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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Was I wrong?

68 replies

Babybel90 · 28/12/2019 20:46

This is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things but now I’m second guessing myself.

Dd got lots of clothes for Christmas from friends and relatives, and a couple of things would have been better in the next size up. So as I had gift receipts I took them back to the shop, found the same items in a bigger size and as they were now in the sale I picked up a couple of other things. When I got to the till I explained I was returning some items for a bigger size and the assistant just scanned the additional items and asked for the money for them.

When I pointed out the items I was returning had been purchased at full price but the replacements were in the sale she got a bit huffy and made a big deal of scanning the receipts and refunding the original items to individual gift cards and then putting the whole transaction through again, it took what felt like forever although was probably about 15 minutes, while a huge queue formed behind me.

Now I’m wondering if I was wrong, should I just have done a straight swap even though the items were now reduced?

OP posts:

NearlyGranny · 28/12/2019 23:12

Nah, you did right. It's just sensible to get the full value from the gifts. After all, a retail shop isn't a charity.

chester18 · 28/12/2019 23:14

I took back something to marks and Spencer yesterday as I got two of the same thing. It was now half price in the sale but I got the full price refund as I had a gift receipt and went on to buy a few sale items. Are some of you saying I should have said I only wanted the sale price refund, don't be so ridiculous! That's why people give gift receipts, so that the full value can be refunded if not suitable.

PurpleFlower1983 · 28/12/2019 23:16

Personally I would have got the refund first then gone back and bought the other items in a separate transaction. I would have been embarrassed doing it your way round.

ittooshallpass · 28/12/2019 23:18

You did nothing wrong.

Shops lawfully give you back what you paid if you have a receipt and what the current selling price is if you don't.

Some customers are lucky... as you were. Others aren't, like the pp who was offered £40 for a £100 dress.

The moral of the story... keep your receipts!

eryn6556 · 28/12/2019 23:19

I work in retail and so I can sympathise with the girl because it takes a long time to do what you were asking, so I think you could have been more understanding

ChristmasCroissant · 28/12/2019 23:32

You didn't swap it for exactly the same item though Chester, you returned it for a refund and were clear about doing so from the start.

SanFrancisco49er · 28/12/2019 23:34

No problem at all with what you did. You had a gift receipt which showed the value of the goods at point of payment and you should get this value back as a giftcard or exchange if returned within the timeframe set out by the store.
It sounds like the store need a multiple receipt option however so only 1 transaction has to be processed instead of 1 for each receipt!
This is also not why the high st is struggling. Business rates, brexit uncertainty and online shopping is.
Also, a store does not have to have a refund/exchange policy. However if a store advertises a refund/exchange policy then yes, legally, they have to adhere to it.

Original poster

Babybel90 · 28/12/2019 23:39

@chester18 exactly, I had the gift receipts and handed these over first so I thought it was obvious I was expecting the full price value back, otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered with the receipts.

Its a tiny store so it would have been a bit weird to get the refund then wander around the shop choosing items, it made more sense to me to do it all in one transaction.

I definitely wasn’t rude or impatient with the assistant, I know it can’t be much fun working in retail at this time of year.

OP posts:

Original poster

Babybel90 · 28/12/2019 23:44

@ChristmasCroissant it wasn’t exactly the same items though, they were one size bigger (and actually one was the same style but a different colour because they didn’t have the same colour in the bigger size)

OP posts:

CountryF · 29/12/2019 00:48

You were being smart!! Good job. YANBU

HopelessLayout · 29/12/2019 00:59

Normally clothing shops will only refund you whatever the latest price was, not the price you paid. I don't think you were cheeky, just lucky!

Personally I think they should refund the price paid!

HopelessLayout · 29/12/2019 01:00

Actually, I take that back. I'm thinking about in the instance when you don't have the receipts (so are returning gifts without receipts). So no you definitely were NOT being cheeky OP.

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 29/12/2019 01:03

The shops are there to make a profit.

What a stupid attitude. If shops are there to make a profit then customers are there to get the best possible service at the lowest price. Customers don’t own businesses anything ffs. Are you worried the CEO won’t be able to buy that 4th mansion?!

MaintainTheMolehill · 29/12/2019 01:10

I don't think you did anything wrong. I have always been told you only get the sale amount back if you don't have the receipt. I think the shop worker was BU to expect you to automatically accept the new lower value.

ChocolateCoins19 · 29/12/2019 01:13

The idea of having the receipt is to get the correct paid price back..
So you're right. They should refund then select the items you wish to have, whether that's the same item in a larger size or different items.

Mammyloveswine · 29/12/2019 01:20

I think you were fine!! As long as you had receipts!

Ocomeocomeimaginaryfleas · 29/12/2019 01:24

You were perfectly entitled to buy the items at the same price as any other customer. The fact that this involved a more complicated process for the cashier is not your problem. It isn't your responsibility to make her job easier if it costs you money in the process.

If I was the person who gave you the original clothes, I'd be delighted that you were able to extend the gift to include more items. After all, you did have the hassle of exchanging them for the right size.

KarenC80 · 29/12/2019 08:19

Surely if the store allowed it then fine. I returned a hat and scarf to M&S one year and because the item had gone into sale they only refunded me the sale price (less than the person gifting me had paid) but since the hat didn’t fit and I didn’t need a new mismatched scarf I just went ahead and returned it and bought some pants and socks which I really needed!

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