I need the use of a powered tree trimmer (the ones with the long handles), but I only really need it once.
I had the thought of buying one, using it and taking it back. I will say it didn't work well for what I needed it for.
Has anyone done this before and should I feel bad?
Fyi I will get it from Bunnings.
Buying a Product I Intend to Return after Use
Remmie on 15/07/2023 - 14:11
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Or even better, OP should but a used one off Gumtree or Facebook, use it, sell it on Gumtree or Facebook.
Or OP should pay a gardener to do it for him.This is why we can't have nice things.
Agree with this. You'll probably get most of your money back too.
The more people who try and take advantage of a store, the harder it might become for someone who genuinely has to return an item (while still keeping within their legal boundaries).
I personally don’t approve of it but it’s common as hell
how u kno
Trust me cj
Find a place to hire it (Kennard? Coates?)
Or buy second hand on fb marketplace and resell itDon't be a douche
Scumbag move, but this is OzBargain and this place is swimming with tight arse filth that lie, cheat and steal so you’ll probably find some supporters.
More you do this, the more restrictive the Bunnings return policy be for genuine reasons. It's already getting there.
how they know ?
They will check the product for usage
@capslock janitor: By visual inspections of products. Usage of blades, moving parts etc. Condition of item.
This is something I would say, and literally always get downvoted 😂
Honestly, I deal with some really easy going amazing people on this forum and then I deal with people that are literally crying over $2.50 in regards to a voucher they got given to for free 🤐🤐🤐
I called someone a filthy liar on here, and a moderator suspended me for 2 weeks 😎
People are tightarses here, but judging from the replies they are not scumbags like the OP, who might just be trolling.
Suppose you would not be interested in a ozbargain meetup.
"Has anyone done this before and should I feel bad? "
Only people without a conscience, if you are a sociopath then go for it.
Sociopath, sadly society rewards sociopathic behaviour.
When we used to live in small villages at least the moral codes could be enforced.
Just don't be that person
Op: I’m going to be that person
You're right - the fact that they've even considered it & then made a post about it means it's a foregone conclusion.
You might get away with it if you attempt it. But you shouldn’t do it, and you should absolutely feel bad if you do.
Friend used to work at Costco in the US. The weekend before Super Bowl, people used to buy massive TV’s and then return them after the game.
Now that is a douche move
That amount of work, I salute them
The amount of YouTube videos and reddit comments I've seen where people in the USA buy multiple items in one go, try them all out, pick their favorite and send the rest back to Amazon…. Or just send something back because something better came along during the return window.
Why we can't have nice things.
Lived in the US for many years. Generally, return policies across the board were way more generous.
Then they give their employees 7 days annual leave, no sick leave, no super, no long service, no health insurance.
My BIL lives I’m the US, and he’s negotiating a new job benefits. They offered him 3 days annual leave, he countered with 9. They settled at 6 days leave…
This is what people do with online shopping, they'll buy multiple sizes and return the unwanted size.
And from what I've seen, a lot of fashion retailers are adjusting the return policies now.
I understand it's a pain in the ass with sizing, but returns cost businesses. Such a huge sum of money. It's actually ridiculous and in most cases they can't resell that item.
But how on earth are you meant to know the size? I do this with shoes. They never ever stock my size in stores. The sizing for some are wildly different to another brand. Even if I got a 13 in one brand it’s absolutely different in another brand.
It’s not uncommon for people to consider buying a tool, using it once, and then returning it. However, this practice is generally considered unethical and may be against the store’s return policy. Most stores have return policies in place to protect customers who have purchased defective or unsatisfactory products, not to provide free rentals of their merchandise.
Instead of buying and returning a tree trimmer, you might consider other options such as renting one from a tool rental company or borrowing one from a friend or neighbor. Many hardware stores, including Bunnings, offer tool rental services where you can rent a tree trimmer for a fraction of the cost of buying one. This way, you can get the job done without having to worry about the ethical implications of returning a used product.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but it’s important to consider the potential consequences and to act in an ethical and responsible manner.
Having said that, I've been known to buy new release games from EB with the intention of returning them within a week and saving $125.
Plot twist: OP buys one that someone else has already done this to and it’s broken in some way.
Karma
OR op buys it, and try’s to return it and is rejected
Or he falls out of a tree using it and breaks both himself and trimmer. That won’t fall within Bunnings’ approved returns policy nor the manufacturer’s warranty nor their personal injury compos. So no freebies at all for OP for such an event, although we know he’ll go looking.
what a crap thing to wish for…
I work at bunnings, if you return it used it will 100% go to landfill. I usually clean these things up and put them back on sale for a significant discount but I'm the only person who ever does it.
I don't care about bunnings losing money but stuff like this is awful for the environment. Probably a pallet per store of perfectly good stuff going to the dump every, just because people don't know how to properly use the things they buy, or do stuff like this.
People must be queueing up to dumpster dive those
That's right, you tell Bunnings, a multi billion dollar company, how to run their business.
Oh please sssssh up talking your nonsense.
I'm not trying to tell some entity anything, I suggest you learn basic comprehension.
Im saying it is not the fault of the consumer when entities dump stuff.. Which part of that did you not quite get?
And.. whilst we are here.. Are you indicating that excessive waste is ok if a company of a certain size does it? Because that's what you seem to be indicating. SIze of company = do what they like land fill wise = No one can question it.
.. if so, its even more of a joke than the other stuff you wrote about that, for whatever reason, you did not quite understand..
Have a nice life@jackary: Better than being some plum who cannot read properly.
Making inaccurate comments without reading what you are commenting on is pretty dumb IMO..but this is 2023..people are generally thick
I'd say they would have to throw it away.
If somebody returns an electric power tool and their reason is "it doesn't work" that could mean all number of things - it could mean that the next person who turns it on gets electrocuted, or it could mean that it doesn't turn on. They don't know, and it's unethical to get the store staff to try it considering that it could cause harm.On the other hand, let's say we ignore the potential dangers of these returned items. Let's say they don't throw them out. Then what?
- Give them out to staff? that's a great way to cause staff complaints that Johnny from the plant section always gets first choice and takes home all of the power tools while Suzie from painting only gets broken door handles! Logistical nightmare.
- Give them out to people in need/op shops? Same thing - who designates who gets the returns? Imagine if they choose to give palettes of return stock to op shops and then it comes out that the op shop staff were taking them home instead of selling them.
- Return the items to the manufacturer, get them fixed, get them sent back to bunnings and sold again? The costs for this would likely be significant. Shipping costs, the time of staff organizing the returns, cost of repair(s), cost of sending back to the shops. And i'm sure we've all had broken items "fixed" before and they just broke again. For higher price points it may be worth it. This cost should be worn by the business, and if it is they would likely increase costs to the customer to make up their losses.While businesses still accept returns of used items that aren't faulty - the business will end up wtih excess waste. Fraudulent/Refunds just to save a buck hurt everybody. Companies will - and do - raise prices to make up for losses, so even the people making their money back by refunding their products are paying more in the long run.
So while the company is selling these items, they wouldn't be selling them if the consumer's aren't buying them. The consumers returning things has everything to do with it.
The thing I don’t understand is if the product is faulty why isn’t bunnings just returning it to the manufacturer and getting a new one given to them? Unless it really is the onus on Bunnings to test, check and note down the issues before sending it back?
Out of curiosity, do you ever validate a customers claim that the product is actually faulty? Eg. Plug it in to see how it's not fit for purpose or how doesn't conform to specifications?
Or does everything simply get accepted and assumed faulty, relying on customers word.
I have seen it before. A guy was trying to return a hand drill saying it doesn’t work and Bunnings worker took it out and tested it. they only offered him store credit and he just wanted cash. I then realised I spent too long watching it unfolding so I went to do the actual shopping.
Someone should set up a charity to take that stuff and give it away, sell to raise funds for charity.
Even if someone did it for profit, still better than landfill.
But then you might have people deliberately returning stuff to Bunnings then trying to pick it up at the charity store once it gets processed
Someone should set up a charity to take that stuff and give it away, sell to raise funds for charity.
If some who takes the possibly faulty and dangerous electrical equipment, resell it, and someone gets electricuted, I can see a huge lawsuit, probably from Safe work/ state regulator.
I always check that cage of returns for bargains but the mark down aren't all that great.
woof woof, you (profanity) dog.
Do you have friends? Perhaps you can borrow theirs, then shout them a beer or three afterwards down the pub, celebrating a job well done.
Someone considering this not likely to have friends. At best it would be birds of a feather.
If you buy a cheap tree trimmer from Bunnings it will probably break adter a few goes and then return for refund.
OP's next post in a few years: "why are those long tree trimmers so expensive to buy?"
Well this is exactly the reason why things are expensive. It's to cover warranty.
If OP gets away with this, he might start thinking of other things such as… condoms.
I don't think anyone would accept a return used condom, silly
I will say it didn't work well for what I needed it for
Haha they'd just need proof and a valid return
“So can you demonstrate what’s wrong with it?”
Let's just hope OP doesn't procreate.
You are the tool
And people wonder why some stores make warranty returns a little difficult ie. need to return to manufacturer to have it inspected, instead of straight up refund/replace.
Hire it? I'm sure Bunnings may have it to hire
if you have to ask….
I have several fallen trees that I need disposed of. I asked in the town's FB group, someone offered to take them away for free. They're turning it into firewood for old people to keep them warm through winter.
There are ethical options if you're willing to entertain those thoughts.Aldi no questions asked within 60 days
I'd just airtasker it
Poor attitude Remmie….do you feel proud of yourself doing that?
Remmie's done a runner & probs doesn't feel much of anything hence the OP
The consensus is pretty clear on here… I will feel like a war criminal if I do it now.
Just for reference, I looked at the rental price which is more than half the price of buying it for half a day.Straight to The Hague with you!
Did you even need to ask this question?
OP - as above, just except don't do it - it's a dick move.
Except they are. People doing things like this contribute to the price of the goods that are sold to everyone.
If we didn't have dingbats deliberately ripping off companies they wouldn't have to pass the cost on to everyone else. Which includes grannies.
Well that's just the reality of your situation isn't it? There's no justification. Buy it and resell it. If you say you only used it once and have the receipt to back it up, I'm sure someone will snap it up.
Just because you can, doesnt mean you should.
Ask on a local pay it forward page if someone has one you can borrow.
See if there’s a local tool library close to you - they do exist. You can borrow things for free.
OP, if in SE Melbourne, you can borrow mine instead.
Thanks for the offer - I am on the other side of town.
So what is the OP going to do next year when it time again for the yearly trim?
I usually trim my pubes with my beard clipper.
What does your husband think of that when he goes to trim his beard?
so stealing, but just for a day?
don't be a douche. rent one or borrow one… or buy one.
imagine that was everyone's policy?
Trees, bushes etc grow back
Borrow one, hire one or buy seconhand online !!
Dick move, just don't
OP i'd say you've posted this because you know that you should feel bad.
If you didn't think about the morals behind it at all why would you post this?
I already did think it was cheeky and a bit dodgy - but now I feel like I am robbing charities or 80 year old pensioners.
I can name six 80 year old pensioners and four charities that this would directly effect.
But seriously, I hope that this discussion has given you some ideas of other ways you could use this powered tree trimmer without having to do that. :)
ok trivia time, name em
Morally 99% of the population would never even consider doing something like that.
Or if they did would quickly realise how unacceptable it was and find an alternative. Given the rejection of borrowing someone else's who happens to live across town, my guess is they're going to go ahead and do it anyway
The thing would 100% end up in land fill. Just such a bad idea.
Buy one second hand and sell it after for the same price (or more if you’re savvy).
You are a scum.
That’s simply a scummy thing to do and adds costs to the retailer and consumers. Unethical. Just hire one and do the right thing.
Remmie the tool man.
At least we know we can ignore any of your comments that require taking a moral position.Wow. I came to the end of this… were you hoping the community would convince to abandon the idea? You do know there are other options. Have you already done it? If so, how do you feel?
Have you checked if there is a tool library near you? I’m a member of one and can borrow just about any powered/battery garden tool I could ever need.
+1. We pay ~$120/year for access to pretty much everything. Less wasteful and brings a sense of community. It’s not everywhere but worth a look.
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Buy it, use it, sell it on FB marketplace.
Would you buy a item that used before? NO