Am I wrong to be uncomfortable with this?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I could have posted this in Morons in Management, but I figured here would be better since I have been thinking more about my personal reaction to the incident than the managers involved.

Background: An older guy comes into our store and buys a PSP GO. If you don't know what that is, it's the newest version of the Playstation Portable system. What makes the GO different is that it does NOT use physical games at all. It has no disc or cartridge drive, just 16 GB of on board memory. All media is download only.

I am the one who did the sale and the customer seemed really enthusiastic about getting it.

Flash forward a few hours later. The guy calls back and says he opened it but wants to exchange it (for a more traditional PSP) because he didn't realize it was download only. I admit I never mentioned to him that it was, but given his excitement over wanting one, I assumed he knew what it was and what it did.

Our standard store policy is defective exchange only on opened new product. This is clearly stated in our operating manual and in-store signage. The guy asks for a manager so I throw it up to my assistant manager who tells him no, he can't exchange the unit, he can only get it replaced with an identical unit or trade it in at a fraction of the value.

Here's where my personal conflict comes in:

Apparently this guy wasn't very happy with the response he got from the Assistant manager so he took it all the way up to our regional manager and today she told us the following in relation to this customer:

- We WILL do a full value exchange for the customer so he can get a different unit and give him the rest in store credit. (There's a $80 price difference in the retail cost of the units)

- We will reseal the PSP GO he bought and resell it as brand new with no discounts whatsoever even though it has already been opened.

- If asked, we are to tell customers the unit has NEVER BEEN USED before and is indeed brand new.

Now I think that might be illegal but I haven't had the time to research it.

What frustrated me is the part about having to lie to customers about it. I would hate it if someone leading me to believe I am getting a new product when it has in fact been used already and here I am, being "directed" in no uncertain terms to do this to my customers. In my view, this is extremely unethical and something I don't think I should be forced to be a part of.

I had planned to talk to my manager about how uncomfortable I am with this, but we were really busy today and so I didn't get a chance to. Hopefully I can get with her about it tomorrow.

How do I handle this? Should I forget what the regional manager said and be honest with a customer about the PSP or just let it go and if a customer does end up getting upset over it, let that person take it up with the very regional manager who gave the order in the first place?

[HYHYBT]

What to do: hope and pray that you aren't the one to sell it!

[Ree]

Well, since he opened it, but then realized it was download only, it wasn't technically used, so selling it as new wouldn't bother me at all.

[bainsidhe]

I would be bothered by it. Maybe soften the truth a little by explaining it wasn't used and why, but that it had been opened and poked at by another customer. If anything, try hard not the be the person selling the unit. When it comes down to it, who's going to get in trouble for lying to a customer? The regional manager certainly isn't going to take the fall. Their whole purpose is to be the last resort to make a customer happy. You will be thrown under the bus. Don't lie about it.

[jedimaster91]

I agree with Ree. Technically, the unit is not used, just opened. But I would be bothered by it, too. It does seem shady to sell it as brand new, never been touched before. If it were me, I would have knocked off a little of the price for it having been opened, but not as much as if it had been traded in as used. Definitely air your concerns to your manager if it will make you feel better.

[Ree]

I agree with Ree. Technically, the unit is not used, just opened. But I would be bothered by it, too.

In thinking about it, now I'm a bit torn.
Once it left the store, you really don't know how it was treated by the customer.
He could have dropped it on the floor or ground at some point.

So, on one hand selling it without disclosing that it was technically a new unit and had been unused as far as you know, but you can't be certain, is a bit shady.

On the other hand, if it wasn't mistreated in any way and is actually brand new and as pristine as it was on leaving the factory, why lose money?

Knocking off a few bucks and explaining that it's an opened and returned but unused unit would probably be more honest.

[bookworm]

I ran into a similar situation when I went to buy my Netbook. The sales associate brought out a box that had been opened and retaped, so I asked for a different one. There probably wasn't anything wrong with the first one, but I didn't want to take that chance.

So, as a customer, if I'm buying new, I personally want something that hasn't been opened yet. If I were you, I'd leave that one until I didn't have any others to sell.

[Andara Bledin]

In thinking about it, now I'm a bit torn.
Once it left the store, you really don't know how it was treated by the customer.
He could have dropped it on the floor or ground at some point. :

That could happen without it ever leaving the store, too, so I don't see that as a major issue.

Strangely, I knew exactly what this would be about as soon as I read the phrase "PSP GO." I know a lot of people who are avoiding it like the plague due to the download-only nature of the system.

Anyone selling these should save themselves the future headaches and mention to anyone even giving it lingering glance that it's download only and won't work with PSP UMDs.

^-.-^

[Kiwi]

I would be very angry if I was sold a returned unit as "new". That is completely unethical!
Even if it was never technically used, most customers would expect an unopened box/untouched unit from the factory.

Lying to your customers is never okay

Your manager is a slimey piece of work!

[Binky]

hrm...I think if I was not told that someone had originally bought the unit I would be mad.

However...if you don't technically tell the whole truth but mention it HAS been opened and people have had a little play with it...hell that it was kind a semi display unit and gave me the OPTION of getting a small discount I would be ok.

Just a hint...that way the person gets a discount...and you can claim that it was a mutual decision with you and the customer...but you never mentioned it was "used"

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

A couple of points I want to make:

- It WAS used by him for at least something. When I examined it on the return there was some music and pictures on there. Now I know you're saying "that could have been preloaded on the device" but somehow I don't think Sony would preload pictures of girls in Bikinis or Metallica albums into their unit. I did format the unit to erase the data.

- I asked management about giving a discount on the unit was told it is NOT TO BE DISCOUNTED under any circumstances whatsoever. Interestingly, I looked in our policy manual about these kinds of discounts and the official policy is that we are to NEVER give discounts on any opened items being sold as new (this includes the display copies of our games where we remove the shrinkwrap and take the disc out). I really don't like that policy.

[Plaidman]

Plaidman can tell what one could do to PSO that make everyone happy, and the higher ups in trouble for telling you to do immmoral act. But it be fracting.

Nonetheless, its your job. Its horrible at times. Its unfair. Your just a grunt. But you can be honest to them is what I would do, just in a roundabot way.

(Less Fracting way to do it )
Customer brings up the opened PSO, thinking its new.
You: "oooh, you got the demo one. People take a look at it. I can't give a discount, but its been out once for a demo. Nothings downloaded, its fine, its just been out of box and used once.

[Broomjockey]

So, on one hand selling it without disclosing that it was technically a new unit and had been unused as far as you know, but you can't be certain, is a bit shady.

On the other hand, if it wasn't mistreated in any way and is actually brand new and as pristine as it was on leaving the factory, why lose money?

Knocking off a few bucks and explaining that it's an opened and returned but unused unit would probably be more honest.

Most places that aren't run by spineless jackasses out to screw the customer take that last route by way of something called "open box" discounts. It's how I got my webcam. Someone else had bought it, opened it, then brought it back. The packaging was a little bent from when it was opened, but otherwise seemed fine, so I grabbed it. Heck, it was only about $5, probably not even the entire margin on the cam, but it was still a discount, and it was still appreciated. In a case like this, I know that margins on consoles are often slim to non-existent, so I doubt they could knock any off and still stay over margin though.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that they probably should just return the thing to the distributor, rather than potentially burn a customer, if they're not willing to do open box.

[infinitemonkies]

I had an interesting variation on this recently:

I was buying a netbook at Staples, and the CSR tells me they only have 1 left of the model I want. He gets it out of lock up from the back (after spending 10 minutes trying to find a manager who has keys to the lock up) and brings it out.

I happen to notice theres a tech support trouble ticket on it, stating that this particular unit was returned about a week ago because the touchpad doesnt work.
CSR notices the ticket, but I pretty sure he hadn't noticed I'd all ready read it. He tears off the trouble ticket and crumples it up.

He then tells me that this unit has already been "set up" so they'll have to charge me an extra $60 for labor.

Take a moment and read that again. They were not only trying to sell me a refurbished unit as new, they were also going to charge me MORE for it because someone had already taken a couple minutes to installed the latest patches and drivers while fixing the damaged unit.

Of course I didn't buy it. (In the end I ordered it online from Staples, and it got delivered....eventually [Seperate rant])

But it does make me wonder A) is this even legal? and B) Is this standard practice for Staples?

[Ree]

- It WAS used by him for at least something. When I examined it on the return there was some music and pictures on there. Now I know you're saying "that could have been preloaded on the device" but somehow I don't think Sony would preload pictures of girls in Bikinis or Metallica albums into their unit. I did format the unit to erase the data.

OK, then...with that little detail given now, I can totally understand your feeling uncomfortable with this.

Your management is an ass.