Keeping a disappointing purchase feels easier than packaging it. That small delay is how a product you do not like becomes something you own for years.
Return it when
- It does not solve the problem you bought it for.
- Fit or comfort is merely tolerable.
- A required subscription changed the value.
- Setup or maintenance is greater than expected.
- You are inventing a future use to justify keeping it.
Test immediately
Open products carefully, preserve packaging and run the real-life test early in the return window. Put the deadline on the calendar when you buy.
Do not keep a poor fit because research took time. The purpose of research is a better decision, including the decision to send something back.