I always tell our customers. I would rather they come back and purchase again than to go somewhere else. At my store, one year warranty refunds account for 1.2% of sales per year. The goal is 1%, but with the drought, it's to be expected. I've taken plants back myself.

Oh, yes. I've had plants from the local nursery die as well as the big box stores. I honestly notice no difference in the rate of living/dying. The problem is, the local nursery does not give refunds or exchanges. I like to buy local, but with no refund policy and considerably (waaay considerably in some cases) higher prices, it's difficult sometimes.

Oh yes indeedy. I keep all plant receipts/tags. If something does not fare well I do not hesitate to return the corpse. At that time I usually buy a replacement of some type. I must admit, I buy almost exclusively at big box stores because I cannot afford the prices at local nurseries.
Kris

I've never returned a plant in my life and I've lost many. I blame it on the weather though and not a problem with the plant when it did well all summer.

MeMo

I return plants that die. I also have been doing gardening at my sisters and have told her to keep all receipts for anything that might die.
CH

A little off-subject, but be sure to keep those perennial/tree/shrub receipts in case you ever sell. The plants can be counted as home improvements and deducted from your profit if you go over your $250,000 per person exemption. In the case of some of us, those plants could add up to a pretty penny-LOL!

I have returned a few things over the years, but I think only one of them was actually dead. Can't remember what it was though...
I also retuned a shrub that had bugs. When I bought it the eggs must have been on there and I didn't see them. A few days later, after I had planted it of course, they hatched. And this was at a high-end nursery no less. Ick.

I don't like to retun things though, plants especially. If the plant goes down hill right after buying it you can assume that it is the fault of the store/nursery and it was diseased. But I wouldn't take it back if you plant it and it slowly languishes. It isn't the fault of the store/nusery if the plant simply does not like the conditions you planted it in.

Want to hear a funny return story? Several years back I bought a Bridal Wreath at Shopko. It did fine and had lots of new growth. The next spring I decided I didn't have the room for it, so took it back (just had the tags, no receipt). The weirdo lady at the plant dep said "that isn't one of my shrubs!". Huh? Does she have pet names for them or something? The tags were on there. And my plant was super healthy and looked BETTER than her shrubs! It was BIGGER than hers too! I just told her I had bought it at another Shopko. Lol.
CMK

The only thing I've ever returned was a $50 japanese maple. Other than that I take the losses expecting that I won't have 100% success. There are so many reasons why a plant may not do well and it may have nothing to do with the quality of the plant. We have been very fortunate with trees and shrubs, thankfully since they are the most expensive (usually). Even the most root-bound beast can usually pull through OK.

This year is the first time I ever asked for replacement plants, actually. Normally I just figure if it didn't survive, I had put it in the wrong spot, or whatever - my fault. But, this time, I had 2 geraniums and one sedum not come back while their neighbors were fine, so I decided to ask for replacements. This was from Bluestone, so I didn't have to bring anything back, lol. They replaced them without a problem.

I've never returned a plant. I figure it was fine when I bought it, and if something happened to it after I planted it, it's my fault - too much/little water, wrong location, etc.

I have returned plants when they died shortly after I purchased them, usually not if they don't return the next spring. If they do well for a while & then die, I feel like it is not the store's fault. I did return some trees one spring that I purchased the previous fall. I purchased them as pink dogwoods, they came back & bloomed white. The store would not take them back because they did not guarantee color. Soon after the dogwoods began to die. I looked up on the internet to find out what was wrong & found it was some kind of borer that the site said was probably there when it was purchased so I ended up getting a refund anyway. I've returned bulbs even that did not come up.

I feel the same way, ngraham. I've only requested a replacement for one plant. I ordered it online and followed the tracking from Fedex. As it turned out whoever packaged the plants (I ordered two) slapped another label over the instructions to call for delivery instructions. When Fedex didn't delivery the first day, I called but it was too late to get it delivered before the weekend. It sat in the truck in 100 degree plus for 4 days. One survived and one died. I had to provide photo proof that it was dead and they shipped me another plant. Both are doing beautifully and if they survive what little freezing weather we have this winter, I may have shade sometime in the future.

I return plants but only within 1 week or purchase. Usually it's because I bought it on impulse (look nice, smell nice, etc..) then when I come home and do more research and see that they are toxic to my dog and/or my little toddlers.

I purchased some plants from a big box store, but changed my mind on what I wanted to put in the gardening area. So I asked the next morning if I could return them, and they said yes, because it was within their 24 hour limit for live plant returns.

BUT, this is the same store where you can return dead plants, with a receipt, within a full year for a 100 percent refund of the purchase price.

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?