Received already opened Marathon - WWYD?

[lemonmama]

BTW, I know this is a boring topic but I KNOW you all have opinions about everything hehehehe!

I just received a Britax Marathon from an online retailer. The same thing happened to me that happened to someone else here. Beat up box, thought it was from shipping, turns out it was already opened and returned from someone else (I could still read the old tracking #...found out who returned it and everything).

On inspection the seat appears ok. But of course if I needed to return it, I would be charged a restocking fee for the beat down box.

I emailed the shop and sent photos. Waiting to hear.

WWYD? I know the other poster received a big discount. Would you want a discount, a new one, return for a refund or ? If I bought something in this shape in the store I would expect an open box discount (and then at least I'd see what I was getting and could make the decision to buy or not).

Thanks!

(I reposted this as I put it in another forum earlier...)

 

[aisraeltax]

i woudl want a new seat. when i purchase a car seat, i dont expect to get a returned car seat. why was teh seat returned? was it used before? how do they know?? its not like a car where you can get a car fax report or something..and an online retailer? they have no idea of what happened while it was in someone else's hands...but thats just me. i would simply state that you were looking for a NEW seat that had never been used and they cant really guarantee that with the seat that was shipped to another customer.

im sure it bites for them to not make a sale b/c someone ordered the wrong color, etc. etc. but thats not YOUR fault.

i admit that perhaps i am a big paranoid also..but thats just the way i am.

 

[lemonmama]

Thanks for the feedback. I just don't know why a company would send out something so obviously beaten up. It's just the principle of the thing that gets me more than anything...

Didn't hear back today...hopefully tomorrow or I'm going to have to call them, which I don't want to have to do.

 

[cryswilkins]

Where did you get it from?

 

[dhardawa]

Thanks for the feedback. I just don't know why a company would send out something so obviously beaten up. It's just the principle of the thing that gets me more than anything...

Didn't hear back today...hopefully tomorrow or I'm going to have to call them, which I don't want to have to do.

Coming from someone who has shipped and received hundreds of Britax seats, when they shipped it out, it may not have been "obviously beaten up". The Britax boxes were never really designed to be shipping boxes and they don't hold up well at all. Also, the shape of seats like the Marathon cause the back of the box to crush which causes the glue to pop which causes the whole back of the box to fall apart.

As for getting a used seat, I'd be hot. You paid for a new seat. If they want to sell returns or open box seats, they need to be upfront with buyers and sell them at a discount.

 

[lemonmama]

I don't want to say right now where it came from...but I will if they don't do something.

And I can almost guarantee that it was in rough shape when they shipped it because there is a LOT of tape on it...2 different kinds. So even if dhl had to tape it a bit, someone else did as well. Those boxes are cheap and poorly designed to start with, for sure.

So would any of you keep the seat, for the "right price"?

 

[sfeitler]

So would any of you keep the seat, for the "right price"?

Depends. Are the tags still attached to the seat? If the tags are still there, I'd probably keep it "for the right price". If the tags are removed, I'd be more worried that it was actually installed and used as a seat at least once, and then you get into was it crashed (probably not, but still...), or peed on, or...

-Sarah

 

[Mama!]

Depends. Are the tags still attached to the seat? If the tags are still there, I'd probably keep it "for the right price". If the tags are removed, I'd be more worried that it was actually installed and used as a seat at least once, and then you get into was it crashed (probably not, but still...), or peed on, or...

-Sarah

Yeah.

 

[TechnoGranola]

We've got our Marathon installed and have used it several times with the tags still attached, so I wouldn't use tags as a basis for my decision.

 

[dhardawa]

And I can almost guarantee that it was in rough shape when they shipped it because there is a LOT of tape on it...2 different kinds. So even if dhl had to tape it a bit, someone else did as well. Those boxes are cheap and poorly designed to start with, for sure.

This really isn't a good indicator either. Britax refuses to seal the boxes prior to shipping from them to the retailer (believe me, I have tried). So, it is likely that the original shipping carrier from Britax to the retailer had to tape it shut. I see this on probably about 20% of the seats I receive. Some carriers are tape happy too. I have received boxes where the front flap fell open (this is very common) and they have folded it all up funny until the box is the shape of a rectangle. I'm not really even sure how they did it. But, it is possible it was taped getting to the retailer which doesn't mean it was damaged, just came open. When they reshipped it out, it may have been beat up pretty bad and the next carrier added more tape. Retailers can get extra boxes from Britax so it really doesn't make sense that they would have shipped it out in a beat to crap box. I have reboxed many seats, typically when it has been raining for a few days because the Britax boxes turn to mush in humidity and will tear just picking them up. I'd much rather rebox a seat into something that is not mush and is sturdy and will withstand the next leg of its journey. But, I digress....

 

[finleysmommy]

I would want a new seat. I did not PAY for a returned seat. No thank you.

 

[Momto1bigkiddo]

What a bummer. I agree with what's been said. I bet they replace it for you no problem.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

 

[IdeaLee]

Ditto. I'd probably quickly send them a factual certified letter (or an e-mail print out) with photos to document that the box was beaten up, product had been returned (thus, used, and possibly a retailing violation in their/your jurisdiction), and contained tracking data (a privacy violation?) from a prior sale. I'd request a written response within (seven) days. I'd re-send the letter, updated with a last-chance response date, if they don't respond with the original deadline.

Is there a better-business logo or anything of the sort on this vendors' Web site? You may contact that business group for advice if so. Our local gov't has a consumer protection office to advise residents on issues like this, and take and process complaints.

Some credit cards also offer protection from this kind of thing, and recourse. If an item is not as advertised, (and clearly, a used item is not what you seem to have ordered!) a restocking fee is not appropriate, nor is making you pay return shipping. Similarly, the manufacturer may not be too keen to learn that a vendor is shipping used product and may help you....

We, too, got a bashed up, pre-opened, re-taped box. They presumably opened it to put in an extra item we'd ordered, rather than ship that separately. While I understand why they opened the box, and that they may have checked it to ensure the seat was fine before taping over the gashes and shipping it, it still just doesn't sit right with me. The seat seems "compromised" because we don't know its origins. (Was it their model; was it "tried" by snotty toddlers before shipping?...Thanks for the details about bad boxes and how seats are shipped, BTW; I feel a bit better about ours.) As noted earlier...one can use a seat with tags for a while....

I hope a big discount is in the works! I'll be watching this thread for your results! Good luck! - L