What Really Happens When You Make Too Many Returns at Costco?
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Josephine Nesbit
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Despite having one of the most generous return policies among retailers, even Costco has limits.
You can return most items to Costco at any time and for any reason, even after several years, for a full refund back to the original form of payment. Per the retailer’s return policy, there’s no requirement that the returned items be unopened or in their original packaging. You can also return third-party gift cards and prescriptions to Costco. Employees can even look up your purchase history using your membership card if you don’t have your receipt.
But there are exceptions. For instance, Costco has a 90-day return policy for electronics and major appliances. Diamonds must be returned within 48 hours with all of the original paperwork. Cigarettes and alcohol are not accepted for return and products with a limited life expectancy, such as tires and batteries, might have specific warranties.
A Costco customer service person explained to The Motley Fool that you can also have your Costco membership revoked for abusing the store’s return policy. But it’s not easy, and you’ll need to make a significant number of unreasonable returns. For example, if you return 10 items a week, every week, or if you keep bringing back food items that are mostly eaten.
According to The Motley Fool, the typical Costco shopper shouldn’t worry about making returns to the store. Even if you return several items per month and it’s a small percentage of your total purchases if your returns are reasonable, the store will accept the returns without revoking your membership.
Business Insider also added that it’s up to the store manager to decide whether to process a return. “In the event a member is not satisfied with Costco merchandise, the membership fees may be refunded and the membership canceled. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis and is at the discretion of each location manager. Additionally, memberships may be canceled due to abuse of the Member Privileges and Conditions,” a spokesperson for Costco explained.
Costco doesn’t specify on its website what would violate the return policy.
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