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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

133 replies

Misterectomy · 21/07/2021 15:52

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!

OP posts:
AuntieMarys · 22/07/2021 07:33

I order all clothes online as I am tall, and can't get anything on the high street. I order mainly from Next as delivery/returns are excellent...but have to order XL and XXL as the lengths vary so much.
Saint & Sophia are a nightmare for processing refunds I've found. Esprit are very good.
Those saying you shouldn't order multiple sizes are living in a parallel universe

lap90 · 22/07/2021 07:49

End of June does seem a bit long to process a refund.

Also it's perfectly normal to order 2 sizes... so much so it's commonly reflected on return slips that one ordered 2 sizes for choice! It's been like that for years.

bananapumpkin · 22/07/2021 09:47

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

Buying something you fully intend to return is always wrong. You're wasting someone else's time, effort and money. Of course there will always be circumstances where you end up returning things, but at the point you purchase it you should want it. I thought that was normal Confused

PurpleDaisies · 22/07/2021 10:09

Buying something you fully intend to return is always wrong. You're wasting someone else's time, effort and money. Of course there will always be circumstances where you end up returning things, but at the point you purchase it you should want it. I thought that was normal.

You do want it when you buy it-you just don’t know what size fits so you buy more than one size. This is entirely normal for online shopping. Companies know this. That’s why it’s pretty much always an option on the returns form.

If you ask a company whether they want people keeping part of their order or not buying from them at all, I bet most will want the business.

Why aren’t online companies telling people not to do this if it’s such a huge problem?

AudacityBaby · 22/07/2021 10:29

I think a lot of people on this thread are really missing the point.

Online stores are bound by distance selling laws. The customer doesn't have the opportunity to inspect the item in person before they purchase. Therefore, they need to have a right to reject the goods once they've had a chance to inspect them. The fact that that happens after payment and involves shipping processes is neither here nor there.

If online companies don't want the hassle of dealing with returns, then they need to change their business model and become brick and mortar stores. Not blame the customers for using the legislation that applies to the business model they've chosen for selling their wares.

None of this makes it OK for people to return worn items, and companies are perfectly entitled to not offer free delivery or returns if they want to. What they're not entitled to do is try to have their cake and eat it by acting like they're in the same category as Primark.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 22/07/2021 10:34

Is this like some moral thing? Only order what you know for definite will fit?

You are completely wrong. This is how online companies operate. All the returns etc are built into the price. They EXPECT people to do this. The more you order the more likely they are to sell something. As I’ve said before this is why Klarna exists.
The post above about distance selling is correct. You have to be able to view the items and return them if they aren’t suitable. Your bedroom becomes the changing room. This is how the business model operates!

Enjoy all the fun of ordering one thing and returning, as infinitum🙄

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 22/07/2021 10:38

Buying something you fully intend to return is always wrong. You're wasting someone else's time, effort and money. Of course there will always be circumstances where you end up returning things, but at the point you purchase it you should want it. I thought that was normal

No, you order more than one size for fit. That is what they expect you to do. They pay staff to deal with returns.

I worked in the rag trade for years, there’s some real nonesense on here.

Multiple ordering is normal and expected within the business model. People have to have choices over sizes and aesthetics.

I’d love to see a successful online retailer permitting the order of one garment at a time! 😂They have huge profits.

Honestly, there’s so much misunderstanding and general …well… drivel on here.

It’s a standard method of business!

bananapumpkin · 22/07/2021 12:01

You do want it when you buy it-you just don’t know what size fits so you buy more than one size.

To me this is no different from placing an online grocery order with a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, then having a look at them all when the order arrives and sending two back. Maybe you think that's fine too?

Yes, you are legally entitled to keep ordering loads of stuff you don't want and returning it, but that doesn't make it OK. What I have learned from this thread is that some businesses really do expect to operate in that way. Others don't, and it causes massive problems for them.

PurpleDaisies · 22/07/2021 12:07

To me this is no different from placing an online grocery order with a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, then having a look at them all when the order arrives and sending two back. Maybe you think that's fine too?

That is an utterly ridiculous analogy. I know what chicken and lamb are like before they come and whether a particular piece is slightly bigger or smaller makes no difference when it goes in a curry. Those things will be used for one meal, not like a top which will be worn for years.

BunnytheFriendlyDragon · 22/07/2021 12:09

Check the returns policy before you order and only order if you can afford to be out of pocket for a bit

BunnytheFriendlyDragon · 22/07/2021 12:20

YABU to be "furious"

I sometimes order more than one thing eg if I'm not sure what size jeans I need I might order two sizes and send one back

But I realise it can take time for it to be processed. I wouldn't expect the refund to be instantaneous. There is a level of convenience which comes with shopping online which is not having to leave the house etc (except to go to post office)

The trade off is you have to pay for everything you order and it might take a few weeks to get a refund for things you don't want

AudacityBaby · 22/07/2021 12:57

@bananapumpkin

You do want it when you buy it-you just don’t know what size fits so you buy more than one size.

To me this is no different from placing an online grocery order with a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, then having a look at them all when the order arrives and sending two back. Maybe you think that's fine too?

Yes, you are legally entitled to keep ordering loads of stuff you don't want and returning it, but that doesn't make it OK. What I have learned from this thread is that some businesses really do expect to operate in that way. Others don't, and it causes massive problems for them.

A better analogy would be ordering a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, and then when they turn up they're of very poor quality or rotten. Would you say that the person ordering would have to keep them, because they ordered them?

People want the garment, in a size that both fits them and is flattering. They're entitled to reject an item which arrives and which, after inspection, they do not want because it does not do those things.

bananapumpkin · 22/07/2021 13:18

A better analogy would be ordering a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, and then when they turn up they're of very poor quality or rotten.

That's not analogous at all! That would be like receiving clothing with a tear or stain: damaged goods. Of course those should be returned.

UrAWizHarry · 22/07/2021 13:29

Fact is, it costs money to send something through the post so the business is going to cover that in some way. If they offer free returns or delivery then the cost is just built into the item cost.

It's nice if a business does offer free returns but it's not like you would expect them to pay your bus fare if you were returning instore.

MrsKeats · 22/07/2021 13:46

Stop ordering so many different sizes.
Ridiculous.

PurpleDaisies · 22/07/2021 13:48

@MrsKeats

Stop ordering so many different sizes. Ridiculous.
Ordering the two sizes you normally are one of is ridiculous? Really?

You must be lucky to be exactly the same size in every single item of clothing…

MrsKeats · 22/07/2021 13:48

How are you normally 2 sizes?

PurpleDaisies · 22/07/2021 13:50

@MrsKeats

How are you normally 2 sizes?
Sometimes I’m an 8, sometimes a 10. It depends what fits best.
NotMyCat · 22/07/2021 13:56

@MrsKeats I have three pairs of jeans from next, all the same style, three different sizes
I have clothes from a 12 to a 24

AudacityBaby · 22/07/2021 14:02

@bananapumpkin

A better analogy would be ordering a chicken, a leg of lamb and a joint of beef, and then when they turn up they're of very poor quality or rotten.

That's not analogous at all! That would be like receiving clothing with a tear or stain: damaged goods. Of course those should be returned.

You said that it would not be OK to buy three types of meat, knowing you didn't want them all, and sending two back once you'd had a chance to have a look at them all.

My point was that your analogy only works if you assume that people are ordering three meats when they know they just want chicken, and fully intend to send the other two back (which is not something people actually do).

When people order the same thing in 3 sizes, of course they only want the item in one of the sizes and therefore fully intend to send the other two back. The difference is that whilst a person who wants chicken only isn't going to wilfully order and return lamb for the fun of it, a person who wants a garment that fits them best may have to try it on in 3 sizes and then return 2. It's not wilfully being spiteful - it's the reality of online clothes shopping.

Following the meat analogy (i.e. if you order lamb when you only want chicken then you should keep the lamb because you ordered it) would suggest that a person who orders 3 garments should have to keep all 3 even if they're not suitable. If that was how online shopping worked, then online shopping would not be at all attractive to the customer.

ChainJane · 22/07/2021 14:07

The meat analogy would be me ordering three differently sized chickens with the intention of seeing how hungry we all felt on Sunday morning then sending the other two back on Monday.

Original poster
Misterectomy · 22/07/2021 15:15

Thanks to all who have taken the time to comment and reassure me I’m not a monster! Perhaps I meant frustrated - rather than furious - at the delays in getting my money back.

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 22/07/2021 17:38

@ChainJane

The meat analogy would be me ordering three differently sized chickens with the intention of seeing how hungry we all felt on Sunday morning then sending the other two back on Monday.
Well exactly. The other analogy makes absolutely no sense
Carrotinsaladiswrong · 22/07/2021 19:27

Return things too often and they’ll blacklist you.

YABU.

Angrymum22 · 23/07/2021 08:36

I have no problem ordering multiple sizes with the intention of returning unwanted sizes but that is my choice so my responsibility to pay postage. If I was buying direct and returning goods it would involve journey and parking costs. I generally try on in store but this hasn’t been possible for 18mnths.
As for delaying refunds, there has probably been a massive increase in the number of customers buying and returning. Each returned item has to be processed to make sure it can be resold, these dept will be very busy leading to delays in refunds.
Your buying style directly affects the companies ability to process the refund.