doesn't even cover it? ha!
the 15% restocking fee is WAAAAY to high. And last I checked they don't reduce the cost of open box items by 15%... heck, often not even by 1%
microcenter is UNUSUAL in that it doesn't allow refunds. Most stores in the USA do.
And so what? I said that best buy and frys have CONSISTENT policies... microcenter also has consistent policy "No returns unless it is DOA"...
with newegg you get an inconsistent policy, with some items being "no returns" and others allowing return... so you have to carefully examine each individual item rather then look at an overall store policy, and it indicates that those "no return" items are probably gray market; rather then it being the store policy to not allow returns.
First, Microcenter does allow returns for refunds....look at the back of one of their receipts. But there are a host of terms and exclusions.
Notebooks, digital cameras/camcorders, projectors have a 7 day return window and a 15% restock fee can be applied if not exhanging for defect.
Motherboards, cpus, other service parts have a 30 day return window but only for exchange for defect...no return for refund.
Desktop computers, monitors, printers have a 30 day return window for exchange or refund, subject to a 15% restock fee if returning for refund.
And Microcenter's open box price is at least the 15% restock fee they charge, if not 20%....I forget the first markdown increment, but it's either 15% or 20%. Further markdowns, as the item sits, are also scheduled by percentage and time....they have a definite markdown schedule.
Fry's......they, too, return for refund, but like Microcenter, there are restrictions and similar to Microcenter.
BUT.....while this has never happened to me at Microcenter, I have purchased cpus, motherboards, and/or memory from Frys that was on sale, get home and find out that the cpu/memory/motherboard was returned and put back on the shelf as new and sold as such. (Cpu with TIM still on it, motherboard missing cables, back I/O plate open/missing, etc., memory with very visible scratches on the gold fingers, etc.)
It's so bad at the two ATL Fry's that I now open up the mb/cpu/memory out in the parking lot before I leave to examine the item before I leave the store.
And when I go back into the store for an exhange, or refund if it's one of the combo cpu/mb sales and they're OOS by then, I typically get "Well, we test everything to ensure it works" line..... It's almost like they have no comprehension that opened stuff is NOT new and cannot be sold as such, despite any testing they've done. (And I've had to do this four times so far from the Duluth Fry's and almost refuse to set foot in that store any longer, esp. since Microcenter is a 1/2 mile down the road.)
But with both stores, the return policy is consistent, as you've said.
Newegg, on the other hand, as you've noted has a scattergun set of policies on the same product line......
Take, for instance, video cards, the subject of the discussion. They can be covered by no less than four return policies:
Standard Return Policy
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
VGA Standard 30-Day Return Policy
VGA Replacement Only 30-Day Return Policy
And I've seen video cards of various brands over time covered by every one of those policies. So, there is something weird going on....why some are returnable within 30 days for refund or replacement and on the same page, with the same category of cards, like 5870's or 480's or whatever, others are only returnable for replacement?
Motherboards flip flop between at least two, memory can be covered by three.
So, unlike most other stores which have policies that spell out "Return for item X is this, item Y is this.......", Newegg is "Item X can be this, but can also be this, or this........Item Y can be only returned like this, or a different brand like this, or different sku's like this......"
Something very weird over at Newegg.