I recently returned an unopened telephone to a local OfficeMax store 28 days after my original purchase. The clerk initially refused to accept the return because the phone fell into the "electronics items" category, and they can only be returned within 14 days of purchase.

The phone was a standard product always stocked by the store. Not allowing me to return it seemed illogical. So I refused to take no for an answer.

The clerk tried hiding behind all the usual customer non-friendly answers: "The rule is from corporate not from me" and "I'm not able to do it." He even said he couldn't look up the corporate address when I asked -- apparently sensing that I would be sending a nasty letter about my unfriendly experience in the store.

After I raised my voice to a level that could be heard throughout the store, the manager came and disapprovingly said he'd give me a gift card as a refund. That's not good enough, though. There's no reason for the store to hang onto my cash. He finally agreed to issue a refund to my original credit card.

That experience prompted me to look up the return policies at various electronics retailers and share them with you.

OfficeMax's closest competitor, Office Depot, also has a 14-day return policy; but it clearly spells out the electronic items that fall under the policy. And at Office Depot, they state if you pay by credit card, your refund will be on the same credit card.

Staples' policy reads like Office Depot's policy with the detailed list and similar refund method. All three stores accept non-electronics items for 30 days.

While you might expect any of the three to be willing to make exceptions to help customer relations, only Office Depot reserves the right in writing in make such exceptions.

Best Buy only lists six items that must be returned within 14 days: computers, monitors, projectors, camcorders, digital cameras and radar detectors. All other products have 30 days, unless you're a frequent purchaser in their loyalty program, in which case they give you 45 days. I have never had a problem returning un-opened products to Best Buy (unless you consider long waits in line a return problem).

Wal-Mart also has a small list of electronics that must be returned within 15 days, including computer hardware, GPS units, digital music players and portable video. Camcorders and digital cameras must be back within 30 days; and the company gives you 45 days for other computer gear. I once tried to return a digital music player after several months, and was rejected. Since these players are constantly getting replaced by new models, I don't blame the Wal-Mart for refusing my return.

Gateway.com has a standard 15-day return policy, and a stated 30-day policy on their E series computers and server products. Dell.com has a standard 21 day return policy. Dell requires you to get authorization from the company before returning the products, and will charge you a restocking fee of up to 15 percent unless the product was defective or a result of an error by Dell.

These are the official policies. But most companies will work with you if you have a good reason to be late on your return -- in the name of customer satisfaction. Unless you encounter a clerk that doesn't have a clue. There's no good policy to cover that.

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