Refund AIBU

[Yousillything]

So I made a purchase before Christmas from a large online retailer. When I received it, I knew straight away it wasn’t right, so I returned it the same day with a view to getting a refund.

I knew it could take a week, plus Christmas so I left it until today to chase the refund. They claim they refunded me, and yet it definitely hadn’t reached my bank.

Just found out that they had refunded me in the form of a ‘gift card’. I’m both confused and annoyed. I never paid them with a gift card, and could totally understand that if I’d originally paid using a gift voucher, but I didn’t and this is a massive company that does very well for itself.

I asked for it to be transferred back into my bank, and they had said it’s not possible and that it can be used against my next purchase. Tbh I’m fuming as I wasn’t aware they could just use your refund as a sort of voucher retainer system. AIBU?

Look at their terms & conditions online see what it says. I agree it should be refunded back to what ever type of payment it purchased with.

YANBU. If it was somewhere like Amazon that I ordered regularly from I'd be annoyed but would end up spending it reasonably quickly. If it was somewhere like John Lewis, B&Q, or Superdry, I'd be pushing really hard for my cold hard cash back!

Was it faulty or you just ordered the wrong thing? If faulty they have to refund no matter what their terms and conditions state.

YANBU, who was the retailer. We need to know to be able to help.

I think it'd depend on why it was returned. Faulty or not sent the right item, refund. If I'd just ordered the wrong thing I can see a GC.

Though I'm not sure if the distant selling regulations say you can get a cash refund. If they do, definitely take it further!

I voted YABU as surely you should have checked the terms and conditions before ordering. I'm not in the UK but I have found one or two places which will only issue a store credit and not an actual refund. In those cases I don't make a purchase.

Owned by Mike Ashley?

Let call them Hamazon. It is within the UK. I was under the belief that if you ordered something online, you didn’t have the advantage of knowing it was correct until it turned up, so we’ll within your rights to send back, plus I never even took the home DIY item out of its plastic wrap. They offered me £5 as a gesture, but refusing to give me money back to my bank account

Oh and the £5 has to be spent with them online

You have the right to change your mind within 14 days for online purchases I believe and get a full refund regardless of what the reason is.

I think you’re right, if you ordered online you’re well within your rights to return the item for a full refund if it isn’t as you expected it to be. Can you escalate the complaint further? Good luck!

When you do returns online with this company ‘hamazon’there is normally a bit when setting up your return which asks if you want it as a gift card or a refund to card. Are you sure you clicked the right option ?

I’m trying! But I’m relieved that a few of you agree with me, I was doubting myself. I feel that it’s such a sneaky way of holding onto peoples money!

When you raise a return with Hamazon (lol), you have two options - gift card or back to your card. It’s always pre-selected as gift card, so if you haven’t changed this that will be why you’ve got the gift card. Is it unlikely you won’t be shopping with them in the near future? I feel like it’s every other week I’m ordering something.

@Star81

When you do returns online with this company ‘hamazon’there is normally a bit when setting up your return which asks if you want it as a gift card or a refund to card. Are you sure you clicked the right option ?

This.

If it was Amazon, when you go through the refund process and say it was a faulty or wrong item, it gives you the choice whether to choose a refund to original payment method or Amazon credit. It’s default option is credit/gift voucher.
If it’s a return because you ordered the wrong them then it’s a gift voucher/credit. It is annoying, and it’s easy to miss, but it is in writing when you’re going through the return process. And you accept their return t&c’s at that point.
I’ve been caught myself before!

Well I don’t recall clicking that option Star81, but you could be correct. Many years ago they did something with Prime that meant many people didn’t realise they’d signed up until they were invoiced for it. It was a massive media thing and they had to give loads of money back

Oh I’ve basically repeated the other posters’ answers. I’m a slow typer

Is there any particular reason you can't say Amazon?

As has been said, you have to select how you want your refund when you request it on Amazon. It defaults to gift card and you have to click the refund to card option if you don’t want that.

Can anyone tell me where to find this little refund check box? They hide it soo well I can’t locate it!

It’s not hidden at all. It comes up as you go through the refund process. It’s one of the pages you go through.

You go into the refund centre, select the item you’re returning, select the reason why and then it’s on the next page, or at least it is for me. They ask if i want a replacement or refund, and if refund, what payment method I want them to use.

It’s the page that comes after you select the reason for the return.

I've never had any problem with Amazon. In a fraction of the time you've wasted posting on here you could have had an online chat and have the money back in your account by now.