Ruined the wedding dress i was going to send back

Just return it to a big John Lewis. If you had tried it in store they wouldn’t make you pay it if your neck makeup had rubbed on it?
Otherwise they would be making you try a sample dress like proper wedding shops. :) don’t worry this happens all the time!
it’s your right since you didn’t USE It.

Don't be ridiculous!

Take it to a dry cleaners and ask for their advice - they are the experts

Agree with this. I just had to buy wedding suits for my sons. I had to order two sizes each to see what fit. If I could have tired them in store I would have but no one actually has them in store anymore

On the multiple ordering thing I think it's fine to do as the OP has done here but there's definitely an issue for retailers where those Insta/TikTok 'influencer' types order a massive haul of clothes simply for the purposes of generating their most recent content and then send it all back for free. And it is the reason, in part at least, why some places no longer offer free returns.

@whathaveidonehelp

I will talk to them, and will tell them exactly what has happened. They might have insurance that covers this kind of thing, although i think thats highly unlikely. Up to them to decide.

This is crazy. You can't take it back.

Ridiculous

Oh, it wouldn't be nice for the next bride, though. Plus costumes deteriorate slightly every time they are drycleaned. The original stain may even "disappear" but reappear in certain lighting on the big day. I'm glad OP is more honest.

I would take it to the dry cleaners for them to sort out. If it works, you don’t need to tell JL-you’d be returning a clean, unworn (except for trying on) dress. That’s not being dishonest..

Would your wedding insurance cover it?

This is why re-stocking fees came about.

Good shout!!!

If the stain comes out then no one will ever know, will they?

You will have to pay for it now tbh

In the "reason for return" section of the return form for just about any company I have ever ordered clothes from online is "More than one item ordered for fit" or similar. Businesses who sell online expect this and if it wasn't an option they offered, they would lose business because people wouldn't buy from them.

I’m 5 foot 1 and very awkwardly shaped - short torso with comparatively long legs, large boobs, very narrow hips etc. I have a pretty good idea these days of the styles that suit me but even so it often takes several tries to find clothing that fits. I definitely send back more than I keep.

Very envious of taller people with a more ‘classic’ body shape who find well-fitting clothes with ease!

I mean, the dress is still new. I used to work in fashion retail when younger - the shop sold expensive dresses. Staff would clean makeup stains and steam the dresses if this happened after a customer tried the dress on. So I don’t think it’s an egregious issue.

But surely the alternative is potentially ordering one dress at a time and returning each one separately until you find one that fits/suits? Meaning lots of separate deliveries and return couriers? Whereas ordering a few at once is actually better really - fewer deliveries, less packaging etc?

I don't care about the ordering multiple dress ordering, my issue is why someone would expect a shop to refund a dress they admit to ruining themselves

Just get it dry cleaned

I can't afford to buy multiple sizes of dresses online, so I only order one at a time, send it back if it doesn't fit, then wait for the refund before ordering it in a different size.

I don't think it's cheeky to order multiple sizes though!

OP, if your dress is white you could try Daz. My daughter was flower girl at my friend's wedding, and her dress was white with burgundy piping. DD was only just five so naturally it got stained during the day of the wedding. I took it to a dry cleaner who didn't know if they'd be able to get the stains out. This was a handmade silk dress. She suggested I try washing it in Daz on a delicate cycle, and it absolutely worked!

DDs dress came out as pristine as it was when new.

As long as the garment is sized accurately.
Have you managed to buy a single item that fits, is exactly the colour shown online and suits you, every time you shop? If so you are rarer than hen's teeth and I am beyond envious

Of course its a problem - they cannot sell it as new to another unsuspecting customer. And that is NOT honest!

Are you serious?

I think most stores are happy you do that. Firstly, lots of stores now have stock that’s only available online (that means reduced costs as they’re only paying for warehouse space to keep the item, not premium retail space). How are you supposed to decide if you like something without trying it on? They expect you to order items and then return some of them. They wouldn’t do it if it didn’t make financial sense for them.

Secondly, you’re paying for the items and if you return for a refund the company will have had your money to use for a couple of weeks or longer. That’s essentially an interest free loan for them, isn’t it?