Of course you will pay a higher handling fee for CEI's service. Our shipping and handling fees are higher than buying from the factory on-line store, but you would have a higher cost if you tried to get an aspirin from a hospital emergency room instead of your corner drug store. Uniden, like many other dealers, have significant restrictions on the return of products after purchase. For example, when a Bearcat scanner is purchased directly from Communications Electronics you get the standard Uniden one year limited factory warranty. When you purchase the like-new product from the Uniden factory store, your limited factory warranty is reduced from one year to ninety days.
Many dealers find product returns for any reason to be a burden.
Therefore it is always wise to ask what the policy is of each independent dealer. Please shop at a store that has business policies which fit in with your needs. Many dealers will also have their business policies in written form either on their web site or in their store. We want our products in their dealership so you can get the products you desire when you visit one of our dealers. I am glad you have found a Uniden dealer that can service you to your satisfaction.