While the Oculus Rift could be occasionally found on sale at $350 over the last 12 months, the actual MSRP of the headset has been steady at $400 for a little over a year. Last week the company opted to drop the MSRP to a new low of $350. Those unfortunate souls that bought a Rift in that short window where the price was still $400 may be bummed at not waiting just a bit longer for the savings. However there may still be time to get a $50 refund.
Update (January 17th, 2019): As the Rift saw another price cut last week, pushing the MSRP down to $350, we’re bumping up this list of refund options for folks who might have been unlucky and bought at the $400 MSRP just before the change.
If You Paid With a Credit Card
Many major credit card companies offer cards which come with a Price Protection feature which could get you a refund on the price difference between the $400 and $350 MSRP, if you bought your Rift using said credit card. Many cards offer generous windows for Price Protection, some up to 90 days.
According to NerdWallet, some cards from Mastercard, Visa, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Deserve, and HSBC, offer Price Protection, but it varies depending upon the card. If the card you bought your Rift with includes one of those logos, it’s worth flipping your card over and calling the support number on the back to double check with the issuer directly to see if you have any sort of Price Protection.
If You Bought From Best Buy
For those that bought the Rift at $400 from Best Buy, you might still be eligible for the store’s Price Match Guarantee, which can be claimed even after your purchase, as long as it’s within the return period. The store’s policy states:
If we lower our in-store or online price during the return and exchange period, we will match our lower price, upon request.
Best Buy’s standard return period is 15 days, but members of their ‘My Best Buy’ program could have an even longer return period: 30 days for Elite members, and 45 days for ElitePlus members. If you shop often (or bought a big purchase in the last year) from Best Buy, you might be part of those upper tiers without even knowing it—you qualify to be an Elite member if you’ve spent $1,500+ in the calendar year, and an ElitePlus member if you’ve spent $3,500+.
If you bought a Rift and are still within the return period, give Best Buy a ring at 1 (888) 237-8289 and tell them you’d like to price match your Rift to the current $350 price.
If You Bought From the Microsoft Store
If you picked up your Rift from the Microsoft Store at the $400 price point, the store’s Terms of Sale indicate that they’ll refund the difference in price drops for 30 days following your purchase:
[…] if we lower our price on a device within 30 days of your purchase, we will honor the lower price. If you notice that we have lowered a price on a device you recently purchased, just bring your original sales receipt back to the place of purchase or contact Sales and Support, as applicable, and we’ll gladly issue a refund or credit for the difference (if you paid with a credit card, you’ll need to use the same card). You must contact Microsoft within 30 days of the price change to receive the refund or credit.
If you’re within the 30 day window, give the Microsoft Store support linke a call at 1-877-696-7786 and tell them you’d like a refund for the difference to the new $350 price.
If You Bought From Newegg
Like other retailers, Newegg’s Price Match Guarantee extends for a window following the actual purchase. However, the store’s guarantee only applies to certain products, and it isn’t clear if the Rift is among them at present.
Newegg’s Price Match Guarantee states that you can get a refund for the difference in price drop if you:
Find a lower advertised price for the same item (identical brand and model number) by a major retailer* within 14 calendar days after the date of your purchase.
If you’re within the 14 day post-purchase Price Match Guarantee window, you can try submiting a claim for a refund from Newegg here.
If You Bought From Amazon
Amazon only has a small window following your purchase for which you can request a refund for the difference of a price drop: just one week (and only if the order was fulfilled by Amazon). If you fall within that window, contact Amazon support to ask about a refund. Amazon’s support is typically pretty good and sometimes flexible—even if you’re outside of the stated seven day window for price-related refunds, it’s worth giving them a call or contact them by chat just to double check if they’ll considering offering a refund for the difference of your Rift purchase.
Alternatively, it may be possible to return your Rift for a full refund, and simply purchase it again at the new lower price. Amazon’s return policy states that “unopened” items fulfilled by Amazon can be returned within 30 days for a full refund, though it isn’t entirely clear how carefully they check to see if an item has been opened, assuming everything is back in the box as new.
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If you bought your Rift at a store not listed above, it may be worth contacting the store you purchased the headset from to double check if they offer post-purchase price matching, or if you could return the purchase for a full refund (and then buy the Rift at the lower price).
