AIBU thinking a shop could give store credit for a faulty item?

[DinosaurTrain]

I bought item. Used my card.

Item is faulty. Shop agrees item is faulty...

DH took it back to shop for me as can't get to store before 28 days is up myself, so said ask for store credit...
But won't refund for store credit??

Because they need a signature that matches my card I paid for it with?

Are they being deliberately awkward or perfectly within their rights?

Nothing I can do as DH has accepted what they said and left store, I'm just annoyed at losing money on a faulty item

It's against the terms and conditions of the account to give the pin to anyone else and the bank would not then cover you if there were fraudulent activities on the account

18yearstooold In this situation it is not up to the stores to have a "policy" for deciding when to refund. If the goods are faulty they have to comply with the Sales of Goods Act. They can't refuse a refund because the customer doesn't have the card they used for purchase.

From www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/i-want-to-return-my-goods-what-are-my-rights

What to have when returning items

Depending on a retailer’s returns policy some will only exchange or give you a credit note, while others will give you a refund. But all shops usually require a few key things.

A receipt  Always keep your receipt and take it with you. If you’re buying a gift for someone else, ask for a gift receipt so that they can change it themselves.
<strong>The card you paid with  If you paid for an item on a debit or credit card, take it with you when you return the item. This is especially important if you want a refund as its often credited to the card you paid with.</strong>
The original packaging  We’ve said it already, but don’t underestimate the importance of taking the item’s original packaging with you. Even down to the pesky cable ties.

Anyone can get store credit. That is the whole point of gift receipts.

They didn't refuse a refund which they were within their rights to anyway as the purchaser, with who they have the contract, was not present

They refused to refund to a different method of payment

Had the card been present there would have been no issue

I used to work in retail and we would allow someone other than the card holder to return a faulty item and did not need a signature to refund to the card (this was before the days of chip and PIN).

18years too old store credit is not a "refund to a different method of payment"

It's nothing to do with a refund.
There was never going to be one. I think we're all aware it's possible to commit credit card fraud by getting refunds but the OP has not, at any point asked for one. So it's still not relevant to the situation

it is a refund to a different method as the money is not going back on the card the payment came from. Store credit is a refund as they get the money back to spend in-store

Dinosaur Train - ring Trading Standards and ask for their advice, explaining that you know you could take it back after 28 days as it is faulty but feel you shouldn't have to have the inconvenience of tripping over the bulky item for a month. See what they advise. Then email HQ of the store involved, telling them you have sought TS advice and this is what they said etc.

It is a refund

An exchange would be a replacement item

I worked in retail loss prevention for over 10 years, the information I have provided is relevant in this case

They didn't refuse a refund which they were within their rights to anyway as the purchaser, with who they have the contract, was not present

Really? Is there anything in the Sales of Goods Act which states that the person returning an item with a receipt is only entitled to a refund if they can prove that they were the one who originally purchased it?

I agree that OP should ring trading standards. Shop staff often don't understand that Sale of Goods act and think that the shop's policy for refunding when goods aren't faulty can be applied if goods are faulty.

I also think that if your DH has kicked up a big fuss at the time they would have refunded him.

It is OTT to involve trading standards. The shop tried to do the right thing within the consumer rights act . There would be genuine cause for complaint had they offered store credit instead of a refund. It wasn't their fault that the cardholder wasn't present and her dh couldn't or perhaps didn't want to find an alternative way round it. Ie they might have been able to process it over the phone with op as "cardholder not present".

I would also write to the shop because as the item is faulty and ask them whether they will be collecting the item or will reimburse you the cost of returning it to them. This is a useful letter template.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/letter-to-get-a-refund-if-your-item-is-faulty-

And another letter for if they refuse to reimburse you for the cost.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/letter-to-refuse-paying-the-cost-of-returning-a-faulty-item-

It wasn't their fault that the cardholder wasn't present and her dh couldn't or perhaps didn't want to find an alternative way round it. Ie they might have been able to process it over the phone with op as "cardholder not present".

They should have offered to do that then instead of fobbing OP's DH off. I don't think it is OTT to contact trading standards for advise at all. OP needs to speak to someone who understands the law.

He was picking up items with a receipt - that has NO bearing on returning another item without the same card? These are completely different.

Re the sale of goods act - the contract is between the store and the purchaser, not whoever the purchaser asks to take it back for her. They clearly said they would take it back and return payment to the original card.

If a customer has a receipt a store will normally only refund on to the card used to pay originally (a store credit is counted as a refund by most stores)

The reason for this is people buying stuff with stolen cards and then getting gift vouchers which they can sell on or having money returned to a different card which they can then withdraw. Retailers have these rules because millions of pounds of credit card fraud happens every year and lots of it is in shops - it is nothing personal.

As for the sale of goods act most store managers do understand it, many customers think it affords them more rights than it actually does. The store did not say they wouldn't refund, they said refund had to go on to original card which they are entitled to do.

I wonder if it's the store I work in.

We don't offer store credit, only exchanges if a refund isn't possible.

We would need the item, the receipt, and the card it was bought on. If the card is no longer available (expiry/theft), we can put it on another, but we would check the valid from dates of the new card to see that it tallies up with what the customer has said. Chip and pin isn't used, card is signature verified for refund. If cardholder is not present, the signature part can be overrided, and a manual refund put through, but again to the card bought from.

As to why they've taken it out the back, perhaps there is only one manager to authorise in store, and they are in the stockroom or on lunch. All faulties need managers authorisation in our shop.