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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to be annoyed at Primark's return policy?

183 replies

MrsScamander · 19/01/2019 18:14

I know I am. I know they are not legally obliged to give me a refund on anything unless it is faulty. I just think their policy is really shitty.

Went into Primark today with a pair of PJs DD had been given for Christmas that were a size too small. We hadn't even taken them off the hanger as we knew they wouldn't fit, so they still had the labels on and everything where it should be.

Found the same pj's on the shop floor and they had her size and were the same price.

As they were a gift I didn't have the receipt and wasn't given a gift receipt for them but didn't think this would be a problem as I just wanted to exchange them.

Get to the till and was refused an exchange because I didn't have the receipt. Was told I needed to get the receipt and there was nothing they could do. So I either hope my friend still has the receipt and can post it to me, then make another trip into town, or I keep them and magically shrink my daughter?

What shall I do with tutu pj's that don't fit? 😑 It's been a few years since I worked in retail but if someone didn't have a receipt we'd exchange for the same product or put the current selling price on a gift card.

Bahh humbug!

OP posts:

alphajuliet123 · 19/01/2019 21:06

John Lewis have this policy too. I think it’s an awful way to treat customers

I took 2 kids clothing items back to John Lewis last week (unwanted gifts, no receipt) and it was all put on a gift card no problem.

MichelleM30 · 19/01/2019 21:08

Yip this is the new return policy. I also think its unreasonable and would think twice about buying stuff now.

My sister took a top back recently that didn't fit with the receipt, turns out it was 1 day past the day they will accept the return. They refused it. She also wanted to exchange for other goods but they wouldn't let her. So she was left with a top that didn't fit her. Certainly makes you think twice about shopping there!

CourtneyLoveIsMySpiritAnimall · 19/01/2019 21:10

YAB a tiny bit U. I understand why they're doing it, having worked in retail but I've had the same issue with them. Wanted to exchange a pair of trousers with no receipt. I showed them my bank statement but it wasn't good enough so they phoned the store I bought them from and they looked through their receipts for them (they didn't find it) but in the end they swapped them anyway.

Having worked in retail myself and seeing some of the stunts shoplifters pull, I can see both sides. One person once walked into the shop where I worked, lifted a bra off the peg and brought it straight over to customers services for a 'refund'. (She didn't get one, btw).

dustarr73 · 19/01/2019 21:18

And im not being smart its not the shops fault the top didnt fit or she left it too late to return it.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 19/01/2019 21:20

My sister took a top back recently that didn't fit with the receipt, turns out it was 1 day past the day they will accept the return. They refused it.

MichelleM30 Of course they did, rightfully so. Primark’s return policy is an entire month. She is being unreasonable for not taking it back in the generous allotted timeframe. There has to be a cutoff somewhere.

MortyVicar · 19/01/2019 21:20

My sister took a top back recently that didn't fit

But surely that's why they have changing rooms?

Our Primark has been making very regular announcements over the tannoy for four or five months now explaining the policy change. Don't blame the store, blame the people who see shoplifting/fraudulent refunds as not only a victimless crime, but somehow as something that's their right.

Betsy86 · 19/01/2019 21:21

Same here op i tried to swap some pjs for a bigger size last week with no joy. I went straight to the desk purposely didnt go to pj area first but no I couldn’t even finish my sentence before the returns lady shut me down.

MichelleM30 · 19/01/2019 21:21

Not everyone wants to use the changing rooms or has the time

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 19/01/2019 21:25

Not everyone wants to use the changing rooms or has the time

MichelleM30 Sure, but they then have an entire month on the returns policy.

bollocksitshappenedagain · 19/01/2019 21:27

I tried to get a refund for something with a receipt and was refused!

I had paid with Apple Pay and the phone generates its own card number. At the time I didn't know that I could go into the wallet and check it. So even though I brought up the Apple Pay screen and. They could see the card matched the one in my hand and I had a receipt they refused. Luckily another staff member came along who knew how to get the number and we got got there in the ends

Original poster

MrsScamander · 19/01/2019 21:30

privatedoor I didn't work in Primark but another big retailer and we couldn't return underwear. Technically we could on the till but we weren't allowed to.

I bent that rule when a woman came in and returned a pair of period stained knickers she had got in the sale.

Whether the stain was her or they were actually like that when she bought them I don't know, but for the sake of £2.50 I chose to take her word for it and return.

Didn't like the fact that she made me pick them up to see if i could see what was wrong with them

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsScamander · 19/01/2019 21:34

toogoodtobetrue clearly you didn't get the jokey tone of the second part of that post

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsScamander · 19/01/2019 21:43

Bianca would the receipt not show the previous item that was returned?

My old stores receipt would show the item name, its code and the value that was returned and then the new item it was exchanged for. If we had someone come in wanting to refund an item we could see had been exchanged we weren't allowed to do that, it was another exchange or gift card.

OP posts:

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 19/01/2019 21:55

I bent that rule when a woman came in and returned a pair of period stained knickers she had got in the sale.

Whether the stain was her or they were actually like that when she bought them I don't know, but for the sake of £2.50 I chose to take her word for it and return.

Don’t be so silly, OP. Of course she didn’t buy them like that. Firstly, she would have noticed upon picking them up, then the shop assistant would have noticed when handling them.

You were well and truly played there and if I was your manager we would be having a chat a) about why we don’t return underwear and b) why you shouldn’t have issued that refund even if we did.

It’s not just about the money, it’s about what refunds actually flag up in the business.

Newsername · 19/01/2019 21:58

Weird. I bought some baby grows for a friend from Sainsbury’s. Realised they weren’t as nice at home and couldn’t find the receipt. I took them back and they gave me a gift voucher instead which was fine. I’m surprised they didn’t give you an exchange or voucher.

PerfectlyPetty · 19/01/2019 22:05

Go away and open them, unpick one of the seams a bit and return them as faulty.

LetsGoFlyAKiteee · 19/01/2019 22:12

Blame the people that created the reason for this new policy not the people working with it.

Wallabyone · 19/01/2019 22:41

If you have a My John Lewis card, all your receipts are stored on the app-has been quite useful when I've misplaced mine.

garethsouthgatesmrs · 19/01/2019 23:15

always have them in the primark bag though

this has irrationally annoyed me. You buy clothes made in sweatshops and then just to stick the knife in buy a massive piece of plastic to further pollute our planet just in case you need to return the sweatshop crap.

I fucking hate primark. Why would you expect a shit shop which doesn't care about the people employed to produce its clothes or the cotton it uses to care about it's customers. This will save them a bit of money so they will do it.

GoFiguire · 19/01/2019 23:18

I took a jumper back to TL Maxx because it shrank in the wash because they never told me it was hand wash and I washed it and it shrank and they never gave me the bloody money back even though I look stupid in it. I know I look stupid cos I wore it to return it and the shop girl was laughing at me. No wonder the high steee is going down the pan.

19lottie82 · 19/01/2019 23:28

I wouldn’t expect anywhere to give me an exchange when I didn’t have a receipt.

crimsonrose19 · 19/01/2019 23:29

When i took back a top that had come apart at the seams, the girl presumed it was because i didn’t like it. The first thing i said was “I dont have the receipt, and before i had the chance to say it was coming apart at the seams she told me, “can’t do anything without the receipt.” As soon as i explained about the fault she said that’s different, i could have a cash refund.

Nicknacky · 19/01/2019 23:32

GoFiguire I assume you are trying to be funny?

LoniceraJaponica · 19/01/2019 23:53

"Shoppers taking the piss with returns is a huge issue for retail and the high levels of free online returns has the potential to lead to a lot more shops going bust."

I can't believe how naive so many posters are on here. I have worked in retail and DD had a temp Christmas retail job. Unfortunately there are an awful lot of dishonest people around. And many of them are very blatant about it. The shop DD worked in had a massive problem with shoplifters, and the staff had to practically stalk some of the customers.

It doesn't help that most tills are now at the back of stores, and shops like Primark that don't security tag their clothes often suffer more from shoplifting.

Unfortunately it does make returning goods more tricky for the honest ones. It is a PITA, but ultimately we have to understand because the cost of shoplifting does get passed on to the consumer.

reallybadidea · 20/01/2019 00:07

You buy clothes made in sweatshops and then just to stick the knife in buy a massive piece of plastic

Their clothes might be made in sweatshops, but Primark bags are made from paper.

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