Coffee drinkers are passionate about their morning go-juice. Maybe you’re one of these people, my wife certainly is. Which is why she was very concerned when her Keurig single cup coffee brewing system started acting up. Her particular model has a choice of three difference size cups, and even though she always chooses the largest of the three, she noticed that it just wasn’t filling up the cup as far as it should. She had to resort to running the cycle twice or even three times to get her morning cup of brew.
It obviously was not working right.
Consulting the ever knowledgeable internet, we found that symptoms such as what we were experiencing could be caused by a couple of different reasons:
- Blockage in the needle that punctures the coffee cup
- Buildup of calcium in the system
- Broken water pump
At the advice of what we had read, we picked up a bottle of descaling solution from Kohls while we were running errands over the weekend to cleanse the system of any calcium buildup. When we returned home, I used canned air (being a computer geek requires having this on hand at all times) to blow any residue out of the needle while Vonnie followed the directions to descale the system. Once we were all finished, Vonnie plugged in her beloved Keurig, ready for a cup of liquid energy.
The coffee genie sucked the water from the reservoir, then clicked and hummed just as it should. We both stared at the machine waiting for the liquid gold to begin flowing, but it never happened. Both my wife and I took a few moments to practice our colorful language.
Vonnie was ready to throw in the towel, hop in the van, and go buy a new coffee maker. However, I had other ideas. As I was scanning the internet for potential solutions to our problem, I had read time and time again about people with similar problems having their system replaced by Keurig. I told my wife to do two things:
- Call Kohls, where we had purchased it, and see what they could do for us
- If we struck out with #1, call Keurig and see if they would help.
She explained our situation first to a customer service agent, and then again to a manager. To our surprise, the manager at Kohls told us to bring it in and pick up a replacement. Additionally, they would also refund us the $14.00 we paid for the descaling solution that did not fix our problem.
“We have a VERY lenient return policy,” He said, chuckling.
To call it lenient would be a gross understatement. They didn’t care how long ago we had purchased it, nor did they seem to mind that we no longer had the owner’s manual, the box, or even the receipt. We successfully exchanged the machine for a brand new one, no questions asked.
Kohls has an interesting model for pricing their merchandise. I would never go there unless something is on sale, AND I had one of those 30% off coupons that come in the mail. This can be exemplified by this exact machine as it’s currently on sale (regular price $189, on sale for $149) for a higher price than I can get it at Walmart ($139).
But, you can’t argue with their return policy.
Do you have a kick ass return policy story? What’s the longest after purchase that you successfully returned something to a store?
Love Kohl’s return policy! Our biggest return is Jeans. Levi guarantees their jeans not to rip out, but my husband goes through them like candy. Kohl’s will take them back, no questions asked, and he can get a new pair that same day!
When my son was younger, we took advantage of a similar policy by Sears, Retired by 40. If they wore out before a kid outgrew them they would replace them. We had them replaced 3 times in a single school season! I didn’t know Levi’s had a similar kind of policy, and that you could return them at Kohl’s – thanks for sharing!
Costco has a great return policy as well. Since they track all of your purchase via your membership you can return items used or not years after purchase.
I almost mentioned Cost in this article as well, Brian – we recently bought two expensive air beds from Costco for when we have guests. We asked about their return policy if they started leaking – they essentially said we could bring it back “anytime.” Thanks for reading!
Very nice Travis! We have one of those ourselves and I think my wife would give me up before it, lol. Anyway, we’ve had several things like this happen with Costco as they take basically anything back. I had bought a computer there several years ago and had to return it as something had happened to it. They took it back, no questions asked.
You’re the second person to mention Costco, John – I’ll have to keep that in mind when making a purchase and choosing between Costco and somewhere else. Having great customer service and a great return policy can make a big difference. I’m surprised they’d take a computer back after YEARS though…that’s extreme!
I would have had Vonnie’s impulse – to go and buy a new one in frustration. To me it’s very telling that you came up with your strategy to contact the store and then the manufacturer – right on the spot. Was that something that you would have done 5 years ago? Or is this a debt-reducer’s acquired skill in action?
Great question, Prudence….actually the idea came from a couple of different sources:
1.) I was shocked Vonnie didn’t see this as an opportunity to work her usual “magic.” I think she wanted to, I just had to give her a little “push.” 🙂
2.) Reading about others online getting new systems made me think, “why not us?”
3.) The thing was JUST WORKING a few days ago…it burned me that it could go downhill so fast.
but to really answer your question, the answer is, “No.” A few years ago we would have just taken the quickest way to solving the problem, and just bought a new one – likely a bigger and more expensive model too. 🙂
I haven’t had to return anything to Kohl’s, but I have had some good things at REI. My friend returned an item he didn’t eve know came from REI. It was a gift and they sold it, so he took it there and they exchanged it no problem. The item was over 5 years old!
We did something similar with some wedding gifts….we got like 8 knife sets as presents with no gift receipts, and we hadn’t registered for them. So, we randomly took them to retailers (target, walmart, etc) and tried to return them. I think we ended up being successful with all of the sets we didn’t want except for one!
Glad that worked out! I was surprised to know you could return makeup or other personal care, even if it was already opened and you used the product, to stores like rite aid and cvs. To think of all the eyeshadow and other makeup I tried and didn’t like but just kept it because I had no idea you could do that…Speaking of coffee..time for mine.
Not liking a product is a tough one for me to try to return….because how can a store ever really guarantee that you will like the product. It’s one thing if it’s defective…but if you just don’t like it? But on the other hand, 100% satisfaction guaranteed is just that, right? Hope your coffee rocked your face!
I had no idea they had such a lenient return policy. Most places are so super strict! You practically need a notarized receipt. LOL! I’ll echo Costco has a great return policy. Amazon isn’t bad but it is more of a pain when you have to ship something back and they often times tack on a handling fee. The good thing is they generally don’t give you a hard time.
I’ve shared in the convenience of shopping at Amazon….comfort of your own home, delivery to your doorstep and all that. However, I’ve also (and currently am) experienced the part where I have to return something to a retailer. HUGE pain in the butt!!!
I heard that Kohls only gives you credit for the return at the lowest rate. For example if you bought it full price and then returned it after it had been discounted, you’d only get the value of the discounted rate in your return.
That’s probably right if you don’t have a receipt…….however in this case we were doing an exchange – which definitely worked for us!
I love Kohl’s for this exact reason. I am terrible at keeping receipts and I know I can return things there without one and get store credit!
We keep trying to keep better track of receipts, but after so long they seem to disappear on us….
Yes they are great with customer service. I like that the give those big discounts, it makes buying a not so stressful event. The no hassle reture policy is icing on the cake.
Customer service is a big plus, right EL? As soon as I get bad customer service, I’m lost to them as a customer.
Home Depot treated me really well when our lawn mower broke. The thing broke literally the first time I used it. A piece of metal broke off of it. They took the mower back and gave me a full refund. I bought a Toro and have been happy ever since!
That’s great DC….sometimes stores will try to claim it was YOUR fault. Sounds like Home Depot treated you right!
I will buy my next blender at Kohl’s. I seem to go through those like candy. I’ve never tried to return one, though. I just assumed it would need to be trashed. I will check next time though. Thanks!
It never hurts to try, Kim…the worst they can do is say, “NO!” Good luck!
The best experience I had returning something was our bed to a local furniture store. We bought a really nice, expensive bed and about 5 years after owning it, during my pregnancy I started noticing we were sinking towards the middle of the bed. I thought it was just me and my big belly but it continued to the point I couldn’t sleep on it anymore. Basically no questions asked they gave us a new bed…and a cash return because the new bed we chose was cheaper than original one.
Wow, that’s awesome, Catherine! I’m glad to hear that the furniture store made it right for you! If you’re going to shell out your hard earned cash for something nice, it’d better live up to your expectations!
Kohl’s is a big fraud no more no-hassel returns. They only even exange for similar item but what about “gifts” if you don’t want similar they only give store credit which is usually less than what you paid for. I also feel they are very racist I have been mistreated for a simple even exange. They need to upstate their words on Hassel free returns and explain because after 2014 I’ve always had a problem with my returns
I’m sorry you seem to have had a different experience than I did, ely….I’m actually surprised because as per the article, they’ve been very accommodating for me. Hopefully the next time you have to return something it goes more smoothly! Thanks for sharing your experience!
The problem with Kohl’s pricing only comes in effect if you want your $ back, not when it comes to exchanging the item for an identical replacement. If you do so, without the receipt, they’ll give you the lowest price they sold it for, back. if you used your Kohl’s card, no need for receipt, it’s automatically on your purchase history, so you can get all your $ back, as long as it’s within a certain timeframe (not entirely sure there). I’ve taken back bedding, when the comforter didn’t hold up in the washer, for ex. That was at least 6 months after purchase. Going through the same issue as you are, with our 2nd Keurig in 6 months now. Both purchased at Kohl’s and the 2nd one was bought on Black Friday. It’s the exact danger model as your wife’s and doing the same thing. The first one held up great, for 2 years, until we moved from the east coast to the Midwest. I’m planning on taking both back (one is a spare for whenever this happened again, which I’m fully expecting now). Also not expecting any major trouble. Gonna call them now, actually!
As far as you with the Levi’s comment(s). Do you need the jeans to be strain- free or anything to exchange them? My husband has a good 5 or 6 pairs with rips and tears in them. Once they rip, he does use them for “garage pants” (mechanic), but if they could get exchanged – much better!! How do you go about exchanging them? (For the next ripped pair. He always wears Levi’s and they always rip, so I’m sure I could save a lot of $ that way!!).
Time to get some “Black gold” brewing again.. Best of luck to everyone with their exchanges. ☺
Yeah, that is the price you pay for not having the receipt and just wanting to return it – I think that’s a pretty standard policy in the industry. As for exchanging the jeans….I’m not sure what the policy is at Kohls for that as I just learned about it through the comments. I guess I would just try it and see what happens!