Obviously gigantic YMMV, but here's what happened with mine.
Everything looked great and it included all that it should, just missing the booklets. However, the A button was not great. Had to press it a lot harder than normal to register. I could easily not put much pressure on it and wouldn't work at all.
Return options through the app/site were to print a return label or go to a store. Wife and I were going out anyway so we added Best Buy to the trip.
This is the YMMV part.
Best Buy was not busy but definitely understaffed. Waited at the checkout line which was also where they took returns. That's not exactly how I remember it, but it's been a while.
Tell the guy what happened and he said "So you want to exchange it?" Uh... yeah?
My biggest thing was I didn't want a refund because I didn't want to have to make another order. Returning through UPS would have resulted in the refund, thus the store visit, but this went WAY better than expected.
He offered the exchange and then went to the back to grab another one. My wife and I are starting to think he's grabbing a new one and not a refurb, so I tell her that we shouldn't get our hopes up if it doesn't work.
After a while, he makes it back, brand new controller box in hand. He said he didn't want to give us another refurb since it could also be messed up and he didn't want us to have to come back. Excellent!
We small talked a bit about this controller and the Elite Series 1, he went through the transaction and took off the $75 difference, and then he offered the replacement plan. I normally am not a sucker for these, but I've heard for years that it's a good idea with these controllers. After my experience earlier in the day, I understand. I also know this guy is going way above and beyond, so I decide I'll do it and give him the bonus points for the sale. He throws out the scenario of "maybe your right trigger stops working in almost two years, wink wink, and maybe there's a Series 3 controller at that point that you could put this toward." Don't know exactly how the upgrade path works, but I'm still down anyway. Bonus is that with the refurb pricing, the replacement plan was $10 cheaper.
So all said, I almost paid full retail, but I also got a new controller instead of a refurb and a guarantee of new controller in case something happens, wink wink.
Thanks again, Cheapy!