Reference no: EM133419863

Case Study: Whether returns are channelled to a specialized returns location or to the original DC, a dedicated returns procedure must exist at the receiving dock. Goods must be identified as returns and segregated from other inbound goods. Returns must be inspected and decisions made to channel the goods for repair, refurbish, recycle, repackaging or disposal. A fictitious example to illustrate the process: A consumer purchased a Microsoft tablet at Technology Store during the pre-Christmas rush. At a cost of $579, this was a significant purchase and was his daughter's Christmas gift. Returning from a vacation in the Dominican Republic three months later, the tablet had a visible crack in the body and a few grains of sand embedded inside. Returning to Technology Store with receipt and tablet in hand, the customer waited for 30 minutes and spoke to three different individuals before connecting with the right supervisor who advised him to phone Microsoft directly and provided the phone number. Returning home, the customer called the number, followed bilingual instructions for the Canadian Customer Response Centre, and provided voice-prompted product number, serial number, name, address and other relevant data. Eventually, a customer service agent came on the line and determined the possible causes of the damage (dropping the unit in the sand) and, after asking several warranty-related questions, provided explicit instruction on:

Questions:

. How to ship: Purolator overnight air collect 1-800-123-4567;

. How to package: Wrapped, tissue paper, box, tape;

. Where to ship: Microsoft Repair Centre, Vaughan, Ontario full address; and

. Authorization numbers: A Customer Service Order # and a Case #, both of which were in Microsoft's system and had to appear on both the Purolator bill and the package itself. The customer service rep also advised that it would take between two and three weeks before a response was available, that the options would be i) repair by Microsoft under warranty; ii) repair by Microsoft at customer cost; ili) return without repair, and that Microsoft would advise by telephone and by e-mail. As advised, 12 days later, the customer received both a voicemail message and an e-mail message from Microsoft. Unfortunately, its warranty does not cover sand or cracks. As promised, the company returned the tablet to the consumer unrepaired via Purolator.