Discount for damaged goods

[BrianWankum]

I bought two items from an independent company, and plus postage they came to £27.60.
They both arrived damaged - usable, as in you wouldn't throw them away if you'd had them for a while, but one with a bit broken off and one with a dented corner - so very visible cosmetic damage.

I sent the company photos and said I'd rather not get them replaced and avoid waste, but a discount would be appreciated, and they've emailed me today to offer me a £4.12 refund!

Given that I wouldn't have actually bought two broken items for over £20, and would be completely within my rights to just ask for replacements, AIBU to think this is a totally risible offer?

They’ve offered you 15%. Your choice whether you accept it or ask them to replace. What would you be happy with?

I would have expected a 50% discount if usable
a 100% refund if not usable.

If they are too tight, ask for a replacement.

Why wouldn’t you want replacements in perfect condition? Send them back

You asked for a refund and they have offered one. Now you either go back and say no thank you, and return the items for a full refund or ask for what it is you want.

How are they supposed to know what you think is an appropriate discount on damaged goods?!

As mustard said they have done exactly what you asked, if you arent happy then send them back

I will be doing exactly that, I was just surprised that anyone would think £4.12 was a reasonable amount.

What percentage reduction would be okay for you? I would have thought 15% (although it's actually more than that as the £27.60 includes postage).

I would personally want a replacement for something that should be brand new that I had just bought.

slashlover I was thinking along the lines of 50%. If I went into a shop and saw something which should cost £10 but they'd knocked £1.50 off it because it had a large chip out of it, I'd rather pay the extra quid and get a perfect one. If it was half price, I might be tempted.

Agree with you OP! Cheek of them I’d ask for 50% or a replacement

Counter offer they are chancing their hand

Just say you need them to replace instead.

They're good enough for you to keep and so I think the discount is acceptable. I imagine they get a lot of people trying it on and claiming damage, not saying you're one.

Well, like I said, they’re not mind readers. And they’re also a business so they’re hardly going to offer a massive discount for a damaged but still usable item!

No one would buy a chipped or dented item off a shelf though. These items aren't actually sellable, I just hate things being wasted, but that includes my own money. I've emailed them and asked them to replace them. I thought I was doing them a bloody favour, thinking they might get half the purchase price for basically worthless goods! But I see I should have been clearer in my first email to them.

I sent the company photos and said I'd rather not get them replaced and avoid waste, but a discount would be appreciated

I'm categorically NOT accusing you of this, but that sounds like exactly the sort of stunt that would be pulled by eBay chancers - they don't want a replacement at the full price, but they will gladly 'put up with' a damaged one (that they could have damaged themselves, made to look much worse, doctored the photo or photographed an existing broken one), as long as they end up getting it for half price (or even free).

I can see how they might be suspicious, when the vast majority of people would be wanting a replacement in perfect condition.

Does it happen to be a lovely (but damaged) chess set from Etsy I've had exactly the same.

As they are damaged, you just refuse them and send them back by the cheapest method. They have to refund your order in full including the original postage cost and the cost of returning the items - they may have a free return service, you have to do that.

YABU- you asked for a discount and they offered one of 15% which is what they think the damage is worth. Either you accept it and keep the items or you send them back for a full refund/replacement.

I work in retail and people think that they are entitled to hefty discounts for minor damage when actually doing that often costs the company money as the discount will come out of their profit margin. Once a discount goes over a certain % they are effectively paying you to buy the item and would rather just refund you 100% and get the items back to either sell as seen or salvage for parts than sell at a loss.

Not only that but it is a very well known scam for someone to receive an item they have paid full price for, claim "damage" and then want a large discount and to keep the item so retailers are usually very reticent to offer large discounts. They'd rather have you return the product and send you a perfect replacement instead - if you're a genuine customer then you're unlikely to turn down a like for like replacement and if youre a scammer then they just refund you and save themselves the hassle. Unfortunately for retailers they cant tell which customer is which until they make an offer.

YANBU, people should avoid waste where possible, and you are right that nobody would pay 85% of the full cost in a shop if they were damaged. Was the missing bit inside the packaging, or were they put in in that state already?

I bought a kettle that has various indicator lights, and with the old version of it, the lights stay on all the time it's plugged in. I ordered the new version, which is supposed to turn the lights off after a few minutes to save energy. However, they either sent me an old kettle in a new box, or there is a batch of misprogrammed new ones out there, as my lights stay on.

I asked for a partial refund so as not to waste the embodied energy used to produce, package, and transport the kettle (it works fine in terms of boiling water so it is not faulty per se), which is significant when it comes to something made of metal and electronic components. But they wouldn't give me anything; they would only let me return it for a replacement. So I kept it, and have to keep remembering to turn it off at the wall instead.