Corporations run amok under the Bush Administration

[Target_For_Exterm]

A lot of Corporations are moving toward selling everything "as is" - which means that if the product you buy is defective, you don't get your money back. A lot of Corporations are also moving toward policies that don't allow you to return products - at all, under any circumstances.

My question is this...

If all companies adopt these policies, would you still buy, knowing that all risks for any purchased product falls on you?

Personally, my buying habits would come to a screeching halt. I can't afford to assume those kinds of risks. But I'm interested in what other people think.

(And in case you don't know what I'm talking about, start reading the "terms of use" pages on online shopping web sites. You'll be shocked to discover that you're agreeing to exactly that. An example of a site with "as is" buying terms is Circuit City. An example of a web site with "no returns" is newegg.com)

How long do you think consumers will continue to buy if they get ripped off left and right so Corporations can rake in more $$$? Would you be willing to assume all risks for a purchase?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. In my business,

I need to purchase blank CDs. If I find that my supplier is giving me inferior product, I'll go someplace else and also buy in smaller quantitites to make sure quality is good before I go to a larger purchase.

Other than business, I tend to buy used products that I can physically check out before buying.

[Target_For_Exterm]

2. You have a smart plan. But it's hard to do if you're buying

a single product like a car or a TV set. Is there any way you could know in advance that the product is crap when you're only buying one? Word of mouth would become VERY important in that kind of buying environment, but I think a whole lot more people would get screwed over and lose a lot of money.

If you get the shaft a time or two and it costs you big, would you be as willing to go out there and buy blind again?

I see this trend as having really bad implications for our future economy.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. For a car,

ask a mechanic. Or, better yet, look at the employee's parking lot at the dealership. What are the mechanics driving? At one time, my husband worked for a Chevy dealership, and drove in his Toyota every morning.

As for TVs and other appliances, I really don't know, unless you can find someone who repairs the things so you could ask which models appear to be lemons.

[leftofthedial]

3. I don't buy anything except food

and a very occasional necessity anyway

Capitalist America has disowned me and I'm gladly returning the favor.

[ellenfl]

4. nope. are the manufacturers doing this too?

if not, i will buy directly from the manufacturer. with some things, like tvs, it won't make much of a difference because everyone wants a tv. the 'net distributors are either big warehouses or they are intermediaries. i understand (but don't condone) what they are doing. i had this problem with provantage.com and had to send my defective monitor back to the manufacturer. hopefully the manufacturers won't also do this. surely the manufacturer that bucks this tide will increase their sales.

if foreign companies do not start with this sh*t, i'll just buy directly from them.

ellen fl

[jus_the_facts]

5. It hasn't just been under this administration....it's been going on for all time....

...the haves and have more always screw over the poor...the practice is as old as time itself. :think:

[pennylane100]

6. I always check a retailer's return policy

before shopping there, and have always bought an extended warranty on cars that I have owned.

Burlington Coat Factory always had a return policy of store credit only and I have never
shopped there. Recently, however, I watched a TV ad of theirs that stated that now have a cash return policy. I guess I was not the only one who avoided them because of that.