Productopia

Buyer's remorse can strike anybody. We've all returned things that disappointed us or simply didn't quite live up to expectations. Usually, however, these aren't really big-ticket items. That could change, thanks to a new program being initiated by General Motors this week. In the wake of an unpopular taxpayer bailout and a humiliating bankruptcy that has resulted in the U.S. government taking a controlling stake in the automaker, GM hopes to change buyers' negative perceptions about its products with an interesting new promotion it simply calls the Satisfaction Guarantee. Beginning Monday, September 14, people who buy a new 2009 or 2010 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac vehicle (excluding medium-duty trucks) will be able to return it for a refund of the full purchase price and sales tax.

In its press release announcing the program, GM says that the vehicles can be returned between 31 and 60 days of their original purchase, and must have less than 4,000 miles on the odometer if/when they're turned back in. Of course, it's a bit more more complicated than that. The announcement notes that "Customers will be informed in writing before they buy the vehicle of the terms of the Satisfaction Guarantee," meaning there's plenty of other fine print that must be adhered to to keep everybody honest.  For instance, there's specific paperwork that must be filed if a customer elects to return a vehicle, and all such vehicles are subject to inspection by "GM or GM's agent" (read: the dealer) prior to the buy-back. If the inspector determines that the car or truck has sustained more than $200 in damage (even if that damage has been repaired), GM can decline to re-purchase it from the customer.  Otherwise, what's to stop a less-than-honest person from negotiating a deal on, say, a new Corvette or Camaro, only to return to the dealership after a month of burnouts, donuts, and generally abusive driving to say, "You know what?  It's just not for me. Sorry!"

So, now it's your turn to tell us what you think: Is a money-back guarantee enough to get you to plunk down your money on new GM car or truck instead of a competing brand? Is the Satisfaction Guarantee just a gimmick designed to get more foot traffic into GM dealerships stocked with new 2010 product this fall? Let us know your take in the comments.

Toys "R" Us wants your old video games, and we're talking OLD. The company's new trade-in program promises to offload your Intellivision, Atari 2600 and Nintendo 64 game cartridges, in addition to games for a dozen other vintage and current systems. In return, you'll get a Toys "R" Us gift card that you can use to buy new stuff.

But how much cash value can you expect for your Super Mario Bros. classics? Toys "R" Us representatives wouldn't tell us. We're currently searching our closets and under our beds for vintage gems. We'll report back on whether the Toys "R" Us program makes it worth our while.

Cordless phones used to have a tough time fighting through the electronic wall of noise generated by computers, routers, garage-door openers, cell phones and the like -- even microwave ovens. DECT phones, on the other hand, use a dedicated frequency band that's all its own to cut through the din and deliver  interference-free cordless call quality. Prices have dropped, too, so that DECT phones are no more expensive than other types.

Owners of current Samsung Blu-ray players, including the BD-P1600, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600, got a pre-Labor-Day present from the company in the form of a firmware update that adds YouTube streaming video. The players already support streaming content from Netflix and Pandora Internet radio, and streaming video from Blockbuster is also promised by the end of the year.