Laser situation

Hi, glad I found these new forums.

I recently went to a star party and decided there and then that I needed a green light laser...just had to have one.

After deliberating and researching I opted to order from Arnold at Atlasnova. I ordered two, one on behalf of a friend. The lasers came in but one laser was "different" than the other. Arnold is running this CPF (candlepowerforum) special where the 5mW is upgraded to 19-20mW. One of the lasers, when pointed at a source, would orginally be bright (though half as bright as the second laser) but then the point would dim and become smaller...when flashing them in the dark, the "good" laser was considerably brighter and more powerful than the "defective" one. Neither of the lasers were dropped or anything...these were out of the box results.

To cut to the point, I talked to Arnold and he told me to ship it in..which is great. Problem is that the counter clerk (woman) told me that I'm responsible for shipping it back. She said I can ship it back first class instead of priority to cut costs.

Now this may seem like a small problem, but do you think I should be responsible for shipping a "defective" item back? I mean if I were shipping it back because I was not satisfied or wanted a different product, then the shipping fee is acceptable...but I shouldn't incur this cost in my eyes.

Anyways, besides that "little" problem, I'm pretty pleased with Atlasnova...the "good" laser works wonderfully and has a solid build. We all make mistakes so one defective laser isn't going to shun me away from Atlas...I like their products.

If shipping is something like 5 bucks...I won't care..but if its something like 15 or 20...then I'm in this boat I just described.

Anyways, just want an opinion! Thanks !

I am not sure the unit was defective. GLP's are never the same - some lottery takes place here. It is normal that the output power vary, and it is also normal than some units are more stable than others. I think you should consider this unit as a "defective" only if it outputs less than 5mW. Because abeland1 officially sells them as 5mW guarantied.

If you buy a defective product from a store across town, would you expect the store to buy your gas or bus fare for your return trip?

Some mail-order businesses might pay for return postage., However unless you know it's policy, I'd always assume you're responsible for return postage.

Good point, to both of you.

Well I described it in more detail to him and he said he'll just replace it..which is great! The customer service is nice, especially when you have someone to talk to!

Empath..thats a good way of putting...no I would not expect that. Despite that, shipping is a tad bit different. I just bought a computer from IBM...if it were defective, the shipping cost would be large. Let me ask you this...would say the same thing if you had to send in a large defective unit...and shipping cost upwards of $100? But you're right...I'm not familiar with the return policies anyways. Anyways, she also said she'd send the laser back express...so thats nice as well.

In any case, shipping this is closer to driving to the store to replace it..so I'll bite the bullet...it really only the principle..$10 isn't going to ruin me for life...haha. Thanks for the replie though!

How is it going to cost you $10 to ship? Last time I checked, priority mail is only $3.85?

Most warranty returns are not postage paid. Only some very large companies usually offer free return shipping, and they're the ones that usually charge more than other companies.

Well thats even better. I was being "conservative". My point being, I've realized that I'm being a bit over the top with the issue. Well...probably not the best first-post..but glad to be here!

And yes, you're right..xenophobe...its usually the large companies.