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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:
MissMaple82 · 22/09/2022 20:54

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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What a load of nonsense you've just spouted

toddlingtortoise · 22/09/2022 20:55

Northernsoullover · 22/09/2022 15:56

Marks and Spencer have unique codes and can tell when it was purchased.

Show quote history

No they don’t.

ILoveShula · 22/09/2022 20:59

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.

Yeah, right. Haven't you ever noticed someone on a night out still having the tag on her dress.?

mewkins · 22/09/2022 21:01

Passthecoffee · 22/09/2022 20:53

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.

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This is a bit shit- she knew how much you'd paid and it was linked to your sparks card so presumably know everything about the transaction... and yet wouldn't refund you.

JudgeRindersMinder · 22/09/2022 21:05

ancientgran · 22/09/2022 17:48

People don't know the law do they. This is from the govt website

From 21 May 2021 you must charge a minimum of 10 pence a bag (including VAT) for single-use carrier bags that are all of the following:
unused - it’s new and has not already been used for sold goods to be taken away or delivered
plastic and 70 microns thick or less
it has handles, an opening and is not sealed

M&S used to have paper bags, they used to have bags without handles. They used the law as a money saving scheme and people like you believe you have to pay for the bags. You don't they could offer the service to customers that they did in the past.

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@ancientgran ”people like me” have finally got their acts together and either carry a folded up shopping bag or a big handbag..
”people like you” don’t.

Go prepared, pay the minor cost or don’t. It’s a very free choice

averageavocado · 22/09/2022 21:08

Wheresmymoneytree · 22/09/2022 16:56

You tried to return a worn product with no tags? Why should the business lose money for your fuck up? Who takes tags off before trying clothes on?

and with m&s how long would you think is reasonable? They won’t be able to sell it if it’s no longer stocked, shall they take returns after 2 months? 6 months? A year?

To a business that can’t resell these items they produce as much of a loss as shoplifting!

Yeah, I tried to return a used pair of trousers Hmm

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 22/09/2022 21:16

I don’t get how shoplifters can return stuff when items still have barcodes on.

The barcodes are full of info about colour, size etc. It would show up when they tried to do a return with a shoplifted barcode. The item wouldn’t have been sold in the first place. Surely this would be recorded?

Babochan88 · 22/09/2022 21:20

As someone who used to work in M&S years ago. I’m so glad to hear they are becoming more strict with customers. They have a rule - you missed the 30 days. No refund or exchange. That’s their rule - deal with it! The entitlement always shocks me!

balalake · 22/09/2022 21:26

I wonder if too many people have tried refunds for clothes that actually have been worn, say for an occasion. Or as I have been told, purchased with credit cards and tried to be refunded twice (chargeback and refund at the shop).

TwitTw00 · 22/09/2022 21:26

Badgirlriri · 22/09/2022 15:46

YABU.

I’ve never known them to refund/exchange worn clothes or with no receipt.

Well M&S did it for years and years. I was caught out by this too OP.

chezpopbang · 22/09/2022 21:29

Yep went back to tescos with a swimsuit which still has its security tag on. Very annoying because the person who checked me out missed it and I don't think the beeper went off when I walked out the shop. They wouldn't even take the tag off without a receipt which I didn't have. Lady told me I could have stolen it but then let me leave with said swimsuit. I found the whole thing stupid because if I had stolen it does she really think I'd have the cheek to go back.

mewkins · 22/09/2022 21:30

The absolute cheek of a woman with a baby trying to exchange a perfectly saleable cardigan that was given as a gift for the exact same one that fits her baby! 😂So entitled

Caroffee · 22/09/2022 21:31

toddlingtortoise · 22/09/2022 20:55

No they don’t.

Show quote history

They do. They have tag technology.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 22/09/2022 21:44

mewkins · 22/09/2022 21:30

The absolute cheek of a woman with a baby trying to exchange a perfectly saleable cardigan that was given as a gift for the exact same one that fits her baby! 😂So entitled

Well for all they knew, she could have stolen it, kept it in smoker’s home or one filled with pets and fleas. Poor staff member was following procedures as she was trained too.

Why did OP not ask her friend to swap it sooner with the receipt? She just left it too long until baby grew out of it and wanted a freebie.

WorkHardPlayHard1 · 22/09/2022 21:54

Yes m&s usp used to be good customer service and ease of exchange. Now its no and rudeness at the till! I bought a bra which was wrongly sized for a wedding. Tried it on at the wedding and it was 2inches too big but as I cant exchange it via, shop or via email, ive lost £20 plus the two pairs of matching knickers.

Go primark it's same quality xxx

Blossomtoes · 22/09/2022 21:55

She could have kept it in a smokers’ or flea ridden home if she’d had the receipt and it was in date. 🤷‍♀️

NeckFanInSoftPlay · 22/09/2022 22:00

M&S were brilliant about our Christmas tree last year! I bought that fabulous £250 7ft pre-lit one they had (it's stunning) but the lights on it. which are operated via a 'power pole' within the stem of the tree, had some kind of fault and flicker whenever you touch the tree. I requested an exchange but by then, the tree was out of stock so they just refunded me & told me to keep the tree! I've since chopped the plug off, wired a new one on and it works perfectly! Free, expensive Christmas tree 🎄

KeepYaHeadUp · 22/09/2022 22:09

YANBU.

Hideous experience in a large supermarket recently with a faulty item. Stood arguing with them for 15 minutes and had to escalate it as a formal complaint. For a £15 pair of shoes which fell apart after 1 wear.

NancyDrooo · 22/09/2022 22:10

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.

I don’t understand why retailers would issue a new receipt. If a customers walks in without one, they should leave without one.

Seems obvious it would put the career shoplifters off.

lurchermummy · 22/09/2022 22:11

A long time ago my DH (they a young man) tried to return some suit trousers to M&S that he'd actually had altered. Unsurprisingly they said no.

Banana2079 · 22/09/2022 22:12

Worn for an hour or for a day - OP discovered the size was not as described so should have got a refund
shops can’t just go round making an item say a size 10 of different sizes depending on the colour

KeepYaHeadUp · 22/09/2022 22:16

The shoplifting to exchange to refund theory is flawed. Tills produce receipts with barcodes which, when scanned, show the sales person any receipt / transaction history. If the receipt issued for the new item was presented it would be scanned and would still show it had been an exchange with no original receipt. There's be no indication as to how original payment was made (ie cash, card ending XXXX) so there'd be no way of know how a refund should be given.

Tabitha888 · 22/09/2022 22:17

I think you just need to understand how badly businesses are hurt when they refund left right and centre.

Blossomtoes · 22/09/2022 22:27

Banana2079 · 22/09/2022 22:12

Worn for an hour or for a day - OP discovered the size was not as described so should have got a refund
shops can’t just go round making an item say a size 10 of different sizes depending on the colour

Don’t be ridiculous. It happens all the time.

FriedasCarLoad · 22/09/2022 22:28

Swampmonster1988 · 22/09/2022 15:50

Eh? After 30 days of course they won't refund. You've had time to sort well before that. As for pulling tags off well nowhere would ever refund that.

I don't think 30 days is long at all.

It can easily be a couple of weeks between the purchase and handing over the gift. And in those first few weeks with a newborn it's so hard to find the time for errands like that. Especially if you don't live near to an M&S.

I was caught out like this with a Christmas gift. It was purchased 3 weeks before Christmas, which isn't particularly early to do Christmas shopping. I was away visiting relatives for over a week after Christmas.

I was so disappointed that M&S wouldn't let me exchange it.