# Returns edge cases

These are hypothetical decision scenarios, not verified incidents or universal
merchant policies. Start with the intake and release gates in
[decision-frameworks.md](decision-frameworks.md). Proposed remedies need the
applicable rights, contract, evidence and authorised decision owner.

1. **High-use laptop within a policy window.** Cycles and SSD writes can inform
   condition but do not establish exact age, degradation, fraud or purchase
   history. Compare service/dispatch records and test safely. Check applicable
   acceptance terms, sanitise, and describe actual used/open-box condition. Do
   not allege a swap merely from diagnostic counters or restock as new.
2. **Improperly packaged lithium return intercepted by a carrier.** Stop routing
   and contact the trained hazmat/carrier owner. Arrange an approved recovery
   plan, not automatic forwarding or return to the consumer. An ordinary label
   and generic UN box do not establish compliance. Wh thresholds, marks and air
   restrictions depend on the actual battery and shipping configuration. Track
   customer remedy deadlines separately from the physical incident.
3. **Canadian customer returns a US purchase.** Reconcile who collected product
   price, duty, tax and brokerage fees and who was importer. For eligible personal
   imports consult CBSA casual-refund instructions (B2G as applicable), with proof
   of return and payment. Do not substitute a commercial B2 claim or promise tax
   recovery. US drawback of US duties is a separate eligibility question, not a
   refund of Canadian tax. Declare a truthful customs value and ask the broker
   which returned-goods relief applies; never mark valuable goods zero-value or
   assign 9801/9813 automatically. Avoid duplicate reimbursement/recovery.
4. **Influencer returns worn apparel.** Apply the actual policy and legal rights
   consistently, distinguishing try-on from documented damage. No invented 15%
   fee, media-value estimate or automatic new-condition resale. Marketing
   opportunities are separate, optional and require consent and outreach authority.
5. **Warranty complaint after a RAM upgrade.** Do not deny solely for an unrelated
   third-party part. Check governing warranty law and causal evidence with an
   authorised technician; a test with original RAM is evidence, not proof that
   every possible causal link is excluded. Do not promise manufacturer coverage
   or reimbursement. Maintain any independent seller obligations.
6. **Frequent returns from a high-spending customer.** Return frequency is not
   fraud. Review condition, actual evidence and category expectations. Gross or
   net revenue is not contribution profit or lifetime value. Do not impose an
   automatic hold, immunity or different legal remedy based on spending.
7. **Recalled heater outside the voluntary window.** Isolate safely, identify the
   exact recall remedy and contact the recall owner. Do not test, restock,
   liquidate or destroy contrary to instructions. A retailer's ability to refund
   or recoup the cost is not automatic; help the customer follow the authorised
   route without using the ordinary window to dismiss a safety concern.
8. **Gift receipt after a price change.** Verify purchase price and applicable
   gift policy/rights. Refund or credit under those rules; do not silently use
   the lower current price when the documented policy promises purchase price.
   An even exchange is a separately approved option. Protect purchaser privacy.
9. **Online sale returned in-store.** Query the actual order and prior credits.
   Never substitute current shelf price or assume original-tender routing will
   cap an erroneous amount. If lookup fails, use the approved exception path
   while preserving deadlines and a customer escalation route.
10. **Suspected counterfeit marketplace return.** Quarantine, document and seek
    qualified brand/authenticity review. Protect customer remedy rights without
    asserting guilt or definitive authenticity from weight alone. Preserve
    evidence; seller restrictions, regulator reports and disposal need the
    responsible owner and applicable process. Do not return it to resale channels.
11. **Return and card dispute overlap.** Coordinate with payments on actual
    processor/network deadlines and settlement status. Keep the physical return
    moving where appropriate. Do not cancel it, demand dispute withdrawal or
    retain goods without a valid remedy just because a dispute is open. Reconcile
    one final credit; an email promise is not bank confirmation.
12. **Discounted defective TV.** Base any refund on the actual transaction,
    including tax/credit reconciliation, rather than retail list price. Offer the
    remedies actually available; do not assert a specific brand covers every
    pixel defect or guarantees wholesale reimbursement.
13. **Personalised gift.** Check whether the final-sale disclosure and applicable
    exception are valid; defective/misdescribed goods can have independent
    remedies. Do not replace a mandatory refund with arbitrary 50% store credit.
    Assess realistic recovery and privacy before resale or donation; no automatic
    fair-market-value deduction for inventory.
14. **Branded product bought from a reseller.** Establish seller, authenticity,
    warranty territory/transfer terms and statutory rights. The brand store is
    not automatically obliged or authorised to exchange/refund; neither is every
    unauthorised-channel warranty automatically void. Provide the actual remedy
    route and avoid refunding unverified list price.
15. **Partial subscription-box return.** Check bundle allocation, terms and legal
    cancellation/defect rights. A curated business model does not override them.
    Show any optional exchange/credit clearly without claiming all partial
    refunds destroy economics or that new subscribers lack value.
16. **Bulk B2B return.** Reconcile the authorised return against PO/invoice and
    contract, using paid price rather than list price. Batch scanning does not
    replace appropriate inspection, authenticity and safety controls. Do not
    automatically count all sealed units as new or recovered cash.
17. **Loaner and repaired appliance.** Track ownership and the loan agreement
    separately from the original remedy. An incomplete/failed repair may create
    additional rights; do not assume the old return window disposes of the claim
    or impose a use deduction without a lawful basis. Offer any sale of a loaner
    only through the authorised asset and safety process.
18. **Safety allegations after a viral review.** Treat overheating as a safety
    report for technical/compliance assessment. A higher-wattage USB-C supply
    does not inherently force excess power into a lower-rated device; investigate
    negotiation, faults and foreseeable use. Do not declare all units safe,
    restock as new, dismiss recall/reporting duties or promise fixed timelines
    for a media cycle. Preserve evidence and authorise any public response.
19. **Cross-shipment.** Verify both orders and packing records; do not assume any
    mismatch proves a two-customer swap. Resolve each customer's rights through
    approved replacements/returns. Reconcile each unit's status: additional
    replacement shipments and returned items are not a zero inventory movement.
    Avoid a duplicate label if the first customer's item has already arrived.
20. **Enterprise device with regulated data.** Agree custody, processing authority
    and handling obligations before receipt. Quarantine from resale and use
    medium-appropriate verified sanitisation under the organisation's policy and
    current NIST guidance. A factory reset may or may not meet the required
    outcome; DBAN/overwrites are not a universal SSD solution and degaussing
    does not sanitise flash. NIST does not certify named wipe products or declare
    HIPAA compliance. Record device/media identifiers, method, verification,
    validation, result, operator and date. Failed media remain quarantined until
    an approved method succeeds or documented destruction is authorised. A
    certificate is evidence of a process, not immunity from breach liability.

## Verification sources

- [NIST sanitisation guidance](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/88/r2/final)
- [PHMSA battery transport resources](https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/lithiumbatteries)
- [CBSA casual refunds](https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/courier/crig-robi-eng.html)

Verify jurisdiction-specific warranty, consumer, product safety and tax rules
before a legal conclusion; the scenarios do not supply that determination.