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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to think Dunelm are unreasonable?

352 replies

LadyGodHelpUs · 09/01/2023 14:18

On Saturday I bought £217 worth of stuff from Dunelm. I paid £40 using a gift card given to me as a Christmas present. The rest I paid by card.

Today I returned £97 worth of things. They insisted that £40 had to go back on the gift card.

I wasn’t made aware of this or I would have carried out separate transactions. I didn’t sign anything and it didn’t mention this on the back of the receipt where it said refunds would be no problem within the set time period.

AIBU that this is unfair practice?

OP posts:
Taytocrisps · 09/01/2023 17:43

Everanewbie · 09/01/2023 15:56

I really can see everyone's point here. I don't think anyone here really thinks that if OP spent her £40 gift card she should be entitled to a £40 refund. But what happened worked only for the shop. However, if the OP got her way, it worked only in her favour.

Apologies if this is derailing, but what proportion of people here buy things with the intention of bringing it back? Or at least on balance of probabilities, maybe a high percentage chance they will take it back? For me, taking it back would be the exception, not the rule. If I was between sizes I would consider it immoral to buy both knowing one would be returned. I'd have no problem exchanging a 14 for a 12 if the sizing surprised me, but I'd buy knowing that on balance the 14 will fit.

I occasionally buy two sizes, with the intention of returning one. That's because I live in Ireland and next day delivery isn't a thing here. So I don't want to order an item, wait for it to arrive from the UK, find I'm not 100% happy with the fit, return it (paying postage to return it to the UK), re-order it in a different size, wait for the second item to arrive, find I'm not 100% happy with the fit either and wonder if I should have kept the original. Far more efficient to order two sizes at the same time, try them on quickly, keep the one that fits best and return the other one. Actually, it's all a bit of a hassle (not to mention the cost of posting returns) which is why I prefer to shop in person at an actual shop. But this wasn't possible during the various lockdowns and some shops (e.g. Debenhams) closed during Covid and never re-opened, leaving a gap in the Irish market. Why is it immoral to buy two items, knowing one will be returned? All I'm doing is trying on the two sizes, same as if I went into the changing room in the store and tried on the two items.

Gemmanorthdevon · 09/01/2023 17:44

LadyHarmby · 09/01/2023 14:56

I understand why this is a policy but it seems they could have made an exception in the OPs case, as she was spending so much. There should be some flexibility?

Epos software doesn't make exceptions that break the law I'm afraid.

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 17:46

@Gemmanorthdevon

Dramatic! 😂😂

JudgeJ · 09/01/2023 17:47

mewkins · 09/01/2023 17:09

I used to refund things bought with cheques as cash in the late 90s. 😄

Show quote history

Not sure about the 90s, but some spoil-sports started giving you a credit note instead of cash for a cheque purchase!

Gemmanorthdevon · 09/01/2023 17:55

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 17:46

@Gemmanorthdevon

Dramatic! 😂😂

Well not really? Just pointing out the the software on the till wouldn't let anyone make the exceptions for her, because they are not legal 🤷🏼‍♀️ I didn't suggest she would be tasered and strip searched for trying did I?! 😂

Baconand · 09/01/2023 17:57

Darthwazette · 09/01/2023 14:24

I’d have returned the lot and repurchased what I wanted.

This.

I hate this sort of thing. It’s really petty. So I respond in kind.

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 17:58

@Gemmanorthdevon

Can you tell us what legislation this is based on?

Not all shops do this so I doubt it's illegal.

NEmama · 09/01/2023 18:06

That's ridiculous. You spent well over the value of the gift card

pigsDOfly · 09/01/2023 18:09

Given that shops aren't legally obliged to give you a refund just because you change your mind about something you've bought it seem perfectly reasonable for them to refund you in a way that works best for them.

Dunelm would be perfectly within their right to offer you a credit note or refuse a refund altogether if that were their policy.

Seems perfectly reasonable of them to put the money back on the gift card. Pretty certain that's the way most shops would do it?

savoycabbage · 09/01/2023 18:09

I just bought and returned some items from John Lewis just before Christmas - part debit card part gift card and I definitely got the refund back on my debit card only. I've just checked the receipt. (I did keep things over the cost of the gift card).

lieselotte · 09/01/2023 18:10

Georgeskitchen · 09/01/2023 14:42

Standard practice. You get refund the same method as you paid.
Debit card=debit card
Cash= cash
Gift card=gift card
The cashier acted correctly

Except that the OP spent a lot more than the value of the gift card. It should have been proportionate.

Anyway the moral of the story is don't buy gift cards. They expire, and often are valueless if a retailer goes bust. Just give the money instead.

HappyCrappyNewYear · 09/01/2023 18:10

Thank you for sharing OP, this kind of thing really pisses me off and would definitely put me off shopping there.

UncleQuentinsWife · 09/01/2023 18:10

Dunelm would be perfectly within their right to offer you a credit note or refuse a refund altogether if that were their policy.

But it isn't their policy. The OP would not have shopped there if that was their policy.

catandcoffee · 09/01/2023 18:11

OP contact their head office and explain the situation.
It doesn't make sense the way they've done it.

HappyCrappyNewYear · 09/01/2023 18:19

Oh and it reminds me of when Tesco tried to refuse to let me return (unworn) knickers because of their no refunds on pants policy…However they were actually miss-sold as they were on a size 14 hanger but were actually size 10.

Their mistake, not mine! The manager even had the audacity to say it was my responsibility to check the size on the labels before I bought them, despite what the hanger said, even though they were inaccessible.

Needless to say, I don’t shop there anymore.

Shop management pay attention, this should be simple but so many don’t seem to understand: If you treat your customers in this way, they will shop elsewhere.

Lambtales · 09/01/2023 18:22

I bought something in Dunelm. Marked down to £2 from £8. Got home and saw I'd been charged £4.

Called up the store, explained the situation, and the fact that driving back to the store would cost more than the £2 they overcharged me.

Despite having the receipt and the box and offering to email this over to them, I was told the only way to get this sorted would be to drive the half hour journey back to the store.

It was annoying but I had to suck it up.

In the OP's shoes I would do as others have suggested and return and re-buy £40 worth of the goods with the voucher.

pigsDOfly · 09/01/2023 18:27

UncleQuentinsWife · 09/01/2023 18:10

Dunelm would be perfectly within their right to offer you a credit note or refuse a refund altogether if that were their policy.

But it isn't their policy. The OP would not have shopped there if that was their policy.

No, of course it isn't their policy not to offer refunds but why would they hand over the cash when they are within their rights to put the refund back on the gift cards.

My point is that the OP isn't 'entitled' to a cash refund so any shop is going to give a refund in the way that works best for them, i.e they put the money back on the gift card.

It's usual, when buying good with a gift card that refunds go back on the card. Most shops would therefore, make the 'assumption' that if the gift card is used as part of a purchase any refund would go back on the card.

Face2facet · 09/01/2023 18:30

pigsDOfly · 09/01/2023 18:27

No, of course it isn't their policy not to offer refunds but why would they hand over the cash when they are within their rights to put the refund back on the gift cards.

My point is that the OP isn't 'entitled' to a cash refund so any shop is going to give a refund in the way that works best for them, i.e they put the money back on the gift card.

It's usual, when buying good with a gift card that refunds go back on the card. Most shops would therefore, make the 'assumption' that if the gift card is used as part of a purchase any refund would go back on the card.

Show quote history

You do understand that the gift card only made up less than 20% of the OPs payment method? Do you still
think Dunelm were reasonable?

IDontCareMatthew · 09/01/2023 18:33

silverclock222 · 09/01/2023 17:21

Surely everyone knows gift cards can't be exchanged for cash?

You'd think so!!!

Wonnle · 09/01/2023 18:38

IDontCareMatthew · 09/01/2023 18:33

You'd think so!!!

Show quote history

But the OP isn't trying to exchange it for cash is she ?

Tannedandfake · 09/01/2023 18:40

Perfectly normal for most retailers

surreygirl1987 · 09/01/2023 18:42

I have had a shop say this to me before. I replied that in that case, I was returning everything and I would buy back the items I wanted using the gift card at which point they saw sense and changed their mind. Had they not changed their mind, I would have followed through

Yes, do this!!

pigsDOfly · 09/01/2023 18:44

But the OP isn't trying to exchange it for cash is she?

Isn't that the point of the thread?

The OP wants to have the whole refund of £97 in cash and is annoyed that Dunelm are putting £40 of her refund back on the gift card, so yes, she is trying to exchange it for cash.

angelikacpickles · 09/01/2023 18:48

pigsDOfly · 09/01/2023 18:44

But the OP isn't trying to exchange it for cash is she?

Isn't that the point of the thread?

The OP wants to have the whole refund of £97 in cash and is annoyed that Dunelm are putting £40 of her refund back on the gift card, so yes, she is trying to exchange it for cash.

For goodness sake! She spent £167 in cash and £40 on a gift card. She wants to return £97 worth of stuff. So she should be able to get a refund of £97 of the £167 she spent in cash. The £40 gift card is irrelevant because she is keeping £120 worth of goods. How is this difficult to understand!

Original poster
LadyGodHelpUs · 09/01/2023 18:48

Gemmanorthdevon · 09/01/2023 17:44

Epos software doesn't make exceptions that break the law I'm afraid.

Show quote history

A) Someone writes the EPOS software and tells it what to do. Also what legislation are you referring to, that it is supposedly following?

b) If they have a policy they should inform people of that policy very clearly.

OP posts: