AIBU to be furious at how long it takes to get a refund?

[Misterectomy]

I love the convenience of online shopping but am noticing that retailers are taking longer and longer to give refunds on stuff I return. (I usually order clothes in 2 sizes due to the vagaries of manufacture).

I’ve been waiting for refunds from 2 places since the end of June. One of them even made me pay to return the stuff!

@PurpleDaisies..its just letting you know customers are so very unreasonable

[quote Bluetoybear]@PurpleDaisies..on ebay you have to offer free returns otherwise customers damage goods and say thay arrived damaged as that's a return paid for by law!.. You also have to keep your cost low ie:free delivery to attract customers when you are a small business.. You can't compete with the big companies[/quote]
I specifically said I wasn’t talking about eBay type selling. If you sell tops for £6.99 on eBay, you’re kind of accepting low margins but masses of customers aren’t you?

The op wasn’t talking about buying off eBay as far as I can tell.

To all the people who are furious with me for being furious… please note that I have no problem with paying to return (it’s cheaper than driving to my nearest town to shop and paying for parking) but it just feels cheeky that they are hanging on to my money for so long. I haven’t named and shamed any one company. Interesting to hear that they have 30 days to make the refund. That’s fair enough, but the retailers I’m referring to haven’t even acknowledged the returns - which makes me feel nervous. I have emailed customer services in both cases and got some kind of ‘because of Covid’ response.

But why would you assume people do?!

I might glance at it, but l’d want to try on more than one size.

I’m generally a 14. The top I’m wearing is an 16 and my jacket is an 18. My shorts are a 14. But l don’t know what looks right until I’ve tried more than one size on.

I have two jumpsuits from fat face. I wore one yesterday-size 10. I wore one today-size 8. Same body. Same size chart. Same retailer. Similar style.

On a positive note, Uniqlo and John Lewis are very speedy refunders.

I do not understand why people are saying you should have to pay for returns. Might as well say you have to pay to use the changing room in the shop as the store is paying rent for that space and wages to staff to operate it.

It’s a cost of doing business. You won’t sell anything if people can’t try before buying and people won’t be happy to pay.

It’s no different to making a shop look nice to get people in. Give people the experience they want and they’ll spend. Piss them off and they won’t.

Use Klarna then you don't pay until you have done your returns and decided what you are keeping! So much better!

This is probably something where there should be a legally enforced standard maximum, after which there are penalties, perhaps restrictions on trading. Combined with something that prevents customers from effectively using some clothes especially as free rental.

Or at the very least a requirement to read and understand the refunds policy, with some maximum number of words to read. Not ten pages of conditions.

I don't understand the people who say you should know the size you are and then it's all fine.
I order plenty of things in my size but lots of the stuff I order then try on at home fit me, but they don't actually suit me. Why would I keep the item? That would be odd.

I do not understand why people are saying you should have to pay for returns. Might as well say you have to pay to use the changing room in the shop as the store is paying rent for that space and wages to staff to operate it.

It's not comparable because a shop is open whether you choose to try things on or not. There are no increased staffing costs just because you have the fitting rooms open.

Whereas posting out orders generally requires extra staff members (as you can't sell stuff and do mail order at the same time), plus the cost of packaging, printing and hiring a delivery company to come and collect items (either from the warehouse or various stores) and deliver them

It’s a cost of doing business. You won’t sell anything if people can’t try before buying and people won’t be happy to pay.

But clearly some people ARE happy to pay. Websites make it quite clear whether they offer free returns or not - if you're not happy to pay, order elsewhere or shop in person.

It’s no different to making a shop look nice to get people in. Give people the experience they want and they’ll spend. Piss them off and they won’t.

Well, I can think of lots of appallingly laid out retail shops that make a fortune lol, so that's not always the case. Think places like Primark and Sports Direct. You don't need to have a beautifully laid out store with perfect customer service to make money.

Everything does takes ages at the mo. Services like klarna are good as you only pay a proportion of the payment and can freeze while you return. I do like shopping in stores but they just done have the stocks now.

People who routinely order multiples in the expectation of returning part of their order are just scamming the rest of us. It costs companies to process these returns - they pass those costs on to customers.

If you want to return items as a matter of routine, sign up to one of the special subscription-style services that some retailers offer to allow exactly this. Don't exploit the system and then moan that it isn't quite as massively generous as you would like it to be.

Klarna! That’s a good idea. Are there any downsides?

Perhaps we should take a leaf out of menswear and buy our clothes on measurements not current sizes, and make it an offence to use incorrect ones.

@goose1964

Perhaps we should take a leaf out of menswear and buy our clothes on measurements not current sizes, and make it an offence to use incorrect ones.

Dh often buys two sizes. He’s right in the middle and doesn’t know what looks best until trying them on. It depends on the style.

I agree that having consistent sizing would be a really good thing but it wouldn’t necessarily make a huge difference to returning items from an online order. It’s hard to know what’s flattering on the hanger.

I received a wrong item from ASOS in May [men's shorts, when I'd ordered women's joggers]. Returned the item and still waiting for a refund for what I'd actually ordered. ASOS have made it inconvenient to return. Went through an online 'chat' last week. They've had interest on my money for several months, until I get my refund. I'd often used them, but won't again unless they're selling something I desparately want.

@Random789

People who routinely order multiples in the expectation of returning part of their order are just scamming the rest of us. It costs companies to process these returns - they pass those costs on to customers.

If you want to return items as a matter of routine, sign up to one of the special subscription-style services that some retailers offer to allow exactly this. Don't exploit the system and then moan that it isn't quite as massively generous as you would like it to be.

This honestly is so ridiculous. Might as well say window shoppers are scamming the rest of us by using shops that are expensive to run while buying nothing.

Businesses pass on ALL costs to consumers, whether that’s advertising, shops, or online. That’s how they make money. It’s on them to find a way to operate profitably, not on us to treat them as some sort of charity case.

There is some very wrong advice on this thread about the law. I'm not sure where the quoted 30 days refund period has come from, in particular.

If returning goods you bought online and just because you've changed your mind, and you tell the company you are returning the goods within 14 days of delivery, they then have a maximum of 14 days from either when they received the goods back OR you sending evidence of having returned the goods (for example, a proof of postage receipt from the post office), whichever is the sooner. For this reason I always inform a retailer by email if I'm going to send stuff back, AND if there is a delay in getting a refund, I send my proof of postage to the retailer, which often flushes out a prompt refund.

The position is different if you are returning goods which are faulty, not bought online, or outside of the 14 day returns period mentioned above.

This is a good source of information:

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations-ajWHC8m21cAk

@Misterectomy no downsides at all as long as you aren't stupid with it . ( I have no issue with over spending ) I use it for every transaction I can and always pay ASAP when I've decided what I want . It's actually brilliant for all the returns as it doesn't matter how long it takes . You just pay when they have sorted it all out and sent you the balance !

The app is clear and concise , there is no way to get confused etc ..

My DH winds me up with his online shopping habits. He'll only order from places with free returns and always orders a range of sizes and colours. He'll return at least 80% of what he buys. Sometimes he'll add stuff to the order that he doesn't want and will 100% return just to take it over the threshold for free delivery.

Op .completely with you on this, refunds normally go back into the bank within a couple of days, recently they are taking approx 3 weeks. Its becoming ridiculous 🙄

@gamerchick

Am I the only one who knows what size I am and what size to order in. I've never met a site that doesn't have a size chart. Do you lot just fluctuate by many inches often?

DH ordered three pairs of trousers, same size, same style, same fabric. The only difference was the colour.

One pair fitted
One pair was too tight
One pair was too long.

Some retailers simply aren’t consistent

I can't believe how many people view ordering multiple size orders as morally wrong!

I have been pregnant and had a baby in lockdown. Most shops have had their fitting rooms shut throughout. I've had to order multiples of maternity wear, bras, and trousers/ jeans for my post birth body. I really didn't have a sense of what size I was at all!

Measuring yourself can only be an indication of fit because of cut/ stretchiness of fabric etc.

What are people supposed to do when fitting rooms are shut and they've had a body that's gone through a lot of changes?!

(And my bras STILL don't fit properly 😂)