To think House of Fraser’s refund policy is another nail in their coffin

[Bearbehind]

I bought several expensive and heavy items online with the intention of choosing 1 and taking the others back to my local store for a refund

Turns out you can only exchange or get a credit note in store

If you want your money back you have to post it back at your own cost

Given the weight and value, I’m nearly £30 down for the pleasure.

Surely they can’t afford to piss customers off by refusing to refund in store - what difference does it make to them?

Very expensive lesson learned!

I will never buy from them again

YANBU, it’s incredibly, stupidly short-sighted.

Struggling retailers need to attract more customers AND (more importantly) retain the customers they already have. Making life difficult for customers just means they go elsewhere. It’s not as though HoF sell anything that can’t be bought anywhere else.

Eejits.

So you expect to return the goods to a store which doesn't even sell that product and may not have the capability to deal with it?

It does cost them as they would have to return the items to their warehouse which costs. It either costs room in their lorries that they could use for other stock or if they send via courier then in courier fees. More so with bulky items, it costs them storage space they again could be using for things that they can sell as stock can be store specific so it’s not as if it can necessarily go out on the shop floor.

Though I do agree it is annoying.

Send them back with a parcel courier instead of through the post.

I think the distance selling regulations definitely need to change to prohibit free refunds when the product bought isn’t damaged or fraudulently bought. They are the reason why people like OP abuse them - you buy too much, wear it all once, then want to return it for free which is unacceptable really.

The returns going in store wasn't really the problem though, as they'd have been going back anyway so the problem was them being counted against the store numbers.

But in reality, most things HoF sell are available elsewhere. Either in other high street shops (who generally allow online returns in store) or on online only retailers like ASOS who offer free returns. So by having this approach they are not helping themselves as customers who buy online will just go elsewhere. That might make the individual store numbers look better (as they won't have the returns deducted) but the overall numbers will be worse due to lost sales.

I thoroughly disagree Grumpy. How on earth are we meant to know if something fits and suits without trying it on? I buy multiple things in one transaction as otherwise the shipping fees bump up the price per item unacceptably. And I only have to stay in for one delivery. I always hope to keep all items, but it really isn’t my fault if manufacturers can’t get their act together with standardised sizing. I refuse to buy from stores where I have to pay for returns. I can’t justify the extra expense.

Where does OP says she wore it once then returned it? I think she was just ordering a couple of sizes and colours to try on which frankly I have to do all the time because I never know which size will fit in different cuts or brands.

Op I agree. John Lewis, Debenhams and all their competitors will do refunds in store from online deliveries. This is how people shop now. I won’t buy online from House of Fraser now.

I agree. That's why I have stopped shopping there.

I used to buy all DS's stuff, most of mine and DH's and undies for DD. So quite a lot.

I would click and collect sometimes more than one size colour then return to store for free. All changed now. It costs c. £5.00 for delivery (but you get a £10 voucher) and have to post back at own cost.

So now I use John Lewis and collect from Waitrose.

It's annoying, but you don't have a legitimate reason to be pissed off at House Of Fraser. I'd just be pissed off at myself for not reading the returns policy before purchasing. It's all explained there very clearly.

Next are doing very well now, as they do next day deliveries for their own and branded goods, and everythIng can be returned to store. So easy and convenient. And the returns to any till in the store encourages customers to visit.

I used to absolutely love HOF

Back in the noughties I used to go there regularly as there was a huge one a few minutes from where I worked

I used to buy birthday presents, treats for myself, linen and kitchen stuff, and got very excited about the sales

Last year when it all went tits up over the summer, I had around £100 worth of gift vouchers which I was then told I could not use

Wrote off as instructed and got £50 worth of vouchers back
I suppose count myself lucky?

So I spent them ASAP and have never made a purchase there since...and never will again!

In reply to OP's original question- YANBU!

They are now nothing like they were before, only in name

I think it's only a matter of time before they go under

Such a shame

Actually under distance selling regs you have the legal right to return for a refund and their cost not yours.

At

@whiteroseredrose

Snap- I do the John Lewis online ordering and pick up from Waitrose

If you need to return stuff you can drop if off at Waitrose, no hassles

If it's too big they will organise collection from your home

Can I get delivery costs refunded?

The following advice applies to you if your online order arrived on time as expected and you’d now like to return it because you no longer want it.

Notify the retailer of your wish to cancel the goods and return them within the returns time period.

After returning the goods, the retailer should refund you the cost of the goods and the standard delivery cost you paid to get the goods sent to you in the first place.

Your refund for the goods and standard delivery cost must be paid within 14 calendar days after returning the goods, or evidence that they were returned.

If they are willing to refund if you post it back to them they why wouldn’t they do it if you take it to the store?

I was watching a video on YouTube about this type of thing last night and it was said it's because if the way they record sales and funds and nesses with his an individual store performance looks with stores that issues cash refunds for items bought online.

So if they've sold £10,000 worth of products instore but dishes out £5,000 of refunds for stuff not bought at that shop it comes if the sales for that store knocking it down to £5,000 and appears the store isn't performing as well as it actually is.

I think it was about Sephora's but maybe other big chain stores have the same kind if if problem where online sales refunds affect how an individual stores permanently appears.

Performance even.

So either they have an item stuck in their stockroom until sale time, or they need to pay for the item to get back to the warehouse themselves. Either way would cost them.

They will have empty vans who have dropped off stock to the shop, they will be going back to the warehouse so no extra costs.

Check the small print. In the UK unless a site says it will not return postage they are meant to (or they were last time I looked into this). Who pays return should also be listed but I can't remember the rules. I've got into this with M&S before when they tried to refuse to return my p&p. Personally I'd double check if legally they are allowed to only offer a credit note if returned in store.

I do completely agree that it shouldn't affect the store/salesmans figures if something is returned in store. That needs sorting.

In truth, online returns were the reason my shop shut. We were averaging £15k of refunds a week from online, when we only managed to sell £20k of stock a week.

As a PP said, that’s just piss poor management from the top.

The stuff is going back, either to your store or the warehouse

The difference now is I won’t be buying even 1 out of 4 items

I didn't think you return stuff to Waitrose or do they post it back if you drop it there?