to be feeling robbed by M&S....

[BrevetsDesposes]

Returned a blouse 2-days after 'validation' on receipt had expired which I hadn't been aware of :( to be told by smug assistant that its acceptable for them to have reduced it in their sale from £25 to £9

In perfect condition, never worn, all labels. Why do we just roll over?

Why do you think she was smug?

Smirking, hand over mouth, leaning on the counter. Maybe she was just depressed. Does M&S treat their staff as poorly as their customers?

They don't have to give you a refund just because you've bought something and you decide later that you don't like it.

Roll over???? M & S allow you to return unwated items as a gesture of goodwill. They don't have to offer you a refund at all unless the goods are faulty.
You think they are unreasonable for setting a time limit for people to bring things back..............................WOW

Does M&S treat their staff as poorly as their customers?

I don't shop there but they were appalling to their staff when DH worked there (2004 - 2008). Horrible company.

I can't see how you have been robbed, sorry

YABU.
Stores don't have to refund because you've changed your mind.
That's not rolling over, that's just the way it is.
Vote with your feet if you don't like it but just because after a month, you don't fancy it and you want them to take it back and give you full price when the rest of the stock is on sale, you are somewhat err, deluded.

Her rudeness however is inexcusable

So you'd had the item over a month?

Fair enough really

If the item wasn't faulty, there is no obligation to give you an exchange or refund. The fact that they offer 35 days to exchange/return for refund for any reason seems quite far removed from robbery to me. You left it too late. Hardly the fault of M&S.

They have no legal obligation to give you anything at all for an item you don't want. I can't really imagine the assistant being 'smug' about not giving you a full refund - I would be willing to bet she couldn't care less and by now has no recollection of you or the transaction.

I think the issue here is that M&S used to have no time limit on refunds; years ago I was in M&S and a man asked if they gave refunds for clothes that had been worn, when they said "Yes" he pulled his sweater off and handed it over for a refund - and they gave it to him!

OP is probably thinking back to those days.

Sorry OP, M&S has moved on. They give a reasonable time for you to return items if you change your mind; if you wait too long they are perfectly right to refuse to refund the full amount. Remember you are still covered by Sale of Goods Act if the item is faulty, but if you just change your mind... tough luck really.

M&S were meant to be the shining torch of customer service! Had no idea they had a time limit - which was past by 2-days and then the item was reduced by over 60%. So probably overpriced anyway. DamnBamboo - absolutely right will vote with my feet. Had much better service from Rohan - in fact staff there were delightful, professional and well groomed.

They are a business not a charity. Their returns policy is stated on their receipt.

I don't suppose you would have described her as smug had you got your money back?

You are making yourself sound an unutterable prig!

ok, OP, imagine the scenario

you buy a top, you love it, you wear it. You see it in the sale reduced to half price a couple of weeks later and wish thats what you'd paid. You buy another in the sale. You take the second one back (you had no intention of keeping it)with the original full price receipt, and try to get the full money back (thereby having paid half price for your original top). how smug would you be feelng?

Now do you see why they do this? People try all sorts of things to rip them off you know,

And actually i think their returns service is pretty good! Ive managed to return to my nearest store items they dont even sell when DS has been sent the wrong size by an aunt, and they have ordered me the new size in to save me a 40 mile round trip

YANBU to feel like you were robbed.
YABU to moan about it as M&S were quite the opposite. Offering you a refund on an item that you didnt like and it was after the return expiry. You were not robbed.

YOu haven't been done over. A lot of places wouldn't offer any refund at all after 28 days.

I worked there in the late 1990s and they were horrid to work for.

Not only is the returns policy on the receipt, the last date for a refund/exchange is very clearly stated also. How could you not be aware of it?
Their refund policy is actually very generous - if the assistant was rude then that's another matter entirely.

I won't shop there now, after being treated to some trult abysmal customer service when trying to order something. Not only did the staff give shit service, they seemed to find genuine pleasure and amusement in doing so, therefore M&S can whistle for my fucking money. They quality is crap these days anyway.

So OP, YANBU on the basis that they're a bunch of muppets.

You sound very bitchy.

Catsmamma - don't feel that personal comments are necessary. I was and remain annoyed that a) I wasn't aware of the time limit and b) that the blouse was so awful that I should never has bought it and c) that I didn't return it sooner. To a point I accept that I got it wrong, however the probably 'couldn't care less' 'customer assistant' didn't make it any more palatable. So obviously I am being unreasonable, so thank you ladies for the sense check :)

Oh I'd be annoyed too. Nothing you can do about it though. John lewis are good though, they don't have a limit on when you can return stuff. Very impressive. I had a coat that I had for 3 months and they still took it back after all that time. You should shop there in future!!!

YABU because you took it back late, but the staff member should have been more polite (or maybe you were just being over-sensitive about the way she dealt with it?)

I have tried to return things past the date allowed before in M&S and the staff have been perfectly polite about the reduced price refund, even to the point of slight sympathy. Lesson learnt and hopefully I won't leave it too late again.

If it's new with tags, you could try selling it on eBay, but you're probably better off keeping it, or getting £9 back for it if you don't want it.