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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to request a refund for the cost difference

23 replies

PeppermintChaiLatte · 25/03/2015 20:09

I am 28 weeks pregnant. We have recently made several big purchases at a popular baby store including several items from a particular 'girly' range in preparation for our baby girls's impending arrival in June. Exciting times!

However a few days after we made the purchases, the same girly range went on discount and we realised the difference was around £25. As nothing had been opened we were told we could bring them back for a refund of the difference.

We did that today and were left feeling like criminals by the (different) member of staff that served us, who called us "cheeky" for returning the items and said they'd only honour it this once as a goodwill gesture.

We tried pointing out that we were covered by the returns policy so there was nothing wrong with us getting a refund for the items and then just buying them back from the store shelves (i.e. no need for goodwill gesture) but she totally disagreed and was quite rude to us.

We did get the refund - grudgingly.

So I put it to you, MN Jury, would you have done the same thing as us or written off the difference?

OP posts:

freezation · 25/03/2015 20:17

I would definitely have done this. And I have! When I bought my bridesmaid dresses they had 20% off the next day so I returned them and bought them again. If they offer refunds on unwanted stock then you're perfectly within your rights to do this. How rude of them!

MrsFlannel · 25/03/2015 20:18

Yes I would have but why you feel the need to point out twice that the range is "girly" is beyond me.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 25/03/2015 20:21

absolutely i would do this. You could even have gone to another store and re-bought the items, they'd never have known.
You could have done an "oops the scan showed it was a boy after all" face.

You have done absolutely nothing wrong.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 25/03/2015 20:21

I wouldn't have done that. I probably wouldn't buy girly crap for a baby girl either

Original poster

PeppermintChaiLatte · 25/03/2015 20:22

No deep reason MrsFlanel, just because it was from a specific range. I guess it wasn't relevant.

Thanks freezation, it's frustrating when a deal starts just after paying full whack isn't it! :)

OP posts:

chanie44 · 25/03/2015 20:31

I've done similar things myself and I've been unrepentent. I really don't care if the staff member thinks I'm cheeky or whatever else.

Whippet81 · 25/03/2015 20:41

Why wouldn't you save yourself £25? Nothing wrong at all with what you have done.

Sometimes you just have to suck up that what you have bought has gone in the sale but if you had recently bought it and it was still unwrapped etc like you say you could just return it and then pick it back up and buy it again.

As long as you were polite about it - I used to work in retail and have had people bring in dresses etc that they bought the week before still with tags to buy it back at the sale price. My response would be 'don't blame you'.

SueDunome · 25/03/2015 20:46

I probably wouldn't have done this but, in your situation, I would have let her process the refund and then left the shop. There was absolutely no reason for her to be rude. She would have lost the sale completely had it been me.

Lepreporn · 25/03/2015 20:50

I've done this. A dress I bought in debenhams was reduced by 20 % so I returned it and bought it again. It was for a special occasion. A week later it was 50 % off so I did the same thing. The sales assistant said well done she would have done the same thing herself.
My mum thought I was very cheeky

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 25/03/2015 20:52

I've done this once that I can remember. I think Clarks had a funny rule that you couldn't buy the same pair of shoes back, so they had to have another identical pair in stock. I didn't really understand that.

Discounted · 25/03/2015 20:53

I wouldn't have admitted that was the reason I was doing it but Ihave returned the original items and re-bought them at the lower price.

Although if you want to save money, almost everything sold at "a popular baby store" is unnecessary and a waste of money.

itsmeitscathy · 25/03/2015 20:55

Quite right. It's no skin off their nose

PotatoQueen · 25/03/2015 20:57

I've done this on numerous occasions. I don't normally point out what I'm doing to the staff though, just get the refund, then queue to buy it again.

LokiBear · 25/03/2015 20:59

YANBU. Its your hard earned cash after all! My mil took a kettle back to M&S thst she had used for 2 years because it stopped working. The kettle was expensive, there was no suitable exchange so they refunded her money. Sometimes I wish I had her balls!

Neffi · 25/03/2015 21:05

When there was a real Boden shop near work, they would refund the difference quite happily without you needing to return / buy back.

When it happened to me in M&S last week with a pair of shoes that went in the sale about 1 hour after I'd bought them they were less than helpful so I just took the refund and didn't bother to re buy. Their loss. Too much choice for the consumer for shops to treat customers like fools.

PtolemysNeedle · 25/03/2015 21:06

I'd have done the same, yes it is a bit cheeky but you got the discount, they got a sale, everyone's a winner.

MrsFlannel · 25/03/2015 21:06

Loki my MIL is like that! I once stood in a department store for what seemed like eons whilst she argued with the manager over the packaging on a set of knives...it was dented and there were no others...she wanted a reduction. He stood his ground for so long but she stood hers for longer and got her reduction!

Laurel1979 · 25/03/2015 21:09

Didn't you know OP, that on Mumsnet it's only ok to admit to buying "girly stuff" for boys.....

Nandocushion · 25/03/2015 21:10

I would have done this, AND I would have asked to speak to the manager about a member of staff being so astonishingly rude to a customer. But then I am not in the UK, where people seem to put up with this sort of thing more than they should.

Most staff in US shops will tell you if something is going to go on sale shortly, and/or will tell you if you can bring it back on sale day to get the discount.

Honestly, OP, I'd complain to her manager.

Totality22 · 25/03/2015 21:18

How big were the purchases? Not sure I'd be arsed taking back (say) a pram or cot to save £25?

OP mentioned 'big purchases' in the first post and I'm not sure if it was literal or metaphorical

Totality22 · 25/03/2015 21:18

Grrr strikeout fail

Ratarse · 25/03/2015 21:22

I would and have done this.

Blimey, some people on here must have money to burn!

cariadlet · 25/03/2015 21:28

I'd have probably just cursed my bad timing. I wouldn't have thought of taking it back. I thought you could only take stuff back if it was faulty.

But the shop assistant shouldn't have been rude to you, especially if you'd been told that it was ok to return the goods.

Flip