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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Really Joules?

19 replies

Lizzardface · 30/06/2014 22:05

Had some Joules vouchers which I needed to use before they expired so bought dd a naice brightly coloured jacket in the sales. When I unpacked it at home I saw it had a visible biro mark on it so went back to exchange it today. Sadly they didn't have the same size so I asked if they would give me a discount on the item as it was clearly damaged. They refused saying that the pen mark wasn't "that bad". I returned the item as I didn't want to pay over £ 30 for a jacket that has blue biro on it.

Am I bu and precious to not want brand new clothes that cost £££ even in the sales to be stained? I don't normally shop at Joules preferring H&m and m&s sales for kids stuff but as I had the vouchers I thought I would get something really nice and different (for us).

Btw, I would have definitely had to wash the jacket to see if stain would go..... Strange attitude from Joules, no?

OP posts:
whilewildeisonmine · 30/06/2014 22:08

YANBU. Reminds me of the time I was going to buy a jacket but the only one they had in my size was missing a button. I asked if they would consider a price reduction and I was told no as there is a spare button I could sew on myself. Needless to say I decided not to buy the jacket!

Chocolateisa7adayfood · 30/06/2014 22:20

YANBU. But would you want the jacket, even with a biro stain?
If you get a refund, buy something else then return it, could they refund you cash instead? Or if they give vouchers would they extend the expiry date to give you time to find something you like?
Personally I hate the short amount of time you get with gift cards. The old style vouchers used to last for ages - would sometimes forget I'd even got them!

Original poster
Lizzardface · 30/06/2014 22:46

I exchanged the item and got new vouchers (should check the dates on them though). I was just astounded that a retailer like Joules expect their customers to buy stained clothes and to just suck it up. Confused

I thought that's really crap customer service.

OP posts:
Cuteypatootey · 30/06/2014 23:09

I usually ask the shop to mark the fault on the receipt - that way if I wash it and it doesn't come out I take it back.

wheresthelight · 30/06/2014 23:19

Contact their head office and you may get a better response

whats4teamum · 30/06/2014 23:34

How do they know you didn't take it home and then it acquired the biro stain?

Only1scoop · 30/06/2014 23:38

I am a big Joules shopper and once ordered dd a top from Joules which when it came in a very unusually crinkly bag....had a bogie on it....Confused

Sent it back and must say their cs was brilliant.

buddles · 30/06/2014 23:53

Very strange attitude and bad CS.

In the shop I work in, if I was unable to track down a replacement I would offer you either a discount off the item, tho explain it would now be non returnable unless another fault occurred, and mark it do on the receipt OR say try it in the wash at home if it doesn't come out by all means return. Pen marks can be v difficult to get out.

As for whether it had acquired said mark after it left store - the customer should always be given the benefit of the doubt, makes for good customer service [Grins]

Lauren83 · 30/06/2014 23:59

I'm a retail manager for a well known luxury brand we would always discount, but if someone wanted the option of returning it we would mark the receipt saying we would take it back after washing (that's if they didn't take discount)

As for knowing if the pen came after if it was worn we wouldn't due to pen as its accidental damage but if unworn we would as we couldn't guarantee we didn't get pen on it

Maleducada · 30/06/2014 23:59

That's ridiculous! I wouldn't buy a jacket with a visible biro mark on it even if I saw it in a charity shop. Some shops become a bit Emperor's Clothes about their own clothes!

inchanpre · 01/07/2014 00:08

Their customer service is dreadful, and the sales people can be quite pushy. Online is even worse.

I don't know what changed but they used to be really good for cs.

Yanbu.

Cuteypatootey · 01/07/2014 03:03

Only1scoop did you have to send the bogey back too Shock

Shockers · 01/07/2014 06:58

The last two articles I bought from Joules have led me to vote with my feet. A pair of wellies (ladies size) for DD which split after 3 months, and a dog bed made of a woollen fabric that acts like Velcro to dog hair. To be fair, the dog loves the bed, but I spend hours with a Hoover and a lint roll to stop it from looking absolutely disgusting.

Original poster
Lizzardface · 01/07/2014 07:22

"How do they know you didn't take it home and then it acquired the biro stain?"

Yes, this is what the sales assistant told me. She said, that they had no way of knowing if the mark was already there when I bought it or if it happened after the purchase, that was her first response. Shock

As it happens I took the garment out of the bag and was mildly annoyed/disappointed to discover it had a mark on it. I had to drive back to the shop, pay for parking and return it. They basically didn't give me the benefit of doubt but implied, to my face, that I could have been lying. Angry

OP posts:
Original poster
Lizzardface · 01/07/2014 07:25

Only1scoop that sounds disgusting but I couldn't help laughing! Grin what did they CS say about the bogey?

OP posts:
Jinty64 · 01/07/2014 07:32

If I were you I would complain to customer services. The goods were not fit for purpose and they were rude. As you say you are now out of pocket. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. I rarely buy from Joules but as ds3 is, well ds3, the youngest of the cousins and all my friends children he lives in hand-me-downs so I occasionally like to buy something a little bit different for him. I would not be happy with this service.

Original poster
Lizzardface · 01/07/2014 07:41

"That's ridiculous! I wouldn't buy a jacket with a visible biro mark on it even if I saw it in a charity shop. Some shops become a bit Emperor's Clothes about their own clothes!"

Couldn't agree more.

OP posts:
Numanoid · 01/07/2014 09:15

Only1scoop Shock That's put me off Joules!

OP, YANBU. You should have been offered a partial refund to keep it. Quite strange that they didn't offer you one, would have been more customer-friendly to do so. Hmm

Original poster
Lizzardface · 01/07/2014 09:23

Yes, and they will now sell the jacket at full (standard sales) price knowing fully well that it has a stain on it Hmm.

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