to take something back to a charity shop

[SquareholeRoundpeg]

And asking for a refund?

I do regularly donate to charity and have been involved in various fund raising events-just to set the scene!

I was in a charity shop recently and found a beautiful designer shirt for DH for £15. I took it home for him but it did not fit unfortunately. So the following week I took it back.

They said they did refunds but I was made to feel most unwelcome and the manager doing the refund even made a comment on my ring - but not in a nice way.

It made me think I was out of order to return it, given that it is a charity.

Wibu?

[TattyCat]

I wasn't talking about the shop floor staff. More those at the top level who are paid handsomely for their 'advice'.

[TattyCat]

Charity shops are run by volunteers, whilst those at the top of the chain are getting fat. Whether that's palatable or not to you, they are. And they have to be paid. A lot.

[GraysAnalogy]

I wouldn't to be honest.

Shops aren't even obligated to give you a refund for this reason are they? Am I right in saying they can give store credit unless it's faulty or not fit for purpose? I think I am.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange

[TattyCat]

With exception to Salvation Army, who are very much set apart in the way they run their charity.

[A4Document]

I agree that no-one needs to be a "fat cat". But I guess they have to attract people capable of doing the top jobs, with high enough salaries to compete with equivalent jobs outside the charity sector?

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

I wouldn't have, I would have just donated it back again, but I guess it depends on how badly you need the money yourself. As they say, charity begins at home.

[Oldsu]

My DH runs a charity shop and will happily refund as long as the customer has a receipt (that's part of the T&Cs for refunds as the receipt number has to go onto the paperwork) and the tag still on the garment to prove it was the item from the receipt. (you would be surprised at the number of people who buy something swap it for an old item they have at home and try and claim a refund saying 'the tag fell off' )

[OnceThereWasThisGirlWho]

I volunteered in a charity shop the summer after taking my GCSEs. It was in a well-to-do area in southern England. When sorting the clothes, there were three bins to chuck everything in. One was for stuff for the shop floor, one was for stuff going for rags, and one was for stuff that wouldn't sell locally but might in a less posh area. It was referred to as the "Up North" bin. I apologise to northerners for sending you crappy clothes...

[trufflesnout]

I've worked in a few charity shops - would happily refund you. Nothing in company policy about not being obliged to issue refunds - in fact they all had refund policies which involved obtaining the customer's sig.

[AbernathysFringe]

Agree with pinkcan. Although what about an exchange instead so they don't lose out, unless you are really strapped for cash? Nevertheless, she shouldn't have been rude.
I've gone into a charity shop and re-bought something I donated because I changed my mind! That makes you feel dumb.
Tatty aren't the staff volunteers?

[AbernathysFringe]

Sorry Tatty just read further up.

[LastFirstEverything]

At the charity shop I worked in, we'd have been very happy to refund you. We did refunds on returned items regularly. The shop I worked in was absolutely committed to being like a 'proper' shop, iyswim. Customer service was excellent, and training of volunteers was really important to the managers there, and the stock we sold was always fairly priced.

I think the manager you came across OP was unprofessional and quite foolish to make you feel bad, that'd really put a lot of people off going back there to spend more.

Also, £15 is not cheap. Charity shops that are charging anything like this need to be prepared for refunds/returns.

[musicposy]

Sell on eBay as a £15 buy it now? Then no moral dilemma about making extra!

[mathanxiety]

They give you store credit only in the second hand shop near me, and even then if it has its price tag still attached and you have your receipt. I think that's fair enough. For a proper retail shop I think a refund should be given no matter what the reason, just for the sake of good customer experience.

I agree you could have tried selling it on eBay instead of asking for your money back. It's a charity and presumably some worthy cause benefits from your £15.

[MyLlamasGoneBananas]

Of course you were definitely NOT being unreasonable.
Most if not all charity shops (especially national ones) have standard refund policies.
You had your receipt.
Gone are the days of charity shops selling stuff for a few quid here and there that we may be inclined to shrug off. They now charge more money than high street stores. You could have bought 2 shirts in a supermarket for 15th quid.
Also, the attitude mentioned up thread of "you should have checked the size better". Stuff is secondhand. It's been washed usually by someone else. It may have a label inside saying it's X Suze but it may no longer be. It's a fact that shrinkage is one reason why some items find themselves donated to charity. That aside, Itemp may be flawed and have small damage that has missed the shops check before pricing to sell. So of course again refunds are allowed. Again if it had cost 2 quid etc most people may decide to just write it off but when charging more then people are going to want a refund.
I work in charity shop and people often return items for refund. It's no big deal. It gets re priced and put out again if not faulty.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why a charity shop should not be offering refunds in the circumstances you explain op. The fact it's a charity shop is no reason. In fact logically charity shops are in a better position to still re sell the item over a standard shop because buying secondhand often dies mean an item is not 100%perfect or in brand new condition (but by no means shabby).

I suspect the readonly the shop woman was rude was more to with the fact she wasn't 100% competent at running it through the over complicated long winded computerised till - that prints receipts on purchase partly so items can be brought back for refund or exchange, and took it out on you.

[GraysAnalogy]

There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why a charity shop should not be offering refunds in the circumstances you explain op

There's absolutely no reason why ANY SHOP should offer a refund in these circumstances except customer satisfaction. There's no legal obligation to do so.

[mathanxiety]

Quite, but would you go back to shop somewhere if you thought their motto was 'Shop here at your own risk'. Most shops try to offer a pleasant customer experience because they recognise that customers have a choice of where to spend their money, including online outlets.

[greenfolder]

Yanbu. People donate to charity shops for many reasons. Primarily to get rid of their stuff. Then to raise money for charity and also to see something with wear and life in it reused. In this case, it is a designer shirt. Probably wrongly sized at manufacture because it was donated. You happily paid 15. It did not fit. They do refunds. In all likelihood you will spend the 15 again. More importantly, someone else will buy the bargain shirt and be happy with it.

[GraysAnalogy]

No it genuinely wouldn't bother me that shops would operate within the laws they've been set.

I couldn't ever imagine taking something back to a charity shop due to a mistake I'd made

[NoahVale]

only some charity shops do refunds AFAIK,
mainly they do credit notes.
if they let you refund it you re lucky

[frumpet]

Most of the charity shops around here , say when you make a purchase that you can return it as long as the tags are still attached and you have the receipt .

I once returned a suit that I had bought for DS , but it was £25 and didn't fit . Most of my other purchases tend to be at the £5 mark , with those I would re donate or give to someone else .

[NoahVale]

i bought some throws.
they didnt look nice.
they would not give me a refund.
i was annoyed as it was £12 I had a credit note for. I couldnt find £12 worth of other clothes.
Eventually after several visits I did, but the manager's attitude was appalling, Idont go back anymore and at charity shops I ask in advance, if buying for dc, if they refund if it doesnt fit.

[fascicle]

Squarehold
They said they did refunds but I was made to feel most unwelcome

I think if their policy is to allow refunds, it shouldn't be done begrudgingly.

TattyCat
I think charity shops really need to decide just where they sit.

I think that's a very good point. A refund for an item not fitting is not a statutory right, but it is a customer service policy in the vast majority of non charity shops.

If you are paying £15 for a shirt in a charity shop, it does affect customer expectations of service (i.e. more in line with expectations of other retail shops).

I bought a t-shirt from a charity shop yesterday for a fancy dress outfit, but later found a better one elsewhere. The t-shirt had a mark on it that was not immediately visible so I could have got a refund. I didn't because the item was cheap and from a charity shop. Had the shirt cost £15, I might have thought differently.

[BalloonSlayer]

For £15 I would.

A £1.50 shirt I definitely wouldn't.

You can buy brand new shirts for a fiver in Primark if you are just looking for a cheap shirt. If a shop is selling used goods for more than other shops are selling new ones then they need to behave in the same way: offer proper refunds and customer service.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I'm surprised as all the ones round here offer refunds- Heart Foundation,Salvation Army,Oxfam,Sue Ryder.