On July reached out to Lowe’s and Home Depot for comments about their increasingly restrictive return windows for major appliances; neither retailer responded to requests for clarification.
🔧 What Changed?
- Home Depot now enforces a 48‑hour return window specifically for major appliances — including refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and certain microwaves. Customers must report any damage or defects within 48 hours (excluding weekends) of delivery or in‑store pickup by calling their Customer Solutions team.
- Lowe’s applies the same 48‑hour policy to major appliances as well as other higher‑priced items like utility vehicles, generators, pressure washers, chainsaws, evaporative coolers, air conditioners, and paint sprayers.
- Walmart similarly limits returns on major appliances with defects to a two-day window, with all returns for these items processed through its online portal.
- In contrast, retailers like Costco allow up to 90 days for appliance returns, while Best Buy offers standard 15-day return windows and up to 60 days for My Best Buy Plus/Total members. Amazon generally accepts returns within 30 days if items are unused and within original condition.
🧾 Impact on Consumers
- Under these new policies, customers who discover faults after 48 hours typically must resort to manufacturer warranties to address issues — shifting responsibility off the retailer.
- A widely circulated incident in Cheektowaga, N.Y., highlights the consequences: a homeowner bought a dishwasher from Home Depot that never worked. Initially denied a return after 48 hours, she ultimately received a refund only after public pressure.
🧵 Voices from Reddit
- A Lowe’s appliance sales associate confirmed: “You have 48 hrs from time of delivery to report damage, failure … anything after that 48 hours has to go through the manufacturer’s warranty”
- Another Redditor, a Lowe’s appliance department employee, noted customers are informed at purchase that post‑48‑hour issues are out of the store’s return window and must be handled via warranty, despite confusion or frustration.
⚖️ Why Are Retailers Doing This?
Pump-fake reasons given by critics include:
- Minimizing returns abuse — such as appliances being used briefly and returned.
- Passing liability to manufacturers —
forcing customers to file warranty claims rather than handle returns in-store. - A shift toward selling extended protection plans, which can be more profitable than absorbing the cost of a return request.
🧠 Consumer Implications & Alternatives
| Retailer | Major Appliance Return Policy |
|---|---|
| Home Depot | 48 hours (report defects/damage) |
| Lowe’s | Similar 48-hour rule on appliances and other high-value goods |
| Walmart | 48 hours via online return portal |
| Best Buy | 15 days (60 days for premium members) |
| Amazon | ~30 days if unused and in orig. condition |
| Costco | 90 days, easier and generous return/refund terms |
- Customers must inspect appliances immediately upon delivery or installation and report issues to qualify for store-handled returns.
- After 48 hours, the onus shifts to manufacturer warranty coverage, which often incurs service delays and additional steps.
- Costco and Best Buy are emerging as promising alternatives for appliance shoppers seeking longer return windows and brighter customer service experiences.
📌 Summary
- Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s now enforce a stricter 48‑hour return window on major appliances for defects or damage.
- Neither Lowe’s nor Home Depot commented to USA TODAY as of July 25.
- After 48 hours, consumers typically must rely on manufacturer warranties — often slower, more burdensome, and less forgiving.
- Meanwhile, retailers like Costco and Best Buy offer more generous return periods and may become more attractive to appliance buyers.
As consumers become aware of these tightened policies, many are revaluating their options when shopping for high‑ticket home appliances — especially given that defects sometimes take days to surface.