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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

481 replies

Bearbehind · 04/11/2019 19:34

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

OP posts:
Bofster37 · 05/11/2019 11:47

It cost you £30 to post some clothes?

Really? Hmm

adaline · 05/11/2019 11:47

I guess what I'm saying is not all shops operate the way HoF does so use your buying power and take your business elsewhere of you don't like it - returning online goods shouldn't be that stressful!

MiniMum97 · 05/11/2019 11:50

To all those people saying that it's not right that people can do few returns. Many many retailers to do it is possible. And it's what the customer wants do shops need to adapt. It's how good business works. If you don't adapt you will close.

kenandbarbie · 05/11/2019 11:50

Yeah I agree, I have small kids and actually visiting shops is hard work. I almost exclusively but from Next, HandM and MandS now because I can buy a few things and return to store quick and easily. Next do brands if I need them too. They obvs don't get penalized in store for refunds, it must be an accounting issue.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 05/11/2019 11:51

Really?

Yes nearly £30 really 🤔

Check out Royal Mail prices for Special Delivery over 2kg if you don’t believe me

Why on earth would you think I’d make that up?

OP posts:
DGRossetti · 05/11/2019 11:51

I caught a R4 piece a couple of years ago (it was on a Sunday so probably a repeat ?). It was their business programme, and it was discussing the phenomenon of customers ordering 3 sizes and returning 2.

Apparently a lot of the retailers share a facility where returns are routed and repacked as new. The programme spoke to one of the skilled workers who magics a tried-on item to be new again.

adaline · 05/11/2019 11:51

But let's not blame the customer in all of this they it's definitely not their problem or fault

Where did I blame the customer?

It's Head Office who are to blame, most of whom have never worked as sales assistants in their life! But until HO change their policies, shop staff and managers are just doing as they're told. Most store managers don't actually have that much freedom to make "off course" decisions - we have policies to follow and if we don't, we get in trouble.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 05/11/2019 11:51

I know retail can be crap but you are speaking as if how your company does it is the only way and its not.

^ This

OP posts:
Original poster
Bearbehind · 05/11/2019 11:52

I guess what I'm saying is not all shops operate the way HoF does so use your buying power and take your business elsewhere of you don't like it - returning online goods shouldn't be that stressful!

But this too! 😂

OP posts:
StatisticallyChallenged · 05/11/2019 11:53

How on earth is it bad taste and rude to order a couple of variants of an item to try on?

Lots of things aren't available locally, most retailers only carry a fraction of their range in store vs online. Went out to get a coat and shoes for DD - 3 different coats she had liked not available in her size, 2 variants of shoes not in her size. Came home empty handed. Is it any wonder folk do exactly what OP did? Really don't see any rudeness in it.

Buying, wearing and returning? Rude. But that's not the same

DGRossetti · 05/11/2019 11:56

Went out to get a coat and shoes for DD - 3 different coats she had liked not available in her size, 2 variants of shoes not in her size. Came home empty handed.

And probably a few quid down, if you paid for parking ...

StatisticallyChallenged · 05/11/2019 11:59

Indeed - I live walking distance from city centre which is the only reason I bothered to try.

Bananashake · 05/11/2019 12:03

@adaline OK my mistake I misunderstood what you were saying, and thought you were saying the customer shouldn't return in store because it came off your sales figures sorry.
I think we are both agreed that head office which from my experience is filled with hope over experience are to blame. And shopfloor staff end up bearing the blunt of their crazy ill thought out policies.

Bananashake · 05/11/2019 12:05

And again the lack of discretion is company based at M&S there is a lot of discretion for managers they really don't have to stick to policy at all.

adaline · 05/11/2019 12:06

OK my mistake I misunderstood what you were saying, and thought you were saying the customer shouldn't return in store because it came off your sales figures sorry. I think we are both agreed that head office which from my experience is filled with hope over experience are to blame. And shopfloor staff end up bearing the blunt of their crazy ill thought out policies.

Absolutely! I see the sales assistant view that when your figures are affected than you are going to hate dealing with online refunds, but that doesn't mean the customer shouldn't be able to return anyway. It's HO policy that has to change, not the ability to refund in shops.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 05/11/2019 12:07

How on earth is it bad taste and rude to order a couple of variants of an item to try on? For many of us that is the norm. We weren't born in a time when online shopping was a thing, so we don't see it the same way! It seems odd.

HoF is more like us, I suspect Smile

But the bottom line is that their retruns policy is really clear and that s the contract the OP entered into on ordering clothes.

www.houseoffraser.co.uk/customerservices/completedorders/returnsandexchanges?utm_source=rakuten&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=adgoal.net&utm_content=10&utm_term=2126220&ranMID=43869&ranEAID=a1LgFw09t88&ranSiteID=a1LgFw09t88-o5B0DRG3vJB9j4Q0eZ4CJQ

Maybe choosing other retailers who have more up to date policies would be a better bet.

RowenaMud · 05/11/2019 12:12

and appears the store isn't performing as well as it actually is..

Surely that is easily rectified. There should be a code that store staff can enter to indicate it was an online return. If stores decide not to do this it is not the customer’s fault if certain high street stores shut down as a result!

flirtygirl · 05/11/2019 12:14

Op I get the point about hof but it's been like that for over a year now and well publicised, so people should avoid them.

Also you didn't need to be £27 out of pocket as you didn't have to use royal mail and or special delivery. You could have used a tracked insured service for around 6.50, yes you would still be out of pocket but not by so much.

Anyway op lesson learned now.

I think people who use companies like those owned by Mike twatface get a comeuppance eventually. Op will know now but others will still choose to shop with them, why?

Userzzzzz · 05/11/2019 12:30

You should be able to return to store. Any retailer selling clothes online need to build in the cost of returns. It’s why I’ve bought a lot from Boden recently as it’s hassle free to buy, try and send back.

Any brand that tries to pit its online business against stores is asking for trouble real. They complement each other and that includes proper accounting for online refunds.

HighNetGirth · 05/11/2019 12:41

This thread is confirming for me how harsh retail businesses are towards their staff. Most of the practices described here are incredibly unfair to the individual on the shop floor. Just commiserations to you all.

Lazypuppy · 05/11/2019 12:50

In my store it came off of the person who sold it to you's figures for the week, and also came off our daily total.

Stupid system but head office refused to change it

Barbarara · 05/11/2019 12:51

I’ve often bought clothes for ds to try on at home. Shopping is a nightmare for him and it can take 20 minutes or more to convince him to put on a new item. I usually check on the returns policy when I buy in these circumstances but it had never occurred to me that some poor sales assistant might be left out of pocket. Ironically when I do find a pair of trousers or other garment that he likes I often buy multiple pairs in different sizes but I have to do that online and not instore because of stock availability. I’m really appalled that I could be affecting someone’s commission while the company takes a nice profit from my sale.

Preparingfor · 05/11/2019 13:43

Apparently a lot of the retailers share a facility where returns are routed and repacked as new. The programme spoke to one of the skilled workers who magics a tried-on item to be new again.

I'm relieved to read this. I often order two sizes as I'm a weird twig shape and so send the second one back. I return really promptly, in the original bag and it will have been on me for all of a minute if that. Sometimes the first one I try will be perfect so don't even bother trying on the second. It goes back as good as new and no different to what would happen if I tried two different sizes in the shop. I'd hate to think it couldn't be resold.

Original poster
Bearbehind · 05/11/2019 13:57

Also you didn't need to be £27 out of pocket as you didn't have to use royal mail and or special delivery. You could have used a tracked insured service for around 6.50, yes you would still be out of pocket but not by so much.

Please could you point me in the direction of where I could have got tracked and insured postage for a 4kg parcel insured up to £500 for £6.50

OP posts:
mathsquestions · 05/11/2019 14:07

I have on occasion not ordered from them for this very reason