How Do I Avoid The 15% Restocking Fee???

So I ordered a Dell Studio XPS 1640 laptop and I tried to cancel it, but they already stated that it went into production and so not one person of any position and department would cancel it. I recieved the laptop just a couple days ago and just got to calling Dell to return it.

I just called and the lady stated a 15% Restocking fee would apply to this return of the laptop that is over $300!

How do I avoid this 15% Restocking fee? I also ordered the 9-cell battery with the laptop, how do I avoid that Restocking fee?

Dell's customer service is sinking like the Titanic!

EDIT: Oh yeah, she was also trying to offer some discount on the machine and I kept saying "No Thank-you" to her and then she hit me with "there will be a 15% restocking fee of $300+ for the return of this laptop". I said "ok, let me think about it", and I hung up.

 

do u want to get another 1640 or just cancel it all together?

 

If your returning for a replacement, there should be no *restocking fee*. If you are returning for a refund, and there are no *known* issues with the 1640 you are subject to a restocking fee, unfortunately.

Have you gone thru the 1640 to look it over, and be certain that there are no *issues* that would constitute your returning it for a refund? Something, not working properly? Cosmetic flaw? Defect in the screen resolution/bad pixels, etc??

Cin....

 

I already ordered a different 1640 configuration. I just want to return the one I have now which I didn't want and they wouldn't cancel. Apparently you have just "24 hours" to cancel from the time you order. Anytime after that, you CANNOT cancel under any reason or circumstance.

 

I had already ordered a different configuration. The one I received already I haven't even opened up yet. What am I supposed to do?

 

wow that sucks. did you tell them you already ordered another one? you should have done the cancel/reorder simultaneously.

 

Oh well, you didn't open the one you received at all? The box is still *sealed*?

Call another Rep...Tell them you just received it.. Need to get a return RMA process going. You changed your mind...This is not going to work for you. The package is still *sealed and unopened*.

Don't even mentioned the 15% restocking fee...Just keep it to the basics. You have a 1640, you changed your mind for personal reasons, you need to return ASAP, the box is sealed unopened. What can she/he do to help make this the easiest possible return process for you.

Go from there, and see what happens.

It's to bad...because you could have done a replacement for another one (new) w/in 21 days of date of invoice. If, the value was more then the one you had..you would just have had to pay the differential.

Cin...

 

Sounds like you made a rash decision in ordering the replacement and they are sticking to their clearly defined return policy. And now you are on record as trying to return it as a change of mind trade up and not for any issues.

How about selling it privately?

 

You'll be fine; Dell's policies are anything but strict. If you have, or feel you have, exhausted your attempts at getting a telephone rep. to waive the 15% restocking fee, you have a couple options.

1. Escalate it to a supervisor or manager. Keep repeating that you have purchased a second unit and were unclear about the return policies. I would certainly use the second order as leverage and ask that they waive the restock fee given the mitigating circumstances.

2. Consider it an "unresolved issue" and email Dell as such. I've had great luck overruling agents and their supervisors by emailing a polite, firm, and *short* explanation (2, 5-6 sentence paragraphs...max).

3. Increase the discount. Dell has offered me up to 20% to keep a unit I tried to send back (yes, more than the actual restocking fee...they're counting on future purchases from you after all). They generally offer 10% first. Bluff and ask them to send the RMA and state your disappointment with the entire affair. In many cases, they end up either emailing or calling back with a "counter-offer" of 15% or more. From there, take the credit back to your account and put the item up for sale on local used website (i.e., craigslist) and be sure to indicate it's a sealed unit. You'll probably keep your losses to $100 or so.

A few years ago I called to return a loaded 9400 and got almost $400 CDN to keep it. They went from 10% to 20% within the hour. All that because I complained that a piece of plastic trim wasn't sitting flush...I thought I had a warped chassis, it was a wire sitting outside of a housing that I fixed in about 4 seconds.

They play the same game with phone orders. I called in this week to order a 1640 (no, I don't want yours...) and they offered a measly $50 off - I said, "Thank you but I don't think that shaves enough off the price to convince my wife" (now, I don't have a wife but it's the best call&stall tactic out there) and thanked the CSR profusely and told him I hope he has a great week. Phone rang 20 minutes later and he left a message saying they can authorize $100 off. I called back, said that it's very generous (not really) and told him it's just too expensive and that I might go with a cheaper HP or something at BestBuy, thanked him again, and hung up.

I now have a message from the CSR that "we can probably increase the discount so please call me"...

What a game they play.

 

Refuse Delivery for the win

 

...and wait 2 months for your refund minus 15%?

 

Tell them that you were told by a CSR that this order was to be canceled since you placed a new order. Blame it on the rep and ask to speak to a supervisor. Dell has a policy where they cancel orders that are in production as long as you are reordering the same system with a different configuration.

 

Wrong you will get your money back in 3days after they receive your computer. They can not charge you 15% cause that is against the law.

 

If your box is un opened, they won't charge you 15% fee.

If they do, call the other rep and complain.

if you open it, there are still many ways.

1 Tell them your system is like a crap, search some common issues and report it. You are very not happy with it.

Since you ordered other one, they won't charge you the fee because you are still doing business with Dell.

However, if you are first time ordering a dell computer, I'm not sure.

I have returned a Refurbished e4300 (the system was full of human's oil on everywhere) and going to return a e6400 ( the keyboard sucks, is much worse than my e4200 and 14z, not acceptable for me ), there are no fee and dell paid for all shipping charge.

But I owned 6 other dell systems and brought TV ps3 wii through Dell.com.

Good luck

 

Nope, the restocking fee is not an "open box" fee and it doesn't matter if you open it or not. These are CTO units and that's why Dell discourages returns with the punitive 15% fee.

Please link to the consumer/corporate regulation or law that supports your statement about the illegality of this action.

 

Wrong. And frankly I don't blame them.
People change their mind AFTER ordering a custom system and Dell is supposed to eat it because you want to order something different. Everybody wants their system built fast and then they b**ch because it's already in production and can't be stopped.
Here's a thought. THINK ABOUT what you are doing BEFORE you order it.

 

Dell can not charge you for something that you don't receive and sighn for and neither can any company in the USA. This is the law and I don't know why you want to argue with me on this subject. Now if you did receive the package and opened it up then Dell has every right to charge you 15%.