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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

High street shops just won’t refund or exchange anymore?

282 replies

Chumbibi · 22/09/2022 15:43

Has anyone else found this? Two examples recently:

  • Marks and Spencer’s - baby cardigan received as a gift - all tags on and style of cardigan still on sale in stores. No gift receipt but asked if I could exchange for next size up as too small. Lady scanned it through the till and said it was outside of 30 days so nothing they could do.
  • Whistles - purchase the exact same style and size of jeans in different colours. Tried one in store, ordered the other online. The pair ordered online are about three inches bigger. Ripped the tags off and threw them on and then realised after an hour they were falling down. My fault I should have checked but was told, there was absolutely nothing they were prepared to do. The woman told me in the shop ‘I had probably stretched them’ which was nice 🙄

So AIBU? It seems customer service is non-existent these days. I appreciate they have policies but it seems once something is sold they don’t want to know?

OP posts:
Ohtsd · 22/09/2022 19:54

I think people, including me used to take the piss a bit with M&S goodwill with returns in the old days

DillDanding · 22/09/2022 19:54

I know! I attempted to exchange some birthday gifts in John Lewis yesterday.

It was a load of Neom stuff (candle/bath stuff/diffuser) and some Molton Brown things. All packaged up and perfect.

I wasn't allowed to exchange due to not having a receipt. I don't want to ask the 2 friends for a receipt so - annoying!

mrsDracoMalfoy · 22/09/2022 19:58

Legally shops do not HAVE to refund or exchange anything unless it's faulty. Refunds and exchanges are the good will of the shop. And you need your receipt.

Unprecedentedusername · 22/09/2022 20:00

Do you want to buy already worn goods and pay full price for them? Do you want to accept that more returns eventually turns into higher prices due to wastage?

SunnieShine · 22/09/2022 20:04

I swapped a pair of Marks trousers recently for a different length. No receipt and over 60 days since I bought them. But I had the card I bought them with, so they could see I had paid for them. And all tags still on and unworn.

IheartJKRowling · 22/09/2022 20:06

hamsterchump · 22/09/2022 16:23

Have a think though, why would they do this? Why not just steal the right size in the first place? It makes no sense, there's an unnecessary step.

It's just the retailers try to claw back as much as possible, and probably because most returns are just binned (this is a choice by retailers, they never used to do this) rather than being checked and returned to the floor now so they don't want to lose out on that item. It will probably come back to bite them eventually, they'll have to switch to online as the high streets die and that means more and more returns. It should be illegal for them to throw away returns, just check them and only take ones that can be resold unless faulty etc.

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They do this because even if they have a tag on realistically you could expect to sell those items to sell for a third to a quarter of the tag price, that's how the "new with tags" clothing market works. Take it back to the shop, swap it and get a receipt and then return it for full 100% refund. That's why they take the extra step.

mewkins · 22/09/2022 20:09

YouCanSpeakWhenYoureMakingSense · 22/09/2022 19:47

Well, lesson learned.

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😄 Mumsnet at its finest

user1471457751 · 22/09/2022 20:13

@CakeCrumbs44 several posters have already explained this. Shoplifters aren't always stealing for the goods themselves. They steal the item, exchange it w/o receipt, get given a receipt for that item and then return the item for cash/gift card.

Goodoldvera · 22/09/2022 20:15

DillDanding · 22/09/2022 19:54

I know! I attempted to exchange some birthday gifts in John Lewis yesterday.

It was a load of Neom stuff (candle/bath stuff/diffuser) and some Molton Brown things. All packaged up and perfect.

I wasn't allowed to exchange due to not having a receipt. I don't want to ask the 2 friends for a receipt so - annoying!

You poor thing!! Those premium products are sold by many retailers, how do John Lewis know they are part of their stock? They may have been regifted or purchased on eBay...you should be grateful for a gift, and be prepared to give them away or sell them on eBay etc, like the person who gifted them to you perhaps

hamsterchump · 22/09/2022 20:16

IheartJKRowling · 22/09/2022 20:06

They do this because even if they have a tag on realistically you could expect to sell those items to sell for a third to a quarter of the tag price, that's how the "new with tags" clothing market works. Take it back to the shop, swap it and get a receipt and then return it for full 100% refund. That's why they take the extra step.

Show quote history

So if it's really that prolific which I still question, then they could easily remedy it by not giving a receipt after an exchange or giving a special receipt/marking the receipt so that it doesn't grant you a future refund. Job done.

I didn't think they gave you a normal receipt when you exchanged anyway? Why would they, what's the receipt for, they haven't received any money.

Meseekslookatme · 22/09/2022 20:18

Goodoldvera · 22/09/2022 20:15

You poor thing!! Those premium products are sold by many retailers, how do John Lewis know they are part of their stock? They may have been regifted or purchased on eBay...you should be grateful for a gift, and be prepared to give them away or sell them on eBay etc, like the person who gifted them to you perhaps

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I'll have them 🤣
Love those brands
(Not if it's pink peppercorn though, you can keep that 😁)

Meseekslookatme · 22/09/2022 20:18

Goodoldvera · 22/09/2022 20:15

You poor thing!! Those premium products are sold by many retailers, how do John Lewis know they are part of their stock? They may have been regifted or purchased on eBay...you should be grateful for a gift, and be prepared to give them away or sell them on eBay etc, like the person who gifted them to you perhaps

Show quote history

I'll have them 🤣
Love those brands
(Not if it's pink peppercorn though, you can keep that 😁)

mewkins · 22/09/2022 20:22

hamsterchump · 22/09/2022 20:16

So if it's really that prolific which I still question, then they could easily remedy it by not giving a receipt after an exchange or giving a special receipt/marking the receipt so that it doesn't grant you a future refund. Job done.

I didn't think they gave you a normal receipt when you exchanged anyway? Why would they, what's the receipt for, they haven't received any money.

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Agree. Writing 'exchange only has been standard practice for decades. Now it would be dead simple to have it printed on the receipt. It's pretty thin reasoning.

Goodoldvera · 22/09/2022 20:28

mummyh2016 · 22/09/2022 18:36

I had this with M&S, DS was purchased a short dungaree outfit in a larger size, it would fit him in winter. I took it to store, they still sold it, selected it in a smaller size (which they had loads of) and noticed they didn't actually have the size I was returning. They wouldn't let me exchange, even though it was still on sale at full price. I was actually purchasing other items at the same time, I turned into a stubborn cow and left the items I was going to buy at the till. When I asked the reasoning for them not letting me exchange for a smaller size on Twitter I was just told it was 'policy' and couldn't actually explain why.

Because that item may well be on the sale rail soon, the receipt gives you the t & C's as long as it's valid, any return costs the retailer in staff time, after that receipt expires it's in the retailers best interest to reduce the fewest items possible..think about it

buttons123456 · 22/09/2022 20:29

John Lewis stopped returning without receipts a few years ago . They stated that they had refunded something like 6 million pounds worth of products that they hadn't sold in the first place in previous years so stopped it all overnight !

I work in retail and people are so sneaky and grabby that business' had to lock down their policies !

One thing that gets me and I hear all the time is 'I got this out the wash and it has a hole in it ' I mean ffs you could have caught that on anything while you were wearing and not noticed .. it's as if they think the washing machine made a snag type hole .. thing is they really believe it so it's hard to discuss it without it turning into a row ! 🙄🙄

bigbluebus · 22/09/2022 20:43

Just as an aside, M&S have a sale on at the moment. Returns policy for sale items is only 14 days.
The returns policy for all the items I bought today was specified by the sales assistant at the till.

There is no legal duty for stores to refund unless items are faulty. That is why they all have different returns policies. Sports Direct won't refund anything but faulty goods.

ILoveShula · 22/09/2022 20:47

@buttons123456 , some clothes do end up with mysterious holes in after washing. T-shirts usually.

mewkins · 22/09/2022 20:49

Goodoldvera · 22/09/2022 20:28

Because that item may well be on the sale rail soon, the receipt gives you the t & C's as long as it's valid, any return costs the retailer in staff time, after that receipt expires it's in the retailers best interest to reduce the fewest items possible..think about it

Show quote history

There's still no logic. Whichever size the poster has, the other one may or may not be hitting the sale rail if it hangs around that long, at exactly the same price.

Namedifferentorquestion · 22/09/2022 20:49

So @Chumbibi the take home message here is

  1. Exchange within 30 days
  2. Don't rip the tags off until you are happy they fit.

Simples really.

buttons123456 · 22/09/2022 20:50

@ILoveShula I really think it happens when wearing but no one inspects clothes before washing !

GrowOneStrawberry · 22/09/2022 20:50

No one returns worn clothes unless faulty

M&S changed to the 30 day thing about 8 years ago.

ILoveShula · 22/09/2022 20:51

I'm not so sure. It's usually in fairly cheap t-shirts.

MissMaple82 · 22/09/2022 20:52

I worked in retail for almost 20 years, you've always needed a receipt, and 30 days is the norm!!! YABU

Runnerduck34 · 22/09/2022 20:52

Whistles I can understand as tags removed.
Marks and Spencer were being unreasonable, particularly as you only wanted to exchange for bigger size. Bit creepy they could scan it and know when it was purchased!

Passthecoffee · 22/09/2022 20:53

Caroffee · 22/09/2022 16:03

Tag technology means shops have accurate information about when and how items were purchased. It is now essential to keep tags attached until you are certain that you won't be returning an item.

This. I've returned to M&S thinking the receipt was still in the bag. It wasn't. But she scanned the item anyway and was able to tell me how much I'd paid for it as a discount had applied through my sparks card. Without the receipt though she could only give me a credit note which was fair enough as I'd lost the receipt. I find them very accommodating when returning something.