I started the year using Sonlight (the link is a referral link) for both of my kids. I purchased two complete packages from Sonlight, which qualified for Sonlight Returns with their Love to Learn, Love to Teach Guarantee. Under this guarantee, you have one full year to return the curriculum if you don’t like it. You can use materials up to week 18 and still receive a full refund. Since Sonlight is one of the most expensive curriculums on the market, this guarantee makes purchasing Sonlight less risky. It is an expensive curriculum to purchase, only to find it’s not a good fit. This is exactly what happened to us this year.
Even though I have used many Sonlight products in the past, this was the first time jumping into full cores. For several reasons, I found it wasn’t a good fit for my youngest. You can read about why we switched in our Mid Year Homeschool Curriculum Update. For this post I want to focus on my experience returning a full package to Sonlight, utilizing their Love to Learn, Love to Teach Guarantee.
The Sonlight Returns Process
I initiated my return online through my Sonlight account. There are full return instructions available on the website. It said I needed the sticker from my original packing slip, which I couldn’t find. I initiated a chat with customer relations through the website, and was told it was okay not to have the sticker on the box as long as the address was clearly displayed. Customer relations was easy to contact and very helpful with this.
When you initiate the return through your Sonlight account, you will get a checklist of items to return. If you are keeping any of the items, simply uncheck that box. I decided to keep the Timeline Book and the Markable Map so I unchecked those boxes. Unchecking the box will automatically deduct the price of the item from your refund amount.
Packing the Box
Sonlight gives instructions for packing the box on the website. All binders, CDs, and DVDs should be packed on top of the books. I used the Sonlight box that the items came in, as it was still in good condition. I neatly packed all of the materials in the box. In fact, my packing was much more orderly than Sonlight’s. When I had received the original order there were no protective packing materials and it looked like the books had literally been thrown in the box. I made sure to do a better job so the items wouldn’t get damaged in shipping.
Shipping to Sonlight
Per Sonlight’s return policy, the customer is responsible to pay for shipping. I feel like this is fair since I did use a few weeks worth of the materials. The box was heavy and FedEx shipping cost me about $35.I am only about 70 miles from Sonlight’s warehouse, so shipping took less than a day. I sent it the afternoon of October 6th, and it was received by Sonlight by 8:30 am on October 7th.
Return Processing Time
This is where my experience becomes less than positive. After I received notice that my order was signed for, I kept looking for updates to my account reflecting that the return was received. There were no updates. This return made me nervous from the very beginning since it was a lot of money I was shipping back. If something happens with the return, I’m out the books and the money. I kept careful watch over the return process. When my account wasn’t updated, I contacted customer service. At that point I was told it takes ten days to process a return. This is in keeping with their written policy on the website.
After ten days passed, I checked the account and still no update. Once again, I contacted customer service. At that point I was told processing would take 15-20 days. Okay, I understand publishers are busy and running behind.
On day 21, I checked again for updates. Still nothing. I contacted customer service for a third time, and was informed the processing time is now 25-30 days. I questioned this response, as every time I contact Sonlight, the processing time gets longer and longer.
The Conclusion
When I first initiated the return process, I thought this would make for a great way to review and promote Sonlight. Reviews usually focus on the actual curriculum, not on the company and the Love to Learn, Love to Teach Guarantee. I really was looking forward to highlighting their great customer service and easy return process. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.
I finally received my refund from Sonlight on November 23rd. They paid everything in full, but it took a loooong time.
My Final Thoughts on Sonlight Returns
I feel like it is important to share my experience with my readers. My refund amount was over $600. That is A LOT of money to have tied up in a curriculum I don’t have access to. Thankfully, I have plenty of homeschool resources on hand, and I was able to start Peyton on other curriculum right away. This is not the case for everyone. Once you ship that box of books back to Sonlight, you no longer have access to your homeschool curriculum. If your budget is tied up in that box of books and you have to wait for your refund to be processed before you can get new curriculum, this is a problem. Ten days is a reasonable wait time. Nearly two months is not so reasonable.
I still think Sonlight is a great curriculum, but my return experience was a little disappointing. While I am thankful that it all worked out in the end, I think there is definite room for improvement in their handling of returns. This is especially true because they really push their Love to Learn, Love to Teach Guarantee. Buyer beware, if you decide Sonlight isn’t a good fit for your family, you may be stuck without a curriculum or your money for awhile.
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