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AIBU?

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Original poster

To return something to purchase it again on sale?

129 replies

polka14 · 05/05/2022 11:35

DOI: I haven't actually done this.

WWYD if you bought X, it has just delivered and you go to leave a review and notice it is now on sale. Would you return your full price item to re-buy at the discounted price? Are there any rules around this?

OP posts:
Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 20:57

@Crunchymum no it wasn't the only reason. It was many reasons. But seriously can people not see if a retailer loses money and doesn't make a profit they will eventually go bust.

BestDove · 05/05/2022 21:01

Absolutely fine.

If it's a larger item, call the company. I bought a piece of furniture. 2 weeks later (just before planned delivery) it went on sale. I called them and they refunded the difference. Otherwise I would have cancelled the order and reordered at lower price.

ParisNoir · 05/05/2022 21:21

Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 20:57

@Crunchymum no it wasn't the only reason. It was many reasons. But seriously can people not see if a retailer loses money and doesn't make a profit they will eventually go bust.

We can see that- I just dont see why its apparently OUR responsibility! I am not responsible for the financial viability of every single business on the high street. If returning an item is my legal consumer right then thats what I will do if I need to. If you feel so strongly this shouldnt be a legal right because it is destroying businesses then feel free to take it up with your local MP or start a petition.

SocksAndTheCity · 05/05/2022 21:29

Verite1 · 05/05/2022 11:49

Yes. Done it recently

So have I - last week, in fact. Bought a coat that was already in the sale only to get an 'extra 20% off sale!' code by email a few days later, so reordered and boxed the original back up/posted it this morning. I've saved £73 off the original price Smile

Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 21:40

@ParisNoir it's not your 'legal consumer right' to return something just because you want to. Retailers do not have to give refunds if they don't want to unless faulty or not fit for purpose or as described.
But not because you have simply changed your mind.

ValerieMorghulis · 05/05/2022 21:57

A couple of years ago I bought a cashmere scarf in John Lewis at £120, a few days before Christmas. On 24th December it was reduced in their sale to £60.

I ordered another online, gave my husband the one I had already bought and used the receipt for the full price one to return the second one when it arrived. I saved £60, feel no remorse and know categorically that I am not the reason that John Lewis is going down the pan…

daisychain01 · 06/05/2022 04:56

This situation happened to me yesterday in a major supermarket (zero chance my measly transaction would cause them to go bust!). Quite frankly I would have been daft to have ignored the price difference.

I bought a pair of trousers for £18 the previous week.

Tried the trousers on and they were the wrong fit.

Took the trousers back this week to exchange for the right size and there were only 3 left. Luckily one of those was in the size I wanted. I noticed it had a big half price.sticker on it.

Took it to customer services desk and asked for an exchange (showed my original receipt), I asked the assistant to also honour the fact that the item was now marked down at half price. As far as I was concerned it was a no-brainier.

The assistant resolutely refused, saying "sorry, you only bought it back for an exchange, I can't give you the reduced price". I didn't give them a hard time but did ask if they could check their policy as to my mind it was Refund back into my original card, then Charge customer £9 for the correct size which had Half Price on the label. They did it in the end, because it would have been bonkers not to!

and they're bloody brilliant trousers for £9 so happy customer! Inflation buster.

Vikinga · 06/05/2022 05:09

I've done it a couple of times when I haven't had the chance to wear what I've bought before it has gone on sale and I was going to the shopping centre anyway. Wouldn't go especially to take something back to get it in the sale, nor would I return an online purchase.

Vikinga · 06/05/2022 05:16

daisychain01 · 06/05/2022 04:56

This situation happened to me yesterday in a major supermarket (zero chance my measly transaction would cause them to go bust!). Quite frankly I would have been daft to have ignored the price difference.

I bought a pair of trousers for £18 the previous week.

Tried the trousers on and they were the wrong fit.

Took the trousers back this week to exchange for the right size and there were only 3 left. Luckily one of those was in the size I wanted. I noticed it had a big half price.sticker on it.

Took it to customer services desk and asked for an exchange (showed my original receipt), I asked the assistant to also honour the fact that the item was now marked down at half price. As far as I was concerned it was a no-brainier.

The assistant resolutely refused, saying "sorry, you only bought it back for an exchange, I can't give you the reduced price". I didn't give them a hard time but did ask if they could check their policy as to my mind it was Refund back into my original card, then Charge customer £9 for the correct size which had Half Price on the label. They did it in the end, because it would have been bonkers not to!

and they're bloody brilliant trousers for £9 so happy customer! Inflation buster.

I recently changed an item in Zara (I was going to return it for a refund but then saw how cheap it was so thought i may as well have it for that price). The stupid cow called the manager as she wasn't going to let me do it in the same transaction - take one back and buy another in the sale price. So I said, right I have to what queue again or are you going to physically stop me from buying the dress?). I was also buying some other clothes for my daughter. The manager said it was fine.

(I had bought about £400 worth of clothes a few days before - gone home and decided that I didn't want the dress and as I was going shopping with my daughter I thought I may as well take it back (and then saw that it had been marked down a lot). So the snotty sales assistant could see that I had bought a lot and was going to buy more.

daisychain01 · 06/05/2022 05:22

@Vikinga exactly the same happened to me, re getting the manager over, who immediately agreed with what I'd suggested!

tuliplover · 06/05/2022 05:22

I used to work for a large American department store and they would give you the difference if the item went on sale within 7 days. Some places it's 14 days and places like Costco will make a price adjustment up to 30 days from original purchase! The excludes items that were already on sale. The returning and rebutting also seems quite regular if the store does not have a price adjustment policy. If the US can do it, so can the UK.

mummyh2016 · 06/05/2022 06:17

Yep I've done this twice. I'd ordered 3 bridesmaids dresses, one didn't fit and when I went online to order a different sizes I noticed they were now half price. I also found a 10% off code so it meant they went from £100 each down to £45 so £165 saving. I reordered and sent the original ones back.
We'd ordered my moms MOB outfit from JL, it hasn't even arrived when it was reduced by £60. I emailed JL and they refunded the difference.

ParisNoir · 06/05/2022 06:23

Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 21:40

@ParisNoir it's not your 'legal consumer right' to return something just because you want to. Retailers do not have to give refunds if they don't want to unless faulty or not fit for purpose or as described.
But not because you have simply changed your mind.

So if thats the case, why are you crying about how unfair refunds are then? are you seriously saying, a shop shouldnt refund a faulty item. Equally, if they dont have to refund anything else then why are you so angry with the customers?! and why are they going bankrupt according to you because of it? you make no sense.

User7493268965 · 06/05/2022 06:28

Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 21:40

@ParisNoir it's not your 'legal consumer right' to return something just because you want to. Retailers do not have to give refunds if they don't want to unless faulty or not fit for purpose or as described.
But not because you have simply changed your mind.

They have to for online purchases because of the distance selling regulations

Trafficblight · 06/05/2022 06:34

Needmorelego · 05/05/2022 18:35

@KeepYaHeadUp ok maybe it is different for clothing retailers.
I still think it's a really shitty thing to do.

Perhaps refail should rethink their sales then. If I could get money back as something I bought the day before had now gone into the sale I absolutely would.

paddingtonstares · 06/05/2022 06:39

Think of it another way, you buy a jar of coffee in tesco for £7, couple of days later it is £5..would you return it then? Retail prices vary. That said I rarely make larger purchases outside of sales anyway .

gunnersgold · 06/05/2022 06:40

If it is my shop you can't as sale stuff gets sent back to the clearance website and I can't override that .

A lovely woman had a right go at me the other day about it but it's the system and I don't control that ! 🙄

User7493268965 · 06/05/2022 07:04

i mainly do this with clothes purchases and only buy from places with free returns or when PayPal pay for the return

Needmorelego · 06/05/2022 07:33

@ParisNoir did you not read what I wrote properly. A retailer does not have to refund anything if you simply decide you don't want it.
If an item is faulty, not as described or fit for purpose then the statutory customer rights are that the customer is entitled to a refund.
But not if you just decide you don't want it.
That's what I wrote.
My very first comment on here (the one with the typo🙃😀- ignore these emojis - ironically I can't seem to delete them ) was meant to be semi light-hearted but you seem to have taken it to heart that I am blaming a refund policy on retailers going bust.
I'm not. Of course that wasn't the only reason. As I have said several times the retailer I worked for it was many many reasons.
Anyway... I personally think it's a cheeky thing to do but if others are happy to do it then I don't really care. I am out of the retail business now and have no plans to ever work in retail again.
Have a nice day. I'm out of this conversation now.

20viona · 06/05/2022 07:48

I have done this many times.

ParisNoir · 06/05/2022 07:52

Needmorelego · 06/05/2022 07:33

@ParisNoir did you not read what I wrote properly. A retailer does not have to refund anything if you simply decide you don't want it.
If an item is faulty, not as described or fit for purpose then the statutory customer rights are that the customer is entitled to a refund.
But not if you just decide you don't want it.
That's what I wrote.
My very first comment on here (the one with the typo🙃😀- ignore these emojis - ironically I can't seem to delete them ) was meant to be semi light-hearted but you seem to have taken it to heart that I am blaming a refund policy on retailers going bust.
I'm not. Of course that wasn't the only reason. As I have said several times the retailer I worked for it was many many reasons.
Anyway... I personally think it's a cheeky thing to do but if others are happy to do it then I don't really care. I am out of the retail business now and have no plans to ever work in retail again.
Have a nice day. I'm out of this conversation now.

I did yes and you contradicted yourself by saying refunds are why the shop you worked at went out of business. Then you said it lasted 99 years so must have been managed well. If you dont feel comfortable asking for a refund then dont. But the rest of us do so we will carry on knowing full well how large the mark ups are and how much profit the shop is making after getting the goods from a sweat shop factory, probably based in China or Tawain.

ChipButtyCurrySauce · 06/05/2022 08:06

I did this. Bought a dress that had a huge % off for a few days. It was too small. Went to order the correct size and the offer had finished. Liked the dress so much I paid full price for it. The day it arrived it went into sale at the same price of the first dress. So I ordered the second size again and sent back the full price. I normally wouldn't bother for a few ££ but it was a third of the price off!

latetothefisting · 06/05/2022 09:14

paddingtonstares · 06/05/2022 06:39

Think of it another way, you buy a jar of coffee in tesco for £7, couple of days later it is £5..would you return it then? Retail prices vary. That said I rarely make larger purchases outside of sales anyway .

I probably wouldn't - but only because the cost involved in going back to the supermarket for a third time would outweigh the £2 saving, but as long as the coffee jar is sealed I wouldn't see any issue with that? If I bought a £45 bottle of champagne from said supermarket and it then went on special offer to £32 I probably would bring it back!

ZealAndArdour · 06/05/2022 09:24

Oh, I’ve done it before with asos. £400 order and then they email out a 25% discount code the next day.

If their policies and procedures allow for it then I’m doing nothing wrong. Asos can afford to lose out on my £100 far more than I can.

namechangeanonymous · 06/05/2022 11:54

I very regularly do this, if I won't incur any costs it feels a no brainer.