NewEgg Lays a Rotten One
For some as yet unclear reason, previously opened packages seem to be drawn to me. The last time this happened was the Micorosft Money Standard, from Staples. Before that, it was a saw from Home Depot. This time it was a Panasonic phone from NewEgg.
Last week, I ordered the Panasonic KX-TG2248S, a cordless phone with answering machine. I didn't really need the answering machine part of things, but I did want another good cordless. The deal was pretty good - $50 (no tax or shipping) with a $30 rebate. There's a also a $20 rebate, but the odds of both getting approved is rather low.
The phone was finally delivered yesterday, while I was out, so I didn't get the phone until today. When I opened the shipping box, I found that the inner Panasonic box, though still sealed, looked like it had been opened. I didn't want to open it to check the status of the contents, as that might hurt my return opportunity. I therefore called them immediately (unlike Buy.com, NewEgg's phone number, 800-390-1119, is easy to find). The guy I spoke was very nice about it, and immediately offered a replacement. That was fine with me, but I wasn't going to pay to ship it back, so he offered me two choices:
1) They'd credit me $10
2) I could fax in a receipt from the shipping charges
I stalled the guy as long as possible while I looked up the shipping price online. When I finally determined that it would cost $8.20 to ship it via UPS, I told him I'd take the $10. He game me an RMA#, and the case was closed, temporarily. It will now probably take a few weeks before I see the replacement phone, but I'm not in a real rush.
BTW, they have since changed the price to $70 and removed free shipping from the item.