The word is, although the Palm Pre with its webOS goodness is a hot item, it does have a few problems as apparently Palm pre handset are being returned at a rate of nearly 40 percent.

That’s right, according to an article on Barrons, Kevin Dede, an analyst for Jesup & Lamont estimates nearly half of Palm Pre smartphones sold are being returned by unhappy customers.

Apparently the problem is the rate of defect which has plagued the Palm Pre in the United States. Managers of local retailers Sprint, Best Buy and Radio Shack say that roughly 1 in 3 Palm Pre handsets are being returned.