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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WWYD- accidentally refunded

53 replies

Accidentalrefund · 30/08/2023 13:47

Not so much AIBU but more a WWYD.

A few weeks ago I ordered some items online from a big clothing retailer, to pick up using Click and Collect. When I went to collect the woman who worked there found my package but struggled to get the barcode to scan. She tried for a while but I think it had been stuck on a bit wonky and the machine wouldn’t recognise it. In the end a queue had built up and she said I could just take it, she could see I had the confirmation email with my name and order number etc which matched the package. Took the items home and liked them.

A few days later I got an email reminding me to collect my order and they only hold it for a week. A few more days later I got another email saying my order had been cancelled and would be refunded to me- I guess because according to their records I never collected it. I have now received the refund in my bank account. For information the order was under £40 and it was a big national retailer.

So WWYD?
YANBU- keep quiet and keep the refund
YABU- contact the company and explain that I did collect the items (and may be asked to repay refund)

OP posts:
DeathstarDarling · 30/08/2023 15:33

This exact thing happened to me, similar value, some time ago. ( Sainsbury's) I rang them up and when they checked their system had no way of processing it. The person I dealt with thought it was very amusing-they advised me to keep my stuff. You can try and email - they may have sorted it out by now.

Cryingbutstilltrying · 30/08/2023 15:40

Having had almost exactly the same thing happen to me, it took so long to get anywhere with the email or chat options and I didn’t have the strength to try and phone and deal with the nonsense either, as no one in the foreign call centres ever seems to understand me, I honestly wouldn’t bother. If I was contacted to say there had been an error I would happily give the money back, but most big companies have no way of doing this without an actual sale going through. I’ve also been on the other side working for a big retailer and customers have come in to store regarding online issues, we have no way of dealing with them. So no, I wouldn’t give it a second thought tbh.

BabblativeBean · 30/08/2023 15:46

I would email the company and let them know what had happened.

WasThereAnotherTroyforHertoBurn · 30/08/2023 15:59

Do the honest thing, if they tell you to keep it, then give it to the food bank.

NewName122 · 30/08/2023 16:03

I had this from George Asda. They have more money than me so I kept them and enjoyed the freebie

NewName122 · 30/08/2023 16:05

I figured any issue, they had my name, address and number on the order so could contact me.

AbraKedavra · 30/08/2023 16:39

On MN probably 95% of the posters would be completely moral and ethical. IRL though...

lemonyaid · 30/08/2023 16:43

I had similar and tweeted them. They said no worries just keep it.

lemonyaid · 30/08/2023 16:43

WasThereAnotherTroyforHertoBurn · 30/08/2023 15:59

Do the honest thing, if they tell you to keep it, then give it to the food bank.

Check they want it first people give them random shit

ChristmasFluff · 30/08/2023 17:08

I've now done lots of customer support. In every place I've worked, if someone contacts us about things like this, we always thank them and tell them to keep the money. It's honestly too much faff to raise the invoice for them to pay again for something the system says they haven't got.

I recently contacted Amazon about a refund they'd sent me when they'd already replaced the item - same outcome.

saraclara · 30/08/2023 17:09

Ha! It would depend what shop it was! I'm terrified of John Lewis going down the pan, so I'd tell them. If it was Argos, I'd just pay it forward.

I had something like this happen once, and I spent the same amount in the supermarket and put it in the foodbank trolley.

Original poster
Accidentalrefund · 30/08/2023 18:21

Thank you all- really interesting to read the range of opinions. I think I will contact them.

For those asking, it wasn’t John Lewis. It was a supermarket clothing range (although the items were from a different brand that they sell online).

OP posts:
Original poster
Accidentalrefund · 30/08/2023 18:22

ichifanny · 30/08/2023 15:20

Don’t tell them the employee will get in trouble

Hadn’t thought about this- those of you who work / worked in retail, is this likely? I wouldn’t want her to get in trouble, she really did try everything.

OP posts:
Daffodildilys · 30/08/2023 18:29

Very similar happened to me in Seasalt for £150. I had been refunded the cost of a coat but had collected it in store. I told them about the mistake and paid for the coat again (in store).
I wanted to enjoy wearing the coat which I knew I wouldnt do if I hadn’t paid for it.

fruitypancake · 30/08/2023 18:33

One of life's little bonus'.. doesn't happen v often ! Definitely keep it and forget

NeedTheSeaside · 30/08/2023 18:34

@Accidentalrefund my initial reaction was that I wouldn't report incase the staff member gets in trouble for not scanning it properly. £40 is just not worth the hassle of reporting it.

MirandaWest · 30/08/2023 18:35

I had a ridiculous thing with urban outfitters where they kept sending parts of the order and refunding other parts and then sending the other parts and then sending them again and finally refunding other parts. Tried getting in touch with them but they didn’t understand what was going on. In the end I ended up paying nothing for the items we did want and donated the ones we didn’t to charity.

BashfulClam · 30/08/2023 18:42

I had a weird refund once. I bought four items from Next. I kept it all but then got an e-mail saying they had received my return for one of the items and then they sent a refund.

Heckythump1 · 30/08/2023 18:48

I wouldn't do anything 🙈 I once sent a substitution back to Asda from my online shop, they accidently refunded the whole shop instead of just the one item!

Jewelanemone · 30/08/2023 18:59

An international airline refunded us twice for long haul flights that were cancelled because of covid. It took us over a year to get the refund(s). We kept both and rebooked on two occasions with the same airline so they got their money back 😆 Before you all pile on, I know they actually didn't, but we spent a shit load of time and money on calls to their 'customer service' department over that initial year.

morag1234 · 30/08/2023 19:02

I wouldn't say anything.

I would probably be a massive faff for them to sort it out now anyway, and then it could
Potentially get the staff member in trouble.

PensionPuzzle · 30/08/2023 19:03

I had similar with some baby items delivered by a supermarket- they said it was out of stock and so cancelled the order and refunded, but it then arrived a few days later! I emailed customer service and no reply so I left it at that and made sure to pass the items on when we had outgrown them. I'm not sure what else could be done, really.

DoubleYolker · 30/08/2023 19:06

a supermarket recently refunded my weekly online delivery, I’ve no idea why. I thought about it for about 2 minutes then remembered how awful their customer service person was on the only occasion I’ve ever had to make contact with them, then didn’t bother. I’ve shopped with them for many, many years, And they can afford to lose the £100.

MarkWithaC · 30/08/2023 19:09

I'd contact them. I've had similar and they've said to keep the items as it's not worth their while faffing with the money and records. Plus, it's unspoken but I think companies appreciate and reward your honesty.
I'd stress that the employee shouldn't be blamed for it and that she did everything she reasonably could.

wutheringkites · 30/08/2023 19:46

Was it Sainsbury's? This happened to me, I emailed them and they said there was no way of taking payment again. It was Christmas so I spent the money in a Sainsbury’s store and put everything in the food bank box.

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