Unlimited software warranties (was Re: Mach from mt Xinu)

[Larry Campbell]

In article <LW4ANOH at xds13.ferranti.com> peter at ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
-In article <8135 at rsiatl.Dixie.Com> jgd at Dixie.Com (John G. DeArmond) writes:
-> Why do you say that?  There is some really basic merchandising psychology 
-> involved here that should be intuitive but if not, is outlined in 
-> a number of books on the subject.  There are three important aspects of 
-> unlimited money-back warranties.  The first is, the no-questions-asked
-> removes the dishonesty quotient from the equation.  People no longer 
-> have to lie about the product or worse, destroy it, in order to 
-> get their money back.  Just like at K-mart.  You hand them the package and
-> the receipt and they hand you money.
-
-OK, we'll drop the Sears bit... but I have never seen this behaviour from
-any merchant that I have done business with. Unless I've got a *recent*
-receipt or the merchandise is in "like new" condition, you can't return
-it. Period.

A bit off the track, perhaps, but I have recently seen behavior just like
this.  Last August I bought a baby carrier (backpack) at EMS (Eastern
Mountain Sports, a major hiking gear retail chain).  It worked well, until
two weeks ago, when one of the straps that attached the frame to the hip
strap tore loose.  This was on a Friday, on my way home from work -- I carry
my 18-month-old son (on the subway) to and from a day care center near my
office every day.  Two days later (Sunday), I went to the EMS where I had
bought the backpack -- without a receipt; I had long since lost it.  I
showed them the problem and asked them what they could do about it.  The
store manager told me that they had a seamstress who came in every Tuesday
who could fix it for me.  "But I need to carry my son to work tomorrow;
could you perhaps give me a loaner until mine is fixed?" I asked; at that,
he just said, "Go over to the display and take a new one."  No questions
asked; I didn't even have a receipt!  Not only that, but the new one was a
newer model, with attachments for a rain hood that mine didn't have.

Guess where I'll be buying all my hiking gear from now on?
-- 
Larry Campbell             The Boston Software Works, Inc., 120 Fulton Street
campbell at redsox.bsw.com    Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (USA)