Flood of Generator Returns to Big Box Stores

Generator companies are reporting brisk sales of portable generators as millions of Americans remain without electricity after Hurricane Irene.

Big box stores who sell gasoline generators are facing a flood of returns once the lights come back on. It is a common occurrence. Consumers come to regret the pricey purchases and generally try to return portable generators after their personal crisis passes. We find many consumers end up disappointed at the quality of gasoline generators.

Retailers typically say they accept returns of generators if they have not been used, while some take back used items for a fee. Home Depot accepts returns of gasoline-powered items like generators within 30 days of purchase, but it reserves the right to charge a maintenance fee if a used item has to be cleaned or restored to resell.

Either way, the stores usually carry the financial burden of returns, especially in areas such as the Northeast, where residents are less likely to need them again soon than in more hurricane-prone areas.

Many companies avoid the "weekend rentail" customers by having a no return policy. You bought it, its yours. You can not return it.

Aurora Generators sells online, not through retail outlets. It takes a few days to receive your order. There is no instant gratification. Returns are not an issue for us.

Since our focus on power generation only, we are a better place to shop for generators. We are well educated and understand our customers needs. Selling generators is all we do. Customers have read reviews, done some research and seek us out. Retail stores are different, they sell to the impulse buyer, or those in desperate need during an emergency.

While Aurora has seen a fivefold increase in orders this month. Many are not aware that when you have an event of this magnitude, there are just not enough generators in the marketplace to meet the demand.

A rush to buy generators has become such a predictable rite during hurricane season that Aurora Generators stockpiles units heading into the summer months. Big storm events typically lead to mentally scarred consumers into purchasing generators for months after the fact.

Many residents in the Southern U.S. avoid the rush by having  standby generators installed in their homes beforehand. In Florida, about 2% of single-family homes now have backup systems, one of the highest rates in the U.S.