Buyers beware : Please read shoppers drug mart electronics

[anastasia1009]

Bill 60, read page 5. Lots of legal mumbo jumbo.

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gou...e=2009C51A.PDF

I use to live in Quebec Gatineau to be exact and when I worked from Future Shop in Ottawa & in Gatineau and we had to deal with Future Shop & Bestbuy in Quebec and customers always use to throw this law at us. And legally we didn't have to follow the protection act for stores in Quebec because there head office was in BC so we had to follow there laws. Quebec protects consumers if the company is from Quebec and head office in Quebec. We clearly stated that we had to have one written down and I remember a few threats from customers in Quebec which amounted to nothing. And from a web site it states According to Option Consommateur and Quebec's consumer protection office, there is no legal obligation for store owners to have a return policy. If they do have a return policy, it has to be clearly marked and they have to respect it. If they don't respect the policy, consumers should file a complaint with the consumer protection office.If the product is defective, the consumer is protected by the law. The law says the product can be returned or exchanged, and the consumer can deal with either the store in question or the manufacturer.

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/on-your-s...#ixzz2H3ONQAlg

[nannytoharrison]

very good information here,thank you for sharing.

[elizabethjohn2005]

shoppers policy sucks, this is the main reason i dont buy electronics at Shoppers, dont want to take risk with a high price item

[couponmummy]

FYI, in Quebec, SDM is Pharmaprix and their head office is in the Faubourg tower on Guy in downtown Montreal and not Toronto.

[anastasia1009]

if you look on SDM Pharmaprix website still says Head Office Location: 243 Consumers Rd Toronto, ON
M2J 4W8. The thing that sets Pharmaprix different is the pharmacy and how they have to obey the rules of Quebec because they get there drugs differently. Where as Jean Coutu is Head Office Le Groupe Jean Coutu (PJC) inc530, rue Bériault Longueuil (Québec) J4G 1S8.
That is why a lot of companies don't want to operate or have head offices in Quebec because they have to follow Quebec Consumer laws and when I lived in Quebec I always shopped at Super C and a few other places because they had head offices in Quebec. Quebec protected consumers it was a great province to live in.

[newbiesaver]

^ Yup, you're right. The Rue Guy location is just an office, not head off. I was just reading their Q3 quarterly report and it actually indicates on there where they are registered. See page 34 if interested: http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/engli...012_letter.pdf

On a side note...it's actually quite an interesting.

[newbiesaver]

Buy the same product at Walmart. Return the defective product back to Walmart and exchange it for a new product. Now you have 2 unopened products. Take one back to Shoppers We're On Drugs Mart for a refund and keep the other.

I know you have already sent your product to Nintendo but this may be helpful to other members.

Click "like" if you agree.

If you feel this is unethical, feel free to comment.

I don't care if you can get away with this but it is not only unethical, it is FRAUD.

[walkinglady]

Some SDM stores in the GTA area, stamp your receipt with Final Sale when you buy electronics. So no return or exchange even if the box is unopened. I had to change my mind on the spot because I did not want to spend $250 on an item and get stuck with it if it does not work. I find SDM to be quite unfriendly regarding returns in general.

[louie11]

I stopped buying any electronics at SDM, even with points, a couple of years ago after I bought a camera that was defective out of the box. I don't want to deal with hassles of sending something to get fixed by the manufacturer before I can use it.

Most people would think that if they buy a piece of defective electronic equipment at full price from a major retailer that it can returned or exchanged. Shoppers should post prominent signs in their electronics section that state that nothing (even defective merchandise) can be returned. I suspect they don't because it would reduce their electronic sales a significant amount.

While I am a little hooked on the Optimum program..... I try to frequent retailers that have a higher degree of responsibility to their customers like Costco.

[PinkLincoln]

There is a consumer law any item or contract can be returned or voided after 14 days. If they refuse to do a return they must give you a store credit for ANY item unless the item being returned would be considered unhygienic.

[Natalka]

There is a consumer law any item or contract can be returned or voided after 14 days. If they refuse to do a return they must give you a store credit for ANY item unless the item being returned would be considered unhygienic.

No, unfortunately not true regarding store items purchased - by federal, and by provincial regulations. Contracts are totally different, there is usually a cooling off period.

From Government of Canada, Industry Canada, Consumer Affairs

"Don't count on always being able to return a product you've bought, whether it's from a store or the Internet. There is no law that says all sellers must take back an item. It may not matter that you don't like it, decided you can't afford it or found it cheaper somewhere else.

Every seller has a different return policy. Find out what the seller's policy is before you buy. The return policy is often stated on the back of the receipt and/or posted near the cash register; if not, get it in writing on the receipt. Note that these policies may change during promotions and for items that are on sale or are deemed to be "party wear."
Some stores will allow you to bring goods back but will set conditions..."

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/oca-bc....g/ca02478.html

[FallenPixels]

There is a consumer law any item or contract can be returned or voided after 14 days. If they refuse to do a return they must give you a store credit for ANY item unless the item being returned would be considered unhygienic.

They get around this by having a return to manufacturer clause. I bought a camera that was defective from SDM they called the manufacturer # in store for me who sent me to a camera store nearby who took mine and gave me a new one. Theirs came with a tripod, cleaning kit and memory 4gb card.

[Silk]

Bill 60, read page 5. Lots of legal mumbo jumbo.

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gou...e=2009C51A.PDF

Thanks for the link. This doc deals with amendments so I found the actual Consumer Protection Act for Quebec. It's long but I did a quick scan and saw nothing to indicate any kind of law re: retailers and returns, even of defective merchandise.

Here's the link to the actual Act, which was update Dec 1, 2012:

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gou...1/P40_1_A.html

I use to live in Quebec Gatineau to be exact and when I worked from Future Shop in Ottawa & in Gatineau and we had to deal with Future Shop & Bestbuy in Quebec and customers always use to throw this law at us. And legally we didn't have to follow the protection act for stores in Quebec because there head office was in BC so we had to follow there laws. Quebec protects consumers if the company is from Quebec and head office in Quebec. We clearly stated that we had to have one written down and I remember a few threats from customers in Quebec which amounted to nothing. And from a web site it states According to Option Consommateur and Quebec's consumer protection office, there is no legal obligation for store owners to have a return policy. If they do have a return policy, it has to be clearly marked and they have to respect it. If they don't respect the policy, consumers should file a complaint with the consumer protection office.If the product is defective, the consumer is protected by the law. The law says the product can be returned or exchanged, and the consumer can deal with either the store in question or the manufacturer.

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/on-your-s...#ixzz2H3ONQAlg

Thanks for the info and the link!

if you look on SDM Pharmaprix website still says Head Office Location: 243 Consumers Rd Toronto, ON
M2J 4W8. The thing that sets Pharmaprix different is the pharmacy and how they have to obey the rules of Quebec because they get there drugs differently. Where as Jean Coutu is Head Office Le Groupe Jean Coutu (PJC) inc530, rue Bériault Longueuil (Québec) J4G 1S8.
That is why a lot of companies don't want to operate or have head offices in Quebec because they have to follow Quebec Consumer laws and when I lived in Quebec I always shopped at Super C and a few other places because they had head offices in Quebec. Quebec protected consumers it was a great province to live in.

^ Yup, you're right. The Rue Guy location is just an office, not head off. I was just reading their Q3 quarterly report and it actually indicates on there where they are registered. See page 34 if interested: http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/engli...012_letter.pdf

On a side note...it's actually quite an interesting.

I learned this the hard way when I had a complaint against a Pharmaprix. I ended up called SDM Toronto and they didn't even know about the office in Montreal. The Montreal office apparently is there to help local stores with the hiring process.

Silk

[Mia001]

Return policy regarding electronics:

Return Exclusions with limited exceptions

• Electronics
  
  • Returns will only be given if original product is returned in the original sealed box in saleable condition with a receipt and within the 30 day return period from original date of purchase
  • In some instances you may be required to deal directly with the manufacturer.
  
  
• DVDs, VHS movies, video games, CD’s and software.
  
  • Returns will ONLY be offered if the product is in it’s original packaging, unopened, in saleable condition, with receipt and within the 30 day return period from original date of purchase.
  • Exchanges will ONLY be offered if the original is defective, after opening, with receipt and within the 30 day return period from original date of purchase.
    

doesn't the highlighted part apply in this situation ?

[Silk]

Ok, found this Quebec site:

http://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/webforms/S...nseils_en.aspx

Returning an item that is not defective

The law does not oblige the merchant to take an item back, exchange it for something else or issue a credit note.
Most merchants agree to one of these solutions when an item is in good condition and returned within a reasonable time frame.
This time frame varies depending on the store or item and almost all stores agree to extend this deadline during the Christmas holiday period.
Merchants are free to define the conditions governing their in-house policies, provided that they comply with their exchange/refund policy.


Layaway payment

The purchase of a good constitutes a contract, confirmed through a down payment. Although some merchants are quite flexible in this regard, they have the right to refuse to cancel a layaway and demand that the consumer respect this contract.

Returning a defective item

The Consumer Protection Act states that you must be able to make normal use of the goods procured for a reasonable period of time.

• If an item is defective, the merchant must repair it or have it repaired without additional cost to the consumer.
• If the item cannot be repaired, the merchant must exchange it and, if this is impossible, he must refund the consumer's money.

Silk