Refund Runaround

I recently purchased a motherboard from Accubyte, an online computer parts store; I couldn't get it to work. I checked Accubyte's return policy and found that the company requires defective products to be returned within seven business days for a full refund.

I assumed that the seven-day period was measured from the day I received the merchandise until the day I shipped the product back for return. When I contacted them to return the motherboard for a full refund, they informed me that the seven business days includes shipping time to me, my evaluation period, and my shipping time back to the company. Yikes! That's not fair.

Thomas Metcalf, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Letter of the Week responds: Accubyte refunded Metcalf 85 percent of the original purchase price, the total dollar amount that he was entitled to according to Accubyte's "return for refund" policy--the value of the product minus a 15 percent restocking fee. Metcalf contacted his credit card company to dispute the restocking fee, and the credit card company agreed to refund that portion of the bill to him.

Metcalf may have confused the refund policy with another of Accubyte's exchange policies. Ali Supariwala, general manager at Accubyte, explains that the seven-day return policy Metcalf describes applies to cross shipments only. Cross shipments occur when a customer wants to exchange a product. In that case, the company sends the customer a replacement for the product while the customer still possesses the defective product. In essence, the customer has two products at once. In that situation, the customer has seven days to send back the product for full credit; otherwise, the 15 percent restocking fee is charged.

Unfortunately, Accubyte's policies make it difficult to determine how long you actually have to get the product back to the company.

Deciphering the terms of a merchandise return policy can be an arduous task. Before you buy, find out how many days you have to request a return merchandise authorization number (which most companies require for returns or exchanges) and how long you have to return the merchandise itself. RMAs help companies track products being sent back to them.

Read the policy carefully, and cross-reference the different sections. Check the frequently asked questions section of the site, or call customer service and speak to a representative directly. Make sure you understand what you must do to get your money back before you place the order--and how long you have to do it.