When it comes to shopping for electronics and other household items in Canada, most of us use Future Shop. If not Future Shop, then it’s Best Buy Canada. Just in case you were unaware, Best Buy owns Future Shop. Consider them one of the same.
But here is another wrinkle. What if you don’t exactly test out your new purchase? What if you don’t actually open it right away? It’s often the case when you might be a product that’s at a huge savings or deal, but you have no immediate need to open it. That’s fine and dandy, but are you forgetting about the Future Shop return policy?
Let’s be clear. The Future Shop website clearly states a 30-day exchange or refund policy. As you might expect, it’s impossible to generalize any exchange or return policy. Some products are treated differently of course. See their official policy here. Ah, but if you’re in a bind and reading this, don’t freak out just yet.
I recently had an issue with a PlayStation 4 Dualshock 4 controller. The “sticky” button issue. It was right out of the box and I knew right away, this was slightly defective. One big problem I had was in the fact that I purchased this 2-months before opening it. As mentioned before, sometimes you buy something because it was a great deal, but you don’t open it right away because it’s not a priority or needed item at the time of purchase. When I read about the 30-day policy, I figured I was doomed.
Instead of going to the store and getting shot down, I decided to call my local Future Shop location and asked them. As it turned out, I was in fact able to exchange the item. Apparently it’s because of the manufacturers warranty. Well I can tell you that it’s far nicer and easier walking to the nearest Future Shop than it is deal with a manufacturers warranty. So in my instance, even though I was more than 2-months passed the purchase date, I was able to walk out with a non-defective PS4 controller.
One other major factor in my success and reason why I could utilize the exchange policy at Future Shop is because I kept my original packaging. That is huge when it comes to any sort of dealings with Future Shop or Best Buy. KEEP YOUR BOX AND CONTENTS.
I know all about hoarding and keeping items around the home that you don’t need. Boxes from electronics are something that your significant other may not appreciate looking at. I’ve been tempted myself to throw everything into the recycling right after unboxing, but I am assured from my own experience that it’s just better to keep them around for a couple months at least. On a side note, but still may be relevant, it’s much easier selling a product on Craigslist when you can show that you have the original box. It shows potential buyers that you must keep good care of your items.
Just remember that until you put your Future Shop or Best Buy purchase through its paces, keep the boxes and contents of that box. Being able to walk in and walk out with a new fully functional replacement is the ultimate in smooth. You’re going to face an uphill battle with customer service if you’re bringing back an item with no box and contents, especially if that 30-day window has passed.
Good luck! Care to share a good experience or bad experience with Future Shop return policy or exchange policy?
