I don't think the intent is abuse. But without being able to hear in a brick & morter environment, sometimes you need to see if it's better than what you have in your house. That said, my guess is more often than not people really like it and want to keep it. That's what I've done.
What I'm talkin about, I'll use this as an example:
I've never heard the new RSL CG23 Bookshelves. I could easily order a pair, have them shipped to my house audition them for a week or so, and send them back. Get refunded so I could say that I have heard them.
Now I don't need them. I have no space for them, and have no way to integrate them into my system. So it would be purely just so I can hear them, but I don't want to really pay for them.
Now RSL has to eat shipping. Has to eat a new set of speakers basically and sell them as B stock and take less of a profit margin. I'm sure their profits aren't like most speaker companies that are sold in Boutique and Big Box stores across the country and around the world. I'm sure they have factored in a percentage of what they sell that would be returned, but when those returns are abused and that percentage rises that can't be a good thing. That would mean costs would have to go up and that would affect everybody that would be paying for those that abuse the policy.
Now if you're in the market for a set of speakers and when they get to your home you really truly just don't like them well that's a different story.
