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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:
Face2facet · 09/01/2023 15:45

Everanewbie · 09/01/2023 15:43

It could be a way of laundering money.

Jenny sales £250 worth of drugs. Jenny hides £250 in her house. Then the police raid her house. "Jenny, where did that £250 come from?"

So, instead, Jenny spends the £250 in dunelm. She doesn't wat anything from dunelm. Her plan is to take the stuff back, so when plod asked where the money came from "The refund from Dunelm!"

There will be a fair bit more layering than that, but thats how and why.

Show quote history

Jenny must spend a lot of time returning unused goods within the return period then buying more things immediately for cash!

Everanewbie · 09/01/2023 15:47

Face2facet · 09/01/2023 15:45

Jenny must spend a lot of time returning unused goods within the return period then buying more things immediately for cash!

Show quote history

Jenny is very busy making her ill gotten gains clean.

IDontCareMatthew · 09/01/2023 15:47

They don't even HAVE to return the unwanted goods

They weren't faulty.... just unwanted

But they did. When I was in retail we did the same, back onto gift card where possible or possibly a credit note

NEVER cash

Mumsanetta · 09/01/2023 15:48

@LadyGodHelpUs why not return £40 worth of stuff that you decided to keep and get the cash for it then buy it again using the gift card? Their shitty policy when you have spent in excess of the gift card requires a shitty response.

Needmorelego · 09/01/2023 15:48

@Face2facet well unfortunately con artists like 'Jenny' do things like that for a living.
All the time.

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:48

Please note that all refunds will be made back to the original tender type. For your protection, refunds to credit or debit cards will only be processed if the cardholder is present.

@whataboutsecondbreakfast I don't think this makes op's issue clear at all.

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:49

IDontCareMatthew · 09/01/2023 15:47

They don't even HAVE to return the unwanted goods

They weren't faulty.... just unwanted

But they did. When I was in retail we did the same, back onto gift card where possible or possibly a credit note

NEVER cash

Sounds like the kind of shop I'd never want to buy from!

Dbank · 09/01/2023 15:51

To me it seems perfectly reasonable for them to put the money back on the gift card, as they are reversing the transaction.

You give the goods back and the money is returned to where it came from.

Regardless, the retailer will be out of pocket, as they have had the cost of selling it to you and the cost of taking it back, for zero gain.

keepaweatheredeye · 09/01/2023 15:53

Normal retail practise.

Needmorelego · 09/01/2023 15:54

@Headabovetheparakeet you have to remember though that retailers want to sell stock - they don't want it back. Getting stock back messes with the stock levels, often means having wrong season stock back in store when they don't want it. They really don't want to refund.
99% of shops however do refund because it keeps the customer happy. But it's often a pain in the butt.

DoNotGetADog · 09/01/2023 15:55

Dbank · 09/01/2023 15:51

To me it seems perfectly reasonable for them to put the money back on the gift card, as they are reversing the transaction.

You give the goods back and the money is returned to where it came from.

Regardless, the retailer will be out of pocket, as they have had the cost of selling it to you and the cost of taking it back, for zero gain.

Why does that seem reasonable? OP had a gift card, spent it and a load more of her own money. Then returned some of the stuff and now is in the position where she has spent the £40 that was the gift card amount and £80 of her own money and now STILL has £40 which she can only spend in Dunelm. How is that reasonable?

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.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 09/01/2023 15:56

CountZacular · 09/01/2023 15:45

And the majority of her payment was actually cash (well, credit card) not the gift card. What that doesn’t say is that they will prioritise refunding the gift card first in case of a refund.

Show quote history

No - but, to me, it's obvious that they're going to prioritise keeping that money within their system.

If they refund onto a gift card, you have no choice but to spend that money with them again. Refund onto a debit card and that's it, the retailer has no say over where that money goes.

It's been the case in every single shop I've ever worked in.

Dbank · 09/01/2023 15:57

What to the T&C say, that's what she agreed to when she made the purchase?

They make the rules.

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:57

@Needmorelego Yes, I'm aware of that. 🙄

If a shop's t&c's say they will refund within 28 days then that's their policy. They know they will lose customers if they don't offer this. This has nothing to do with op's issue.

amonsteronthehill · 09/01/2023 15:58

vodkaredbullgirl · 09/01/2023 14:23

Probably due to people buying stuff using a gift card, then taking it back just to get the cash.

Exactly this.

Their books are expecting that £40 to be spent in store, not removed in the form of cash from their sales numbers.

If you don't like the police, ask your friends/family not to buy you gift cards.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 09/01/2023 15:58

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:48

Please note that all refunds will be made back to the original tender type. For your protection, refunds to credit or debit cards will only be processed if the cardholder is present.

@whataboutsecondbreakfast I don't think this makes op's issue clear at all.

It does to me.

Money goes back to whatever card you used to pay on. OP used a £40 gift card so the gift card balance is refunded first, then the remainder onto a credit or debit card.

Some retailers insist you take the full amount on a gift card, so it could have been a lot worse!

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:59

@whataboutsecondbreakfast

But it doesn't say that a gift card will be treated as the primary payment method in a transaction involving multiple payment methods.

NumberTheory · 09/01/2023 16:00

Everanewbie · 09/01/2023 15:43

It could be a way of laundering money.

Jenny sales £250 worth of drugs. Jenny hides £250 in her house. Then the police raid her house. "Jenny, where did that £250 come from?"

So, instead, Jenny spends the £250 in dunelm. She doesn't wat anything from dunelm. Her plan is to take the stuff back, so when plod asked where the money came from "The refund from Dunelm!"

There will be a fair bit more layering than that, but thats how and why.

Show quote history

What fair bit more layering? This example makes no use of a gift card at all.

Face2facet · 09/01/2023 16:00

amonsteronthehill · 09/01/2023 15:58

Exactly this.

Their books are expecting that £40 to be spent in store, not removed in the form of cash from their sales numbers.

If you don't like the police, ask your friends/family not to buy you gift cards.

Show quote history

But even if they refunded her in cash she has spent £40 in the store as it is only a partial refund.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 09/01/2023 16:03

Headabovetheparakeet · 09/01/2023 15:59

@whataboutsecondbreakfast

But it doesn't say that a gift card will be treated as the primary payment method in a transaction involving multiple payment methods.

Legally it doesn't have to AFAIK.

Retailers will always do what's best for them - and it makes more sense for them to keep the money in their system than it does to refund it to be spent anywhere.

quokka5 · 09/01/2023 16:03

I would have also assumed they would refund the cash first, rather than insist on refunding the gift card, given that you spent way more in cash than the worth of the goods you returned. I would complain to head office, take everything back on your next lunch hour and only buy back the amount on the gift card. Then spend your refunded money elsewhere.

Everanewbie · 09/01/2023 16:04

NumberTheory · 09/01/2023 16:00

What fair bit more layering? This example makes no use of a gift card at all.

Show quote history

As many layers and complications as possible to make it clean. I agree, its hardly likely to apply here.

GlassOnions · 09/01/2023 16:04

I'd get Martin Lewis on the case! That's just not on!

Beneficialchampion2 · 09/01/2023 16:05

Dunelm are shit anyway, I got a gift card for Christmas which I wanted to use online. Can only be spent in store, fine. Went to purchase product I wanted in store for it to be an online exclusive.

'its ok, we can order it for you from here in store to be delivered at home'
'great, I'll pay using my gift card please'
'no you can't do that, you can only spend it in store'
'where are we stood?'
'sorry you didn't understand, you can only spend it on products that are physically in the store'

Once the voucher is spent I will never shop there again. Ridiculous policies throughout.