Why do some companies take so long to reimburse for returns?

[Newmeagain]

This makes me so annoyed. Some companies seem to manage it really quickly e.g. M&S - so it is possible.

Recently I bought a coat in two sizes for teen dd from superdry. So had to return one. They acknowledged receipt about 10 days ago and I still haven’t had a refund. 😡

It is annoying isn't it:(
Quick to take money , but takes ages for any kind of refund

Because it saves them money and discourages you from returning.

You pay for delivery, quite often you pay to return and then you wait ages to have the money they took instantly, refunded to your account.

The one I'm currently irritated at is Avanti. It's not quite a return, but it's a similar 'you should be giving me the money back' situation. I was buying a ticket, the purchase didn't go through on their website, BUT they still blocked off the money on my card. Most 'pending' transactions of this nature get quickly reverted because the retailer communicates this, but if they don't, the bank gives them 30 days to claim it. 30 days in which you're out of pocket for a purchase that you did not actually get to make.