Inspect Products Before Leaving the Store

Gary Schinnour bought a 42 inch plasma at Future Shop December 16th.

He says the TV was in it’s original shipping container when he took it out of the store but when they brought it home and unpacked it, the screen was shattered.

When he took it back he says the General Manager said they aren’t responsible for damages after the TV leaves the store.

“He said ya I feel bad for you but the problem is that it probably happened when you had it, not in our system. There’s no way of the store knowing that something didn’t happen between the store and our door. I explained to him that it absolutely didn’t happen when we had it and that they’re a big company, they have unseen shipping damage and that’s obviously what this is”, says Schinnour.

He says no one offered to inspect the TV before it left the store and doesn’t feel he should be penalized.

After contacting the Future Shop head office in Vancouver and asking them investigate, Future Shop’s Regional Manager in Calgary called him to apologize and offered to replace the broken TV.

In a statement, Future Shop says, “We do not currently have a policy to check every big ticket item at time of purchase. Many retailers do not check during the holidays due to the large crowds/line-ups, and though this is our policy at this time, it may change in future.”

However it seems that policy may be inconsistent and varies from store to store.

Dwight Iwan bought a 37 inch TV from Future Shop and says they wouldn’t let him take it home without an inspection.

“Two guys ran across the store and physically stopped us. They told me it was a new store policy, all TV’s are checked before they leave the building.”

We checked other electronics stores and found there is no set policy.

Sears says customers are encouraged to inspect the TV before they take it home or sign a release.

Soundsaround says they try to do the same time but it’s hard to check every sale during Christmas.

A and B Sound says if the box is damaged, they’ll check, but it’s up to the customer to ask for an inspection.

If you are buying a large item and want some added protection for this type of situation, some credit cards come with insurance to cover damages during shipping.

And if you’re having a TV delivered have them open the box and inspect it before they leave.