Office Depot (and Office Max) is an extremely popular office equipment retailer with a massive $10b turnover per year according to Statista.
They sell a wide range of products including everything from stationary, and office furniture, right through to modern office tech including printers and laptops.
If you’ve ordered a laptop from Office Depot or are thinking of doing so but want to learn about their laptop returns policy, this post will guide you through it.
We’ve closely examined what their returns policy is to bring you up to speed with their returns window, whether you need to have a receipt, how to make a return, and have made a comparison of their policy with some of their main competitors.
Let’s take a look…
What is Office Depot’s Laptop Return Policy? The Short Answer
In short Office Depot’s return policy for laptops is 14 days from the date of purchase of the product. Simply return the product in-store with a receipt or online using their online returns process.
We’ve covered how to make a return below. Keep reading to find out more about this.
Can I Return a Laptop to Office Depot Without a Receipt?
You can still return your laptop to Office Depot without a receipt but you will need to bring along a government-approved ID to do so.
Without a receipt, Office Depot will refund the cost of the item (within the 14-day returns window) onto an Office Depot or Office Max card so you can purchase another product in-store.
How Long Will it Take to Get a Refund and How Are Refunds Made at Office Depot?
Different companies have varying policies on how the process returns and how they refund your money.
Some offer a like-for-like cash refund, while others only refund to gift cards or the like.
At Office Depot, how your refund is processed will depend on your method of payment:
- If you paid on a debit or credit card you will be refunded to that card. Processing time will depend on your bank/card issuer;
- If you paid cash or check more than 10 days ago you will be refunded in cash;
- If you paid by check less than 10 days ago, you’ll be refunded onto an Office Depot or Office Max gift card.
Essentially your refund will be made instantly unless you paid by card and then that will take as long as your bank takes to process the transaction.
Some banks process transactions instantly, some take up to 10 business days or so.
How Do I Return a Laptop to Office Depot?
Making a return to Office Depot is fairly straightforward.
If you purchased your laptop in-store then simply return to the store with your receipt and approach any of the checkouts to discuss your return.
Your refund should then be processed within the above timeframes covered above.
If you purchased your laptop from the Office Depot/Office Max online store you can make a return by:
- Login to your account
- Select your order from the “order history page”
- Click return
- Select the item you want to return
- Print the return label
- Drop your laptop with all its packaging at any of the carrier locations
Your online return should be processed within about 14 days.
Are Office Depot Online Returns Free and is There a Restocking Fee?
Yes, we checked this and the label that you print off when making your return provides for free postage and packaging.
There isn’t a restocking fee that we could see from our research.
Some companies charge restocking fees as an administrative cost of returning the product but Office Depot doesn’t appear to.
Do I Need the Box and Original Packaging to Return a Laptop to Office Depot?
We’ve checked Office Depot’s policy and it does say that you should return your laptop with all of the original packaging with the UPC code and in a “like new” condition.
If there are any issues with this then we’d recommend contacting Office Depot’s customer support page where they offer a live chat function.
You should note that if you’ve lost the main accessories, like chargers or batteries, then Office Depot is likely to reject your return so ensure you’ve packed all the items that come with your laptop back into the box.
Can I Return a Laptop to Office Depot Outside the 14-Day Window?
If you’re outside of the 14-day return window then you should first speak to a member of staff at Office Depot.
They may be able to apply some flexibility if you’re just outside of the 14-day window.
You can either do this online (we prefer this way) or by speaking to them over the phone or on the chat function.
If Office Depot won’t accept your return outside the window then we’d recommend checking your home insurance or other insurance policies for refund protection or damage cover if your item is damaged.
Another option if your laptop is damaged or has developed a fault is to return it to the manufacturer under the warranty/guarantee.
Here are the warranty lengths for some of the main brands:
A final option is to simply sell your laptop on sites such as:
- Facebook Marketplace
- eBay
- Amazon
- Craig’s list
- Online forums
How Does Office Depot’s Laptop Returns Policy Hold Up Against Competitors?
If you’re thinking of buying a laptop from Office Depot but haven’t yet pulled the trigger, it might be worth considering how their return policy holds up.
To help you with that, we’ve analyzed seven of Office Depot’s competitors’ policies:
| Store | Returns Policy |
| Lenovo.com | 30 days from invoice |
| Dell.com | 30 days from invoice |
| Walmart | 15 days |
| Costco | 90 days |
| Best Buy | 15 days |
| Kroger | 30 days |
| Target | 30 days |
| Micro Center | 15 days |
| Lowes | 30 days |
In the grand scheme of things, Office Depot’s laptop returns policy is fairly poor and came bottom of the list compared to its main competitors.
Granted, many of its competitors only beat it by one day but they are a fair distance from Costco’s Laptop Returns policy which offers an excellent 90-day return window.
Whether this is a deal breaker, we’ll leave to your good judgment.
Final Thoughts
Office Depot’s 14-day laptop returns policy is a little underwhelming compared to its competitors but they do offer free returns and are normally a good company to work with.
If you do decide to return a laptop to Office Depot then you will need to act quickly and they aren’t as forgiving as some of their competitors in our experience when packaging or boxes are missing.
If you are outside the 14-day window then it’s still worth speaking to a sales assistant or better still, management, if you want to initiate a return. You might get lucky, although it might be an Office Depot gift card you’re offered rather than a cash/credit card refund.
However, even outside the returns window, most laptop manufacturers come with a lengthy warranty of a minimum of one year and remember to check your insurance policy for refund protection or damage cover.
