factor returns into the cost of goods in the first place.
This behaviour is just chancing it by the supplier.
Ive used Sales of Goods Act and now the Consumer Rights act on a number of occasions.
@swanage_fan you are entitled to a suitable deduction of cost as the item is not supplied as described. The difference between the B Stock has already been shown on their website in effect this difference has already been recognised by the supplier.
Failing that make sure you aren’t charged a penny for return. You are also entitled for them to pay your shipping.
You can take any company to court for an issue worth more than £100, the issue is you can’t enforce a claim by high court sheriffs less than £600. So this falls into a grey area.
Don’t tolerate bullshit by companies and know your rights and be prepared to enforce them when you need them.
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And that retailer would swiftly go out of business for an antiquated sales model.
I just returned the push 3 and an oxi one, free of charge! 