Is it possible to return monitors/TVs that have been tested?

[LentilGod]

I'm planning to buy an LG 43 inch PC monitor to understand if this will be a good productivity tool or if it will be too big for my workspace and day-to-day use.

My question is, how flexible are return policies in NL in general, or specifically for monitors and TVs?

I want to open the package, test it for about a week to see if i get used to it.

If i don't, am i able to return it with full refund?

I will probably be buying it from Bol.com.

Thanks for the advice!

[Stroopwafels]

Yes, the return policy of bol.com states that you can return any product within 30 days. There are some restrictions but that does not apply to pretty much all electronics.

[Croga]

Legally you’re entitled to do what you need to determine the basic characteristics of the thing. It’s difficult to say whether what you envision falls within that definition.
So the question becomes more of a moral one. Do you think it’s fair to try out the monitor for a week and then return it?

Personally, I think even on the moral side you’re in a grey area. I understand your standpoint and could argue both for and against it. So if the question “Can I do it?” is so difficult to answer, I would personally ask myself the question “If I do this, how can I make sure the risk for the selling party is as low as possible”

So I’d say: Make sure you keep the monitor in pristine condition while you use it. Keep the packaging in perfect condition as well. That way, if you do have to send it back, the monitor will still be in good enough condition to resell it without too much loss.

When you send it back, ask yourself the question “If my monitor had arrived in this condition, would I have had a problem with that?”. If you can truthfully answer that with a no, I think both the legal and the moral side should be covered.

[IDtenT]

Stroopwafels schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 05:17:
Yes, the return policy of bol.com states that you can return any product within 30 days. There are some restrictions but that does not apply to pretty much all electronics.

This is not entirely correct. Just Google Translate this page: https://www.bol.com/nl/kl...2601344/retourvoorwaarden

[Tom-Z]

LentilGod schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 04:34:
I want to open the package, test it for about a week to see if i get used to it.

From a legal perspective, testing it "for about a week" is excessive. You're allowed to test the monitor "[...] to the extent necessary to establish [its] nature, characteristics and [...] functioning [...]". This mean you can unpack it, turn it on, plug it in, and use the monitor briefly. However, testing it "for about a week" likely goes beyond what is necessary and is thus not allowed. You say that you need to test it to see "whether you get used to it" but whether you get used to it is not part of the "nature, characteristics and functioning" of the product.

From a practical perspective, I do not think it is likely Bol will notice that you used the monitor for a week and your return will probably be accepted without issue. I do not see how they will be able to tell the difference between you using the monitor for 5 minutes or using it for a week.

[JvS]

Croga schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 08:15:
Legally you’re entitled to do what you need to determine the basic characteristics of the thing.

With the added nuance: In the same amount that you would be able to do in a shop is broadly accepted as 'testing to determine characteristics of the item'.

So watching a full week of TV is not the same as you would do in a shop. However lot's of suppliers still accept that, this is not a legal right in the full extend that you describe. If you buy a mountainbike for use as a downhill bike, you are not allowed to do two downhill rides in the Alpes to determine the characteristics of the item, conclude it's not for you and return the bike expecting a full refund because it's within 7 of 14 days.

[ Voor 7% gewijzigd door JvS op 25-04-2021 10:06 ]

[Cyriel85]

Some products (oled tv and beamers for instance) measure the time the screen has been turned on. I don't know if this monitor does that, but if it does, the shop Will notice that you have been using it for a week. This would go beyond normal testing of the product and would void the right for returning it and getting full money back, unless there is something wrong with the product.

[ Voor 6% gewijzigd door Cyriel85 op 25-04-2021 10:06 ]

[Croga]

JvS schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 10:04:
With the added nuance: In the same amount that you would be able to do in a shop is broadly accepted as 'testing to determine characteristiscs of the item'.

Nonsense. There is no such clause anywhere and Arnoud has debunked this myth time and time again. There is no “same as in the shop” clause anywhere and it was never meant to mean anything like this. Please stop spreading this nonsense.

Cyriel85 schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 10:05:
Some products (oled tv and beamers for instance) measure the time the screen has been turned on. I don't know if this monitor does that, but if it does, the shop Will notice that you have been using it for a week. This would go beyond normal testing of the product and would void the right for returning it and getting full money back, unless there is something wrong with the product.

The shop can only charge however much the product was depreciated. And they have to prove that. Hence why I suggest not going there in the first place and just making sure the product hasn’t depreciated.

The problem for the shop is mainly that it’s utterly impossible to prove depreciation and with that, running the monitor for 40 hours is no reason for the shop not to give you a full refund.

[ Voor 47% gewijzigd door Croga op 25-04-2021 10:08 ]

[JvS]

Croga schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 10:06:
[...]

Nonsense. There is no such clause anywhere and Arnoud has debunked this myth time and time again. There is no “same as in the shop” clause anywhere and it was never meant to mean anything like this. Please stop spreading this nonsense.

I agree, it's more nuanced (thanks for the brusk reply to remind me ). The shop can give a partial refund if they justify that the value of the item has been lowered more than what is reasonable for determining characteristics.

[Sissors]

Croga schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 10:06:
[...]
The problem for the shop is mainly that it’s utterly impossible to prove depreciation and with that, running the monitor for 40 hours is no reason for the shop not to give you a full refund.

And next week we got a person here making a topic about his new monitor having already been used for 40 hours, and demanding a discount. So apparently there is clear deprecation of value.

[Snowdog]

Sissors schreef op zondag 25 april 2021 @ 10:17:
[...]

And next week we got a person here making a topic about his new monitor having already been used for 40 hours, and demanding a discount. So apparently there is clear deprecation of value.

That often already happens if the packaging has been opened/seal has been broken or there are fingerprints on the screen itself. Consumer protection laws are great, but some consumers are just .... (fill in yourself)

[Yorinn]

Modbreak:

Tweakers is een Nederlandstalig forum, vragen in het Engels zijn dus, in de regel, ook niet toegestaan.

Gezien ik hier ook eigen inzet mis, want antwoorden op je vraag zijn (zowel in het Nederlands als Engels) makkelijk zelf terug te vinden, gaat hier een slotje op.