People who buy clothes, wear them, then return for a refund

[Buxusmortus]

What type of repulsive person does this?

I have just received a jacket I ordered online. The jacket itself is perfect but on trying it on I noticed that the pockets were unstitched and upon checking I could see they had been unpicked, there were creases in the lining where someone had been sitting down and a few marks on a shoulder. It has an attached label but it is hanging inside. It also faintly smells of perfume.

Clearly someone bought it, wore it and returned for a refund.

I think that's really disgusting and it rather turns my stomach. Of course the retailer should check before accepting returns but clearly they don't if it superficially looks fine. The retailer was of course very apologetic and is sending another by next day delivery, but said I should write on the returns label what has happened in case it just goes back into normal returns at the warehouse.

Has anyone on here ever worn and returned something and if so, why do you think that's acceptable?

I used to work in the fashion industry and on almost every catwalk the stylists would buy shoes, put masking tape on the soles and keep the boxes aside and after the show, tape comes off, back in the boxes and returned. Occasionally they would be supplied by a designer and same tape routine and collected, then I assume sent out to shops.

Nope that’s not the case at all. Clothing that is returned goes back into circulation as new.

Someone once bought an expensive party accessory from one of my shops. Two weeks later she wanted to return it saying it was the "wrong colour". I found a picture of her wearing it on social media and threatened to report her to the police for returns fraud. Never heard any more from her.

Oh no, sorry that happened. Must have been so frustrating 😐.

It’s so annoying as well because there’s so few physical clothes stores anymore you have no choice but to take this risk. M&S, River Island and Next all left my little town centre in last two years. Literally only Primark left which isn’t the best for long lasting/quality.

It’s shameless. And the folk who do it are like those off the TV series. Absolute scruffs.

I've done this in my youth with a job interview outfit. Wore it for about an hour and was quite confident it didn't smell after. Not proud of it

So the whole process took just an hour, did it?.

Worked for a supermarket and we had customers who wanted to return clothing that was washed - the smell of the laundry product and fabric conditioner gave the clue away. Ok if they shrank in the wash. But not for changing their mind. Most of the customers I saw or served when they wanted to return clothing that was clearly worn wanted to speak to a manager. Managers said we were right.

The worst two examples I can remember now.
The first one was a lady who wanted to return a swimsuit. We were told to check if the hygienic tape on the gusset was still there on all swimsuits and bikini bottoms. Tape was not and there was a skid mark (poo). Customer was not happy why I refused a refund. I asked her this question "Would you have bought the swimsuit if it was like this?" No she said.

The second one was a woman who wanted to return a girl's coat which she bought two years ago as she had grown out it. You were lucky to get two years out of it! We said no and the coat was full of pulls, had a hole in the lining etc.

Only return clothes if they are in a resalable state.

Clothes returned as poor quality - broken zip, different sizes of pants in the pack are disposed of as the refund code does that automatically.

The absolute nerve of the skanky people that do it is breathtaking.

I agree. It's never even occurred to me. Why do people think they should have a free loan of clothes?

Have never and would never even think of doing this. Why would you? It’s vile.
And no, I don’t think it’s about money. I have been beyond poor, I bought clothes in a charity shop for less than you’d pay for postage to defraud these companies. It’s entitlement, pure and simple. “I want to wear it so I will”, regardless of whether you can actually afford it. Awful.

I had a dress delivered, it was very expensive . I knew straight away it had been worn. It reeked of cheap perfume or febreze and had make up or fake tan on it. I agree. it is disgusting.

You're right. It is entitlement. Like you, I've been poor and bought charity shop clothes or borrowed from a friend for an event.

Some shops don’t help themselves though. About 25 years ago I ordered a blouse in store in M&S and when I went back to pick it up it had make up on it. It was given to me on a coat hanger with a clear plastic cover over it. I queried it immediately without moving away from the counter as I didn’t want a dirty blouse, and the shop assistant didn’t understand. Her supervisor came over and tried to blame me for getting make up on it despite it still being on the coat hanger in the plastic cover! It took 10 minutes for me to explain and for her to believe me that I wasn’t responsible for the make up.

It's entirely upon the retailer to deal with this and stop it happening. If they aren't properly checking returns, then it's on them 100%. They obviously don't regard it as a problem, as maybe lots of people don't bother returning obviously worn items, or it doesn't happen often enough to be a problem. Likewise if people receive a worn item, they need to write a review on the retailer's website - again, the more people who do it, the more likely the retailer to stop it happening. They need to grow a back-bone and start refusing refunds when they get a "worn" item back.

A tricky one.
X buys, wears and returns something. Returns processor doesn’t pick up
on it.
Y then buys it, realises it’s damaged, smells of smoke and returns it.
Y is refused a refund.

A friend bought some page boy outfits from JL, she even had the trousers shortened. After the wedding, they were boxed up and returned. She got a refund!

Y got unlucky there, but needs to be more careful next time they buy something to make sure the quality is ok before they leave the shop with it.
If it’s an online purchase they need to check it over as soon as it arrives. If they do that and the retailer still refuses the return they have truly been had and I hope they will write plentiful reviews.

I remember a lady which we were told - with a manager present, that she is not allowed refunds on anything - clothing, ambient food and general merchandise as whatever she did at home, made these items stink. When click n collect happened, we told the staff there too.

Then Y needs to check it properly the moment it's delivered and complain within the first couple of days as proof they've not worn it themselves.

Also the returns workers need to do their jobs properly and check things properly so it wouldn't happen in the first place.

To be honest I’m not sure why you’re surprised by this, it happens all the time in physical retail locations whether it’s through returns or when people try clothes on in store.

Usually if goods smell heavily, the return can be rejected, but if it’s a faint scent then it might not even be noticeable at the point of return. They’re definitely not going to be checking things like creases in the lining of pockets.

I used to work with a right scutty cow that did this for nights out. Bought outfits, covered them in makeup, perfume and spills and sent them back. Thick as mince she was and saw no issue with it.

That's right, I'm talking about you Amy M.

What a nerve. You'd scam, even for a wedding? Horrible behaviour.

I never would but I had a friend who would buy something,wear it out and return it the next day 😑

Most people buy online.
By the time it arrives and a refund is refused, losing a couple of hundred pounds through no fault of her own, Y is more than ‘unlucky’. No?

Ive read online that Zara frequently refuse online returns claiming they were worn when they hadn’t been worn. I think it was Trinny Woodall who highlighted that it had happened to one of her friends and many others commented that it had happened to them too.
Zara has notoriously bad customer service and the web is full of negative reviews, none of which seem to have any effect on Zara sales. But if that was Me$Em etc, and returns were rejected, it would certainly have a negative impact on them.

I’m sure I’ve bought returned items online and probably even in store too. If an item is hanging up and I buy it, take it home and realise it smells of sonebody else’s perfume, I wouldn’t return it. If it had missing buttons, a broken zip, than certainly I would.

it’s a bit of a balancing act for retailers.