Asking for a refund from a CHARITY shop?!

[Guyfree]

I was out shopping yesterday and, whilst in one of the local charity shops, overheard a woman at the till demanding for a refund for a top she had bought. She said she had bought it, tried it on in the shop, but once she got home she decided she didn’t like it. Admittedly, I don’t know how much the top was, but I can’t imagine it was a lot as it’s not an upmarket charity shop or area particularly.

The staff kept saying that they didn’t give refunds, only credit notes, but the woman insisted she wanted a refund.

I just found the whole exchange really bizarre. When I buy something from a charity shop, I make sure it’s a considered purchase, and would never ask for a refund! On times I have regretted purchases I just take the hit in the knowledge I’ve at least donated some money to charity.

YABU - asking for a refund from a charity shop is fine.

YANBU - asking for a refund from a charity shop is tight and strange!

Their policy needs to be clear. My Mum had this a few years ago. She bought a collectable item for my brother. But asked if it wasn't suitable could it be returned for a refund? She was told yes. of course my brother didn't want the item, but when my mum took it back,. She was refused a refund and offered a credit note which was not the original conversation. My mum did eventually get a refund. I think one of the volunteers remembered her. She was quite a regular but it left a nasty taste and she won't use that charity shop again. Either to donate - she is clearing out substantially now. Or to buy from. I think policies being clear whatever they are is the only way forward.

All our local charity shops state at purchase they do refunds. Their clients generally aren’t those rolling in money.
Two don’t have a changing room, the other a have rather inadequate ones. They encourage you to try on at home.
Im sure purchases would be discouraged by far more than they save if they try to shame people out of refunds

People do try to haggle. A man tried recently. The shop was full and I said to him ‘so you want to pay less money? ‘yes’ ‘in this charity shop?’ ‘YES!’ ‘The charity shop for children for the hospice for who are dying?’

You might not agree with haggling, but publically shaming a customer like this is just awful behaviour.

Totally agree. It's so inappropriate and I'm surprised that a volunteer wouldn't know that.

Yep, probably lost both him as a customer and anyone in earshot.

I think they should give refunds in cash or on your card in certain circumstances. However, this person was just saying she changed her mind and had tried the outfit on. Suppose that’s more of a credit note situation.

All this said, I generally re gift items that prove unsuitable. Usually to a different charity shop.

Of course you can, I return things to shops all the time because I've changed my mind. Tags on and within the return window obviously.

I would never do this with a charity shop though. Just hard lines if it's no good.

There’s no changing room in a few of our local charity shops. They saw they will refund if it doesn’t suit. Prices are pretty high here too. I’ve had something refunded before. I wouldn’t bother if it was under £10 but above I would . Don’t see the issue personally. They obviously find the policy works or they wouldn’t offer it. I donate plenty to charity.

I work for a large charity and we do give refunds on most things including clothes. We don't have a changing room because it encourages more shoplifting so we give a month to return - it must have it's tag on and a full receipt including the card receipt and obviously be unworn. We find that most returners do actually buy something else and we always say if it doesn't suit you then it will suit someone else so we don't mind returns.

@CocoPlum @Invisimamma There is NO legal obligation for a shop to give you a refund on something you have bought because you don't like it when you get it home. The vast majority of shops will give you a refund without question under those circumstances, but I know several small shops who won't give a refund unless an item is faulty. One of the boutiques near me will only exchange something that isn't faulty within 24 hours of purchase and will never give a refund.

I bought a skirt yesterday for someone else from a charity shop. The woman gave me the receipt and told me that I had thirty days to get a refund if it didn't suit/fit.

I absolutely would have taken it back for a refund, had it not fitted her. It was £7.50 - gone are the days when charity shops were really cheap. They had a dress (bnwt) for £31.50.

Having said that - if a charity shop didn't offer refunds, and often a credit note, I would 100% accept that and not cause a fuss

They shouldn't and indeed are not obliged to refund her for changing her mind. However, I'm not sure I agree with the principle that you should never ask for refunds because it's a charity. Some of the items in my local charity shop are £15 plus, which is a lot of money to waste if you're on a low income. Charity shops operating strict no refund policies may find they deter some of their potential customers who can't afford to take chances, which would be a shame, as the 'charity' should be two pronged, benefitting those on low incomes as well as those requiring medical research/cats/sick animals.

Shops aren't legally obligated to give customer's a refund just because they changed their mind. We only give refunds in the form of a credit note unless an item is faulty.

I personally wouldn't ask for a refund from a charity shop and would just donate the item back to them. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with asking to return something for store credit. The lady in the OP was ridiculous for demanding her money back rather than accepting the credit note though.

Did you consider she got home and found she had a new bill to pay and wanted the refund because she needed the money?

Depends. Some charity shops are very large organisations and actually do advertise/offer that goods bought there can be refunded (British Heart Foundation for example). I guess it is an effort to make shopping from a charity shop as secure/normal as from any other shop, i.e. normalise it.

However once the charity shop in your OP explained their position, I think it is rude to push for a refund.

I used to get around 70% of my wardrobe from charity shops in an attempt to be more sustainable and also taking advantage of being in an area with lots of young professionals who would over buy and end up giving very good quality clothes to charity. I have taken clothes back if they were, for me, a bigger purchase. A couple of quid, no, but tenner and up, yes. If the charity shop offers it, then why not? Plus I was spending a lot in them, it felt like a fair swap.

Not true. Shops can refund as a courtesy but they don’t have to unless it’s faulty. At all.

You are not legally entitled to a refund even if it doesn’t fit. People often mistake goodwill policies for their rights.

In this case, the CF tried something on and bought it. Second hand, so marks and stains etc are part of the package. She was brass faced to ask in the first place and completely out of order to get stroppy.

Then she should check her budget like the rest of us before going shopping. It’s not rocket science.

this.

Second hand, so marks and stains etc are part of the package.

I disagree, especially considering the prices charity shops charge. The clothes may be second hand, but anything stained and marked shouldn't be put on the shop floor.

Some people have no shame, imagine asking for a refund from a charity shop 🙄 Yes, charity shops can sometimes be more expensive now, maybe they are on a tight budget etc - but still, that should only have informed the decision to buy it in the first place. Changing your mind after the fact, you are a CF to ask.

Absolutely. Marks and stands are not part of the package. Anything that is damaged and is on the floor is an oversight on our part unless we have pointed out the damage eg needs anew zip. But we would be selling it for a nominal sum.

That is hardly a legal reason to return.

It seems the goodwill returns became so common in th UK, that many see it as their right. In my area, we have the EU standard 14 days for online, big chains return money on a whim, and independent shops would reimburse faulty items, but that's it.

I can't really vote either way - the policy on refunds for non-faulty items varies from shop to shop.

I wouldn't assume any shop, charity or otherwise, would take an item back and give a refund if it were not faulty nor argue the toss about it.

YANBU. It is tight and literally uncharitable. I do find myself judging people who behave like this.

I would just donate the item back to the shop and consider that I had done my good deed for the day. But maybe I am lucky to be able to afford to do that and this person couldn't.

I have a friend who has a low income (but nearly £100k in the bank) and loves to get a bargain. We had decided to go on a day out to a venue which is owned by a charity; before we booked it online they insisted on spending an hour trying to find a voucher for money off the entry price. I got very pissed off with their penny-pinching time-wasting on that occasion!