Beware Circuit City closeout deals: No refunds on broken gear

Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:49PM EST

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Stories are pouring in from outraged shoppers who thought they could get a great deal on equipment from Circuit City as part of its fire sale liquidation. The problem: Circuit City won't let you open sealed boxes to inspect merchandise before you take it home -- and all sales are final. No returns. No exchanges. That's not so great if the gear is hopelessly broken.

One Minnesota family spent $1,500 on a 50-inch plasma TV and found the glass shattered once they got it home. The store refused to take back the TV and instead referred the issue to Circuit City headquarters, where no one answered the phone. The family is checking with Panasonic, the manufacturer, to see if it's covered under warranty.

A similar problem happened to a Boston customer, who paid $1,100 for what turned out to be a totally busted Samsung TV. She got a refund from her credit card company, but only after a local TV station made inquiries on her behalf. Be warned: Consumerist says that getting credit card companies to help you out may be difficult in cases like this where a bankruptcy is involved. (As I understand the specifics of the Circuit City case, normally your credit card company will just "charge back" the merchant in question, but in this case the merchant is going out of business and has federal bankruptcy protection during the process.)

It's not just big ticket items that can be dead on arrival. Consider this $7.50 "bargain" video game purchased from a Circuit City store, which appears to have been chewed up by a robot.

No doubt there are still some good deals to be found in these liquidating stores, but remember that, now more than ever, "buyer beware" is the rule of the day.

Comments on Beware Circuit City closeout deals: No refunds on broken gear

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  • 46 Posted by zakirdugla on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    Before you Buy stuff from Circuit city-check your price at other stores.. they are reaping off. e.g. Hard Drive other store $99 620 GB- and Circuit City is selling 500 GB for $139 !!!!!!!

  • 47 Posted by mxking2020 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    The problem isn't the refusal of refunds.... How bout you read the article before opening your mouth and try to sound intelligent. The issue is that Circuit City won't let the customer inspect the merchandise, that is a little shady. The examples of the broken TV's were just reasons why we should be able to look before we buy. IMO there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to see the items before spending the money, ESPECIALLY if there's no returns. There's a difference between knowing it's a no-return item and not knowing if the item is even usable.

  • 48 Posted by armus75 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    their prices were about the same to worse than walmart, no reason to shop there. good riddence i say

  • 49 Posted by douggrandesr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are going out of business and no returns are to be allowed, then customers should be allowed to open the boxes and see what they are buying. It's not fair to force the consumer to play Russian Roulette on big ticket items.

  • 50 Posted by mail4dbm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    You would be a fool to buy anything from Circuit City.

  • 51 Posted by ice_princessx2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    i went to check out the bargains at cc...looked far and wide and didnt see anything at a good price...

  • 52 Posted by sierra98762000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sales may be "AS-IS" as tlwilliams479 claims, but it is totally fraudulent on the part of Circuit City to not allow the merchandise to be inspected before purchase. In the case of the Minnesota family who discovered that their $1,500 plasma TV's glass screen was broken, I'm sure Circuit City stated to this family that they could rest assured that there was no damage to the screen. The family should have refused to purchase it but didn't so they are stuck with it, but on the other hand Circuit City has a responsibility to make sure what they advertise is without defect and if the merchandise in question is defective, then that is unethical.

  • 53 Posted by mirablackthorne on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think the outrage is the being stuck with a product you were never allowed to inspect in the first place... which begs the question, if they knew "no refunds" and they couldn't inspect the merchandise, why did they buy it?

  • 55 Posted by bobskillen69 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    well if you live in massachusetts, using the phrase "all sales final" is illegal so it doesn't mean crap as long as you are willing to go to court about it because in mass there is always an implied warrenty. any other state though and i guess youre screwed.

  • 56 Posted by djiceman@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    The Circuit City company has been gone for months! So have their employees. The merchandise you bought was sold by Liquidators only. It was sold AS-IS, with NO REFUNDS or EXCHANGES PERIOD! You fell for it & you're an idiot for having walked in the door in the first place!

  • 57 Posted by fuzzy540 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    I went to our local Circuit City to look for discounted tax programs and I ended up finding Turbo Tax programs that are 4-5 years outdated and they still wanted over $100 and I dont even know that you could get updates for the software without paying.

  • 58 Posted by rlajudice on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I hate this store. I purchased a compuer, monitor the whole works and was told that I would be entitled to over $500.00 worth of Rebates. But when I tried to collect on the rebates I got back letters say I did not qualify. I ended only getting $100.00 I bought a camera there, tried to take it back, I was told that the only way I could get a full refund is if I had not opened the box!!! Otherwise I had to make an exchange for the exact amount and be charged a re stocking fee, They deserve to go out of business.

  • 59 Posted by nferno69ny on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    Circuit city tvs were cheaper b4 the liquidation sale, because it's usually standard for liquidators to start back at the MSRP and work their way down as time goes until they get rid of everything. I've bought a lot of things from Circuit City pre-liquidation, and have no complaints on any of the equipment, and have bought some things in the liquidation, and no complaints. Why people are buying TVs at the liquidation when they could get them cheaper online made no sense to me, but that's on them. No hard feelings for CC from me. I'm sad to see them go actually.

  • 60 Posted by rtb007_2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    I purchased a camera during the first round of store closures only to get their sales circular 2 days later. The camera was $40 dollars cheaper at the store that was open for business..They wouldn't give me a store credit, which I would have used and most likely spent more money on additional items...Bad Business! Thats why they are out of business.

  • 61 Posted by jameschaconas on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    THEN LET THE CUSTOMER INSPECT AT STORE IF YOU BOUGHT A 1000 TV WITH NO RETURN AND NO INSPECTION YOU ARE AN IDIOT BUT THAT IS THE CUSTOMERS CC HAS COUNTED ON FOR YEARS SO...

  • 62 Posted by sobrien411 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    i got a web cam from there...it doesnt work

  • 63 Posted by jet_2k5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    circuit city has the worst customer service what do u expect? Its no brainer they arent letting ppl open stuff, and they have the worst return policy in buisness, they deserve to go out of business

  • 64 Posted by srdenninger2001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why is it so bad to let the buyer look at the product they are about to spend hundreds on?

  • 65 Posted by herdncats on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    Idiots! what do these people expect. the company is bankrupt, everything is sold as is. The customer thinks thay've ripped circuit city off by buying a $4000 television for $1000 then are outraged when they realize they'v ebeen duped. It's buyer beware morons! No sympathy here for that "bargain shopper".

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