Sending stuff back to the manufacturer.... does it work?

May 6, 2008 8:00 AM

Sending stuff back to the manufacturer.... does it work? I got this top of the line Logitech webcam as a gift a couple of years ago and never used it. Now the opportunity to use it presented itself, I tried to install it and... nothing. It is very likely broken.

(And I have tried all sorts of things, so this is not a tech support question, don't worry about that part.)

So now I am not in the mood for going through customer support hell, so I'll probably go out and buy a much cheaper camera, because this one was way more than I needed anyway.

But I have heard about people sending broken products to the manufacturer and getting stuff sent back for free. Is it an urban legend? Has anyone tried that? Should I just put this in a box and ship it to Logitech and hope for the best?

posted by falameufilho to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

If you send something back when its new then yes you normally get a replacement/refund. From a company point of view they will find it very hard to swallow that you've not used something for 2 years and now suddenly want free stuff. My 2p
posted by rus at 8:08 AM on May 6, 2008

It worked for me with my Pioneer Inno XM Satellite radio. It broke soon after I got it, but it was too late to take it back to the store. But it came with a one-year manufacturer's warranty. At that point I had never tried out the manufacturer route either. So finally, at the last minute (when one year was almost up), I sent it to Pioneer with a letter describing the problem and a copy of my receipt, and within a couple weeks a new Inno arrived on my doorstep. It was wonderful.
posted by iguanapolitico at 8:10 AM on May 6, 2008

I think you have waited too long. Yes, the product was new for you, two years later, but Logitech will not view it as new. The warranty clock started ticking on that camera when your friend or family member bought it for you.

Have you looked in the box to see what the warranty is?
posted by Futurehouse at 8:13 AM on May 6, 2008

IANAL, but I would guess your legal rights have long since expired. But you've only got the shipping costs to lose - why not give it a try anyway? If there was a recognised fault with this model, Logitech might still feel morally bound to do something. Or they might just choose to send you something and put it down to good customer relations.
posted by Phanx at 8:29 AM on May 6, 2008

Beyond the postage there isn't much to lose by sending it to the manufacturer, even if it's out of warranty. The worst that will happen is that they will dispose of it for you.

Some manufacturer's go a long way to try to generate good will. I've trodden on a pair of Oakley sun glasses and mangled the arms. I sent them back to Oakley, expecting them to charge for a repair/refuse to do anything with them. Oakley sent a brand new pair as a replacement AND repaired the broken pair and sent them back. I'm sure that they made a mistake somewhere, but it's certainly worth a try.
posted by Mattat at 8:33 AM on May 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've had great luck with Logitech in the past. I had a set of Logitech speakers which I broke one of the connectors on while transporting them across states. I called Logitech, thinking that I would be able to buy a replacement for such a small part relatively cheaply. Tech support informed me that unfortunately they did not sell the part separately and then offered to send me a new set of speakers for free. So it's probably worth the trouble, at least if the alternative is eating the cost of a new camera.
posted by pwicks at 8:41 AM on May 6, 2008

Totally depends on the company in question. I've had fabulous experience sending an Elph digital camera back to Canon for repair, and getting a hard computer skin/shell replaced by Speck Products. But other companies completely ignore me when I contact them for repair or service.
posted by browse at 9:02 AM on May 6, 2008

Lifehacker recommends it -- also has a list of things it has/has not worked with.
posted by mattholomew at 9:13 AM on May 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

Same as Browse - I too had a Speck laptop "hard shell" that didn't fit quite right; I emailed them inquiring and within 24 hours had a replacement on the way to me along with a UPS account # to send the first one back so they could see why it didn't fit correctly.

It won't hurt to give it a try. I own an Emerson folding knife, and the pocket clip got bent out of shape (my own fault). I emailed their customer service department and asked if it was possible to purchase *just* a replacement plain pocket clip. Got a response within a day from Ernest Emerson himself, who asked for my mailing address and sent out a replacement clip for free.
posted by mrbill at 10:43 AM on May 6, 2008

It does work sometimes. I'd email the company to avoid the phone BS. I did this with an electric razor and ended up with a brand new better model when they couldn't replace the screens on the one I had.
posted by CwgrlUp at 3:36 PM on May 6, 2008