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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To warn you all at this festive time of year

46 replies

teacherandguideleader · 29/11/2013 22:58

Not an AIBU, but just wanted to warn people so they don't get caught out.

Many stores now offer a click and collect service which is great. However, I and many others have clicked but then not collected as we have found a better deal en route and then can't be bothered to go to the store to collect and return.

Recently, I have found that if I haven't collected my item I haven't got an automatic refund. One department store refused to issue it as the item had been destroyed and they couldn't process a refund without the item. Another department store only refunded me after I contacted customer services 3 weeks after the item would have been returned to the warehouse. With one toy company, I had to fight for 3 months.

Obviously, the ideal solution is only use the service if you will 100% pick it up, but just wanted to warn people to keep an eye on bank statements - I suspect many stores are hoping that with such a high volume of purchases at this time of year customers won't notice that they haven't been refunded.

OP posts:

ClayDavis · 29/11/2013 23:17

Not sure about 'click and collect' fuzzpig but selling online there are two main ways to do it. You can either take the payment when the customer completes the transaction. Or you can take it as you dispatch the item. Presumably click and collect can work the same way.

I'm not sure where you'd stand on distance selling laws though. Obviously you have the right to return an item within 7 days and get a complete refund. But if you've not picked it up then you can't return it so there's no reason for a company to initiate a refund without being informed.

I'm going to disagree that lots of people do this. I think that's just you OP.

ErrolTheDragon · 29/11/2013 23:27

There's two sorts of collection service - some where you can collect only if the item is available instore (in which case I'd expect the payment to be when you collect, and the click is for a reservation) and the other where you can 'click and collect' anything - in which case they may have to dispatch from their warehouse to the store specially for you. In that case I'd expect the payment to be taken immediately as they're incurring costs.

IamInvisible · 29/11/2013 23:29

Why would you click and not collect?

I don't understand why we all need warning of something that most of us would have no intention of doing in the first place!

wigglesrock · 29/11/2013 23:34

It's not a reserve service (like Argos), it's a pay & collect or click & collect - to be honest even its name makes it abundantly clear you've bought something.

FetchezLaVache · 29/11/2013 23:40

I hope you're not really a teacher, OP.

Original poster

teacherandguideleader · 29/11/2013 23:41

Ok, so wasn't expecting quite that flaming. I didn't want to go into why I didn't collect the items but I now feel I want to defend myself (and if I get accused of drip feeding so be it, but I'm not having people saying I'm too thick to realise).

First item - it took so long to arrive I forgot about it - my own fault.

Second item - single mum friend's son was desperate for an Xmas present, she had been unable to find it - she had no car or internet. I found it and offered to drive the 100 miles to collect it for her. She said yes, I reserved it. In the meantime, another friend found one closer so I didn't drive 100 miles unnecessarily.

Third item - relative taken ill and no time to collect it in allocated window.

I don't reserve things on a whim and and actually use click and collect a lot. I just wrongly assumed that if you didn't collect a refund would be automatically processed once the item was returned to warehouse and didn't want people to get caught out (believe it or not I was trying to help). I fully support shops that have a fee for non-collection.

OP posts:

ErrolTheDragon · 29/11/2013 23:46

OK - public service done, we all know now if we didn't before that if you don't collect you should explicitly cancel.

Morloth · 29/11/2013 23:46

You are not reserving the item.

You are buying it.

It is your property once you click.

This isn't rocket science.

Original poster

teacherandguideleader · 29/11/2013 23:49

But if they send it back to warehouse after 5 days, you cannot be in possession of it so should they not issue a refund (perhaps minus a fee) once it is checked back in to the warehouse?

OP posts:

ErrolTheDragon · 30/11/2013 00:06

I've never done C&C myself (DH uses it sometimes) so I've never read the terms and conditions. Don't they say what happens if the item is re-warehoused?

TreaterAnita · 30/11/2013 00:26

I agree that it would be a bit bizarre to buy something on click and collect and not bother to pick it up because you've found a better deal, surely collect and then return in those circumstances. However most of the time that I've used these services they say that it will be in the store for x days and then returned to the warehouse and you will be refunded. I assumed that was the norm. I can see how it could happen, eg if you ordered something for a holiday, it took longer to be delivered to store than you expected, you went away for 2 weeks and then the time for collection has passed. I certainly wouldn't expect them to destroy it and refuse to give you your money back.

SoleSorceress · 30/11/2013 00:29

The reasons do not matter.

SantaIKnowHimIKnowHim · 30/11/2013 00:57

Um, if you click and save something for collect, you've in effect bought it.
I'm assuming your post means like the Argos click and reserve for pick up the next day type thing?
If I've reserved it, then I wouldn't dream of not collecting it. If you welch on your deal because you've got a better offer, then I can see the shop's point to be honest!
You click, you buy. Simple.

RhondaJean · 30/11/2013 01:07

Argos click and reserve is totally different to what the op is talking about. She's talking about actually buying an item then not picking it up from the shop and expecting an automatic refund. Some shops do this, some don't, and some like next charge you an extra admin fee if you don't collect quickly enough.

Argos merely takes the goods out of its system and holds them for you so you can go in and purchase the next day. If you don't by close of business the goods go back on sale on the system. No need to make it sound like a terrible Offense to decide not to go ahead with the Argos purchase!

HettiePetal · 30/11/2013 01:10

Do you offer to meet the expense that the company went to in order to select, pack & ship your goods to the store of your choice when you're demanding your refund?

Or do you think they should be so delighted with your almost-custom that they should shut up and put up?

If you're not 100% certain that you actually want to buy something from a particular store then, you know, don't. Do your shopping around first.

notnagging · 30/11/2013 05:00

I can't believe you'd drive 100miles to pick something! The reasons make you sound worse op.

Sunnysummer · 30/11/2013 05:27

Any one of your reasons alone would be, well, reasonable. But you have clicked, paid, and not collected three times? YABU...

HairyPorter · 30/11/2013 05:59

I've done this before and I got a refund. It took a while to appear but there were no problems with it. I didn't even have to ring them to explain. This was with John lewis. Sorry you haven't had as good an experience! Fwiw I think YANBU. Probably your lone voice of support here!

FredFredGeorge · 30/11/2013 11:26

HettiePetal The shop has no recourse to any of that, if they want to distance sell, they need to absorb the costs of those who choose to return the item or not collect it.

If the shop has genuinely returned the item to the warehouse, then YANBU to expect an automatic refund. But still, you should cancel the order properly.

skittycat · 30/11/2013 13:33

Not all stores that offer click and collect send stuff back to the main warehouses swiftly. We keep it in store for 28days waiting for a customer to collect, but it is their job to cancel, not ours to chase around after them because they couldn't be bothered to collect what they'd paid for. We contact the customer each week to remind them and if they don't turn up then they don't turn up.

Trills · 30/11/2013 13:58

It depends on the shop, of course.

Argos let you reserve an item to pick up but you don't pay til you get there, so of course they can't "keep your money" because they don't have your money.

If you bought an item, failed to pick it up, did not inform the shop of your intent to cancel - when would you expect to get a refund? Alternatively, if you bought an item, intended to pick it up but were delayed, how early would it be acceptable for the shop to send you a refund and then the item is no longer "yours" (and might have sold out). The changed-their-mind person wants a refund very soon. The can't-get-to-the-shop person wants the shop to keep the item reserved for them until they can get there.

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