Charity shop refusing refund

[BlazeMonsterMachine]

This is such a trivial thing I realise, but for some reason it's annoyed me....

I needed a new pair of jeans, so popped to the local charity shop. With covid restrictions, you can't try clothes on at the moment, so when paying I asked about what to if they don't fit.

They told me to keep the receipt and I can exchange them. I queried whether there could be a refund, but apparently not - exchange only.

Now we're talking less than £10 here, and I realise it's charity, but it just doesn't sit right....

Are they allowed to do this? It feels like I'm just throwing money away / making a donation rather than shopping. It just strikes me as bizarre that I have to guess as to whether something fits and tough luck if it doesn't (as there's no guarantee that they'll have anything I want to exchange for).

Just wondering if anyone knows if this is the correct procedure as annoyingly the jeans don't fit.

I'm not planning on kicking up a fuss when I go back, but if they don't have a pair of jeans I could swap for, it would be good to know if i could push for a refund.

I picked up a hoover and steam mop today in a charity shop for a family I work with. They clarified they are tested but any problems they offer a credit note on return. They also let me have a go in the shop (obvs differnet for clothes) and talked me into an air dryer I was dithering over! I think this is fair for second hand goods.

If an item is not fit for purpose, you are entitled to a refund. Clothing does not come under this if just doesn't fit. I thought if you couldnt try on that was different but apparently not. So refunds are good will in shops, unless faulty.

@Bluntness100

I’m surprised at some of these scathing comments. There is a good chance the op is buying jeans in a charity shop because that’s all she can afford, and wants her money back because she can’t afford to donate it. Not everyone can afford to buy jeans new or donate a tenner to charity.

She’s clearly not destitute (and she hasn’t claimed to be either) or she wouldn’t be planning on swapping the jeans for DVDs. Anyone who can happily spend £3.50 on DVDs can afford to buy a nice new pair of (fully refundable) £10 jeans from Asda or Matalan. She’s just annoyed that she wasted money on jeans that don’t fit. I’m very frugal so I can identify! But that’s the risk you take when buying non-refundable second hand clothing.

@Ragwort

The OP still hasn't returned to say which charity she made the purchase from, someone mentioned BHF don't give refunds but I have just checked their website and it is very clear that they do (with some exceptions ie; swimwear).

Is it relevant to the issue at hand? Or do you think the OP is lying?

Perspicacious - I'm just genuinely interested, as I have commented, I work in charity retail and, in my experience, all the well known charity shops do have a policy of offering refunds. I do know that independent charity shops are less likely to offer refunds but of course all shops - charity or otherwise - should make their refund/exchange policy clear, that is just good customer service.

Anyway, the OP seems have left this thread some time ago but I have found the discussion interesting. I had a clear case of a fraudulent refund today, we sold an item yesterday and it was returned today - broken - I know it was in perfect condition when I sold it but in the interests of customer service I gave a refund.

They don't have to give you a refund. They probably should if they've said they would, but there's not much you can do about it.
Is there anything else in the shop that you could get in exchange? If not, you'll just have to put it down to being a donation, and a lesson learned with this particular charity shop. It's their loss in the long run, sadly for them, if you decide not to shop there again, so not really the best move on their part.

The charity shop made it clear at the time of purchase there was no refund. How was this not a good move on their part?
The OP decided to purchase anyway.

Because she'll probably never go back again. Any further questions?

@user1490954378

Because she'll probably never go back again. Any further questions?

For every one legit customer they lose because of their no refunds policy, they will be protecting themselves against at least two scammers. So they end up quids in by doing it, even if you and the OP decline to shop there. They make more money this way. If they didn't, they wouldn't do it. Any further questions?

@user1490954378

Because she'll probably never go back again. Any further questions?

I don’t understand why she bought the item anyway after confirming there was no refund. I volunteer in a charity shop and customers who complain, even after they have been informed of the refund procedure are no great loss. Fortunately, where I volunteer we are blessed to have shoppers with a modicum of common sense so this scenario does not arise.

Most people who shop in a charity shop for the first time will return time and time again. You actually rarely get people on the scam, it's usually people just bartering on price.
I volunteered in a charity shop part-time for 2 years while I had my last child in morning nursery, and we often got people asking if we did refunds before they bought, mostly incase something didn't fit quite right. We would say that we did, and they'd sometimes comment about other charity shops not offering refunds, and so they would come back to us again in future, etc..
As for buying the item anyway after being told refunds were not given, maybe she thought taking a chance would work, but then it didn't. She then really had nothing to lose by asking once more. There's a slim chance they might have done the refund, and they were most likely still going to say no (and obviously they did) but if you don't ask, you don't get.
If she wants to have a bit of a moan about it, then so what? That doesn't mean she has no common sense, it just means she's having a bit of a moan! Do you never, ever have a bit of a moan about stuff that is a bit pointless or are you super perfect in every way? How wonderful it must be in your world!

It certainly is wonderful in my world where I am capable of comprehending basic instructions.

Like I said, she had absolutely nothing to lose by asking a second time. Maybe it irritates you if someone asks twice, but that's your problem. It's no inconvenience or big issue to a customer of they are in town anyway, and just decide to pop by and ask again. It could just as easily be someone is struggling financially and buying second hand, as it's all they can afford. It would be in their interest to ask again. Maybe that wasn't the case in this instance, but it could often be. Would it be so bad for them to be asking a second time for a refund then? I'm not saying you would necessarily change your policy, but at least don't judge them for asking again. A bit of compassion doesn't hurt. You really shouldn't have such a blinkered, judgey generalised approach, but that really says more about you than it does about customers who do ask again.