Lowe’s Appliance Return Policy: Ultimate Guide

Lowe’s is one of the country’s best-loved home appliance retailers with a whopping yearly turnover of close to $100 billion.

Lowe’s stocks every major appliance you could ever need including:

• Refrigerators
• Washers
• Dryers
• Ranges
• Hoods
• Dishwashers
• Microwaves and
• Ovens

If you’ve purchased an appliance from Lowe’s but are looking to make a return; perhaps it’s not performing as you expected, it’s defective or you’ve received the wrong item, then you’ll need to get up to speed with their return policy.

Lowe’s has a particularly short return window for major appliances so you must act quickly.

To help, we’ve considered the return window, how to make a return, whether you need a receipt, and much more…

What is Lowe’s Appliance Return Policy? Short Answer

In short, Lowe’s requires that you return appliances within 48 hours of delivery or pickup to secure a full refund or exchange. There are some exceptions that we will cover below.

Exceptions to the 48-hour rule

Lowe’s applies an exception to the 48-hour rule if the appliance is returned in its original, unopened, factory packaging and/or if you purchased using:

• A Lowe’s Commercial Account
• Lowe’s Business Advantage
• Lowe’s Advantage card
• Lowe’s Business Rewards
• Lowe’s Preload Card
• Lowe’s Lease to Own

This extends the usual 48-hour window to 30 days from the date of purchase.

You should note that the appliance return policy applies to the following appliances:

• Refrigerators
• Washers
• Dryers
• Ranges
• Hoods
• Dishwashers
• Microwaves and
• Ovens

It does not apply to the following which instead have a 30-day window:

What about Defective Appliances?

If your appliance arrives defective or develops a fault during the warranty period, then Lowe’s asks that you set up an appointment for someone to come and assess the appliance to repair the same at no cost to you. Contact Lowe’s at 1-888-77-LOWES (56937).

How to Return Appliances to Lowes

You can return appliances by either returning them in-store or by using the mail-in return process.

To return in-store do the following:

1. Locate your nearest Lowe’s
2. Bring the product to the customer service desk
3. Show your ID and proof of purchase

The other option is to start a return online.

You will then be required to box up the time (make sure you include all the accessories and manuals), print two labels to attach to the outside of the box, and either await shipment or drop the package at your local drop-off point (instructions will be provided when you initiate the return).

For really large items such as refrigerators, we’d recommend reaching out to Lowe’s at 1-888-77-LOWES (56937) to initiate the return that way.

Related Post:
Lowe’s Tool Return policy

Are Appliance Returns Free at Lowe’s?

There is no restocking fee unless the order is a specially configured item (in which case the fee is 20% if returned after 72 hours) and they do provide free return delivery.

However, any original labor or installation costs will not be refunded nor will any original delivery charges unless the product has been sent due to Lowe’s error.

Do You Need a Receipt to Return Appliances to Lowe’s?

Without a receipt, Lowe’s requires a government-issued ID to check their system.

They will then usually offer you an in-store credit to use in-store to the value of the item’s current price.

However, you should note that in most instances Lowe’s will be able to trace your order, especially if you ordered online as an email is sent to your inbox upon purchase.

They can also trace the order through your credit/debit card.

What to Do Outside the Return Window?

If you’re already outside the return window for the item, then there are still some things you can do.

Here are some suggestions:

• If your item has developed a fault, remember most appliances come with at least a 12-month warranty with some being as long as 10 years depending on the manufacturer. You can rely on this to secure a refund, repair, or replacement in most instances. Reach out to Lowe’s using 1-888-77-LOWES (56937);
• If you’re only just outside the window, reach out to Lowe’s as they may be able to extend it slightly;
• The other option is to simply sell the item. You can often get decent resale value on sites such as eBay, public forums and Facebook Marketplace.

How Does Lowe’s Appliance Return Policy Compare to the Competition?

We’ve analyzed the competition to see how their policies compare.

Here is what we discovered:

Store	Return Policy
Costco	90 days
Walmart	90 days
Amazon	30 days
Target	30 days
Kohl’s	180 days

Final Thoughts

In summary, Lowe’s offers a fairly poor and ungenerous appliance return policy at the most basic level and it only fares slightly better when the exceptions apply to extend it to 30 days.

However, Lowe’s has one of the best selections of appliances around and including delivery and installation where required (at a cost).

They also provide free returns delivery in most cases.

But compared to companies such as Costco and Kohl’s who offer 90 and 180 days respectively, Lowe’s shorter return window may well put a lot of people off.