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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I have just been accused of fraud!

149 replies

KittyBump · 26/05/2011 15:54

Right, first post on AIBU

On Tuesday I went shopping for clothes for two events I've got coming up, I had my 5 month old DD with me in a carrier so wasn't able to try anything on so I bought a few things and tried them on at home.

One of the items was a dress, I'm a bridesmaid at my friend's wedding in July, it is very informal and she has asked us to wear floral maxi dresses. I was happy with the dress when I tried it on and sent her a link to it and she likes it too, so great - all sorted.

Yesterday I wrote an email to the other bridesmaid and sent a link to the dress again and noticed it had been reduced from £39.50 to £25.00. So I thought as I had lots of stuff to take back I'd return the dress too and then get it at the sale price.

I went into the shop and explained to the assistant that i wanted to return some items and about the dress and she said fine about the returns but not about returning the dress and rebuying it as this was fraud! Shock

I really don't see how this transaction could be considered fraudulent in anyway - yes I can see how it is a bit cheeky and annoying for the shop but not that I was asking to do anything illegal.

So I said fine I'll return the dress then I got my DH to come over and asked him to go and get another dress off the rack and buy it. The sales assisatnt was not happy at all and said she would have to get another member of staff to serve him. Then followed lots of tutting and 'we really shouldn't be doing this...' etc.

We were made to feel like we were committing a crime,

So..... AIBU or was she?

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 26/05/2011 18:58

cuntry manor surely.

PinotGrigiosKittens · 26/05/2011 18:58

Wheres the Op gone?

SoupDragon · 26/05/2011 19:00

Perhaps the dress is now £19.99 and she's gone to return it again.

MrsDrOwenHunt · 26/05/2011 19:01

erm er i wanna stalker Grin

bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:02

"Perhaps the dress is now £19.99 and she's gone to return it again."

Fnar!

nokissymum · 26/05/2011 19:06

I don't know if this is "fraud", but you were a bit naive explaining that you were going to buy it again...what did you think she would say ?

MrsDrOwenHunt · 26/05/2011 19:06

or primark have reduced it to a fiver now?

southofthethames · 26/05/2011 19:10

The shop assistant chose the wrong word - it's not fraud, but it is a bit cheeky, it isn't even dishonest...that said it was less than two days in the time that the sale price came on so anybody would agree you'd been a bit of a "mug" (or that you've been mugged!) if you ended up paying full price. Legally, retailers in the UK have to allow a customer a cooling off period even if there is absolutely nothing wrong with the item in terms of fit/colour/quality (unless it's something edible, or things like underwear or earrings) - I think it is a minimum of 7 days usually, some are a month. I'd simply have said, I just didn't have time to try it on and now it doesn't look right. You could always go out for a walk (do your other chores) and come back and buy it at sale price, saying "I couldn't find anything better, ooh, look, it's now reduced!" (or you might even get a different assistant). But the timescale of when items get reduced is always awkward and unless you're a millionaire I think everyone agrees it is common sense to try and see if you can get the discount somehow.

LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:13

Yes Soup Dragon. Best idea you've had ever all day.

MrsSnow · 26/05/2011 19:14

Not fraud. The shop assistant obviously doesn't know the meaning.

HeidiKat · 26/05/2011 19:21

It's not fraud, that would only be the case if you had bought it at sale price and attempted to bring it back for full price. We used to get that when I worked in a shop, people claiming that they had bought the item at full price last week and demanding that amount of store credit, even though said item had been in the sale for a good few weeks and surprise surprise they had no receipt to back up their claim. The sales assistant was a bit over the top, after all the difference wasn't coming out of her wages was it, not worth getting worked up about.

bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:26

Fraud definition:

  1. A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
  2. A piece of trickery; a trick.

Definition example:

LOTM passing herself off as a woman when she is packing a dong as big as Linford Christies.

LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:27

I actually snorted mint tea out of my nose reading that.

Grin
bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:28

LadyOfTheCuntryManor Thu 26-May-11 19:27:10
I actually snorted Mad Dog 20/20 mint tea out of my nose reading that.

LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:30

I don't know what that is Confused.

Is it something that shop girls drink?

bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:31

Maybe shop girls from Matalan. Mojito is my quaffage of choice. Mo-jeeee-to. They don't come out of a cardboard box from Aldi so don't think you'll be familiar.

LaurieFairyCake · 26/05/2011 19:31

lettingitgo - I'm confused Confused

When you returned the 'sale' duffel coat with the full-price receipt didn't it also have a mark-down new price on the tag - for example at Monsoon you couldn't do this as they write on the tag

taylor74 · 26/05/2011 19:33

It's not fraud you've done nothing wrong so don't feel bad about it OP x

Original poster
KittyBump · 26/05/2011 19:35

i'm still here,
soupdragon - very funny, I was actually raiding my wardrobe for anything I could return to gap before dismantling said wardrobe and getting on the phone to argos Grin
once again, thanks for the input and happy to provide a forum for some bupcake and LOTM banter :)

OP posts:
LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:35

What is Aldi?

Note to cunt Bupcakes: I don't drink alcohol and I'm not familiar with places that shop girls "haunt".

bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:37

You don't drink alcohol?

So much becomes so clear with so few words you uptight bitch

Peace and love peace and love

LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:37

I'm pregnant you twat.

LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 26/05/2011 19:37
bupcakesandcunting · 26/05/2011 19:40

I can make you a virgin mojito.

No, the irony of the name is not lost on me

lettinggo · 26/05/2011 19:40

@lauriefairycake

It was in M&S and there's no mark made on their labels in sale times.

Actually I think nowadays they put little white stickers on, but they certainly didn't then.
It just bothered me so much that I'd only JUST bought it and had had to talk myself into the extravagance of it.

(still have it in the attic for ds to give his ds in time. So darned cute.)