You may be deaf, but I'm not stupid. (and a question)

[Munty]

Well in the UK the law states that stores are only obliged to give refunds if the product is faulty "within a reasonable time" or is not "fit for purpose" - generally 30 days. After that (the next 11 months), whilst the store still holds responsibility, they can refer you to the manufacturers or replace the item with an equivalent *cough* refurb *cough* .

No store is obligated to swap or refund for anything but defective products, and for some items certain functions are exempt as they're considered reasonable wear and tear (X buttons on PS2 controllers f'rinstance or the old toast rack mousemats + ball mice)

Looking at the trading standards website, businesses don't actually have to accept returns if the fault was obvious when the item was brought (I find that kinda neat). Or if they warn the customer of any minor faults.

Also, looking at the oft.gov.uk site, we also get a cooling off period of 7 days for distance selling over here in the UK thanks to the Distance Selling Regulations. (Any selling that is not done face to face, and is not between businesses.) Of course there's a bunch of exceptions, but I wont list them here. (The DSR is a legal requirement, but I can't find the appropriate act.)

So, do you have anything like the Distance Selling Requlations in America?

[LostMyMind]

Don't believe so, in the U.S. is very much buyer beware. But some states might have their own laws. But most of those laws are pretty much focused on specific business and not private sales.

In other words, in some states. You buy a lemon car from a dealer. You can sue the dealer for your money back. You buy a lemon car from Jack down the street. You're SOL.

In Florida, you buy something. Short of defective under warranty. It's yours and nobody has to take it back.

[ReverendBSB]

I used to run a SCUBA shop. We have a lot of competition now from online dealers. One thing we have over them is most of the best equipment dealers do not sell to online stores. The only way online stores can get the gear is to convince an actual store to buy it for them. However when the online store sells it, it is technically a resale and the gear is no longer covered by the manufacturers warranty. This is legal, and the only up we had over the online stores, so it was a focal point in my sales pitches. One day I had some asshole argue with me that it was illegal and the manufacturers had to cover the gear no matter who sold it. I explained it several times, he would not listen. So finally I told him to buy it online if thats what he believed. Guess what, several months later he came in with his thousand dollar regulator malfunctioning. He wanted it fixed, I told him to send it to the online store for repair. He was leaving in 3 days for a trip and did not have time. So I quoted him a price of 150 dollars for repair. Of course he did not want to pay it. I told him that if he had bought it from us we could have fixed it for free or if it was a problem that needed to have the manufacturer fix we could have given him a brand new one. But he went for the "better" deal online and was now screwed. He told me he was never going to shop with us again, I replied that he had never bought anything from us before, so why would I care.

We also had this woman come in one day and pick out a mask. She said she wanted this style and this color, and wanted us to hold it for her for a week. We said okay, and kept it under the counter. A week turned into a month, but we held it as there was no one else asking for the mask in that color. Finally she comes in and buys it. Two days later he husband comes back with it wanting a refund. Why? She decided she did not want it after all. He got pissed when I showed him our return policy was exchange or store credit only.

As for the deaf, they can be some of the biggest assholes out there. When I used to run a pizza hut we had a school for the deaf nearby. There were dorms there, and we used to have students there call for delivery all the time. It was always a crappy delivery, as they never tipped and gave bad directions to where they were, so it would take forever to find them. The drivers could not even call them for better directions, since they were deaf. Finally I started telling the students that they had to meet the driver in front of the school or we would not deliver. This pissed one of the teachers off and she called threatening to sue us. They started calling Papa Johns after that, thank god.

[rerant]

If I don't like your 11 inch spiked dayglow orange Mohawk, you don't get a hotdog, but I ain't gonna say anything about your haircut.

You didn't really refuse him service because of his hair though, did you?
I get that you can refuse to whomever you wish and for whatever reason you wish, but that's just not fair.

[aurelemsrealm]

I've met some of various handicaps who used the handicap as a crutch to excuse their rottenness. However, I've met some really nice handicapped customers, too. At a c-store where I used to work, I had a regular who was wheelchair bound, but he didn't let it stop him from doing and going. He drove a big redneck truck specially outfitted for his needs, and he refused to park in the handicapped space. I casually mentioned it to him one day, as a courtesy. He understood my reasons for mentioning it, simply thanked me for making the effort to help, and explained that he prefers to do for himself whenever he can. So, he always left the handicapped spaces for other handicapped people. I offered to get the door for him and carry his stuff for him, too, every time he came to the store. He always politely declined, and thanked me for making the effort. After a while, I understood his wishes, and knew that's what he wanted. I even had a customer make a comment to me for not offering to help him one of those days, and he told her that it was okay because he'd already explained his outlook to me on a previous visit and I remembered. That was the best way I could satisfy his expectations as a customer. He was a real nice guy.

When I worked at Wendy's, we had a regular customer who was deaf. She always carried a pen and paper. The first time I waited on her, she handed me her handwritten order. I rang up her order, looked up at her, and she immediately gestured about being deaf. I nodded in acknowledgement, and she explained that she knew the question without being asked. After a few times of serving her, she one day wrote out a comment to me that she appreciated me being so accommodating and friendly to her. She said that she had dealt with clerks before who seemed put off or annoyed. I wrote back and told her that it was no problem, but you know how many of the teenagers who frequently staff fast food places are. She smiled and started laughing about my comment. We had a good rapport after that every time she came in. I pretty well learned her usual order, and knew what differences to ask about even though she wrote it out every time just in case. I thought it was pretty cool to feel like we'd developed our own language.

[wagegoth]

There is a three-day cooling off period for certain purchases in the U.S.

Here's a decent link:

http://www.consumeraction.gov/caw_sh...ling_off.shtml

[MiloMorai]

I'll believe you about the law when you show me your Doctorate of Jurisprudence. Until then...I AM THE LAWWWRRRRR!




{{Judge Dread reference.}}

[ContraCorriente]

Taking into consideration the fact that the Ontario law guy was a customer, he was probably lying. =P

As for the Deaf guy... I love the Deaf, but we can be total assholes to hearing people sometimes. If you see him again, try writing what you want to say down on paper. Much easier and with less frustration on both sides. =)

[protege]

But he went for the "better" deal online and was now screwed. He told me he was never going to shop with us again, I replied that he had never bought anything from us before, so why would I care.

That's exactly why I buy my hobby items at a brick-and-mortar shop instead of online. I'd rather see my new locomotive run on the test track, or what a freight car looks like before I buy it. If it doesn't run, I'd rather know ahead of time...rather than having to send the thing back and pay shipping charges *both* ways. The only time I ever buy things online, is if I get a helluva deal. That is, something I can't find locally, that's been marked down a huge amount, and even with shipping costs less than the store.

[Banrion]

In other words, in some states. You buy a lemon car from a dealer. You can sue the dealer for your money back. You buy a lemon car from Jack down the street. You're SOL.

Except in MA. We have what is called a Lemon-aid Law. Where even in a private sale, if the vehicle you buy does not pass our state required inspection, AND the cost of repair is more than 10% of the purchase price, you can take the car back to the person who sold it to you and demand a refund.

cite:MA Lemon Aid Law

I actually found out about this law by watching People's Court.

[digilight]

There is a similar law (the distance selling law) in the US (or at least California). Which basically says, that if the selling is not being done at the sellers primary place of business you have 3 days in which to cancel the contract. This only applies to purchases/contracts over a certain amount (I believe its over $500). This does not apply to Cars though. The law was designed for contracts mainly for home repair and the such.

What i've noticed is that when you get someone who claims that such and such is a law, its normally something that has a partial basis in truth, but has been twisted so far out of its original intention that it now falls into the relm of bullshit.

[LostMyMind]

Except in MA.

Which is why I said "in some states".

But in any case, it's an exemption law. It applies only to "vehicles", so...... The OP's "IT'S THE LAW" idiot is still an idiot for taking an exemption law and thinking it applies to everything you buy.

[Banrion]

Which is why I said "in some states".

But in any case, it's an exemption law. It applies only to "vehicles", so...... The OP's "IT'S THE LAW" idiot is still an idiot for taking an exemption law and thinking it applies to everything you buy.

Absolutely! I was mostly just putting that out there for informational purposes. Since I had never heard of the private sale protection, and I live in MA, it's not a widely publicized thing. According to People's Court, MA is the only state to have such a protection in place for private sale vehicles.

[Andara Bledin]

From what I understand, in most cases where you have the opportunity to hold and inspect the product, then any purchase you make is a final sale. Only in cases where an item is actually misrepresented or flaws are hidden or disguised does that not hold true.

^-.-^

[NoodleBoy]

when I worked fast food, about once a week a group of deaf people would come to the store. they were usually really nice, polite, and even cleaned up after themselves, and after indicating to me they were deaf they'd usually tell me they could read my lips. It was nice to serve them, except for one guy, an older guy. The one time I had to serve him he came up to the counter he already looked really anxious, and motioned that he was deaf. When I opened my mouth to ask him if he could read my lips, he practically did a backflip. To me, it looked like the deaf equivalent of jumping up and down and shouting "I'M DEAF! I'M DEAF YOU MORON!" Most times, the other deaf people I'd served would take less time to be served than ones who weren't deaf; this guy seemed to just want to drag it out.

Anyway, I also saw another Zonie on the board. What part of AZ are you in, Starlord?