Converse won't do exchanges just refunds...

[Chattenoire]

Hello wonderful ladies! You're always so helpful and I hope you can help this time :)

I ordered some shoes directly from Converse and they sent me the wrong ones.

They're special edition and some colours/sizes are already sold out. I've got in touch with them, and the best they can do is to give me a label and return them. So it's a refund not an exchange and they don't do exchanges.

The problem is.. the way I see it by the time they process the refund etc... I might miss out on the shoes I originally ordered.

I've raised it with AMEX too just in case. I've told them I genuinely don't want free shoes, just for them to send me the correct ones and then I post back the ones they sent me by mistake.

I work in customer experience so I know that anything can be done as long as there's a will on their end.

Anything else I can try?

I would just buy/ re order the ones you want if you want them that badly and have been waiting that long.

Then send the old ones back for a refund.

Its a pain but depends how much you want them.

River Island are the same. They did give me a code for free next day delivery though for the new order. My issue wasn't the wrong thing though, it was the wrong size, despite the tag label saying the size I'd ordered the stitched in label had something completely different.

No. They just have to put OP back into the position she was in before the contract was formed and they have said they’ll do that with the refund. Mistakes are allowed to happen. The legal team would probably chuckle at that complaint!

They've acknowledged that they've not fulfilled the contract and are accepting a return to terminate it.

Escalating it will do nothing, OP's legal rights are to be put in the same position that she was in before the contract was formed - ie, to have her money back.

It's just very frustrating. And no, I wouldn't get into debt for it, but I guess I'm very biased as I work in the complaints industry (so to speak) so I'm always looking for solutions that convert me into a promoter and not a detractor.

I've had like 30 pairs of converse at some point, but from now on I'd try to avoid ordering directly from them.

I though they were offering exchange no refund but somehow not doing the exchange.

OP just take the money. Put it towards something else.

Nope - you’re bonkers expecting this.

I used to work in (big name) retail and we wouldn’t have a way of putting a charge on a card for goods. The processes just weren’t in place. Why would they be? The occasions where it would be required would be so few and far between.

Mistakes happen OP - it’s just one drawback of internet shopping.

Oh FFS!

They're rectifying the mistake and refunding the shoes.

You know very little about how things work in practice and the legalities of customer rights for someone who works in customer service, OP

But they're not rectifying it! Rectifying it would be to send the correct ones. They're just processing a return. Completely different things.

Have you never shopped online? I’ve never experienced a site that does anything differently to this, its totally normal procedure.

I never said what type ;) plus I said customer experience not service :)

Amazon does... And John Lewis's too

Buy from there next time then. I don't know where you are but converse UK clearly states that they don't do online exchanges. Perhaps check the T&Cs where you are in future?

Well the John Lewis website clearly states they don’t.

If you bought the item online, you can also simply place a new order for the item you want, and return the item you do not want.

They have when the things have been faulty.

The point here is that I didn't order the wrong thing, it was THEIR mistake and up to them to solve, not just treat it like a normal return.

Online retailers don't do exchanges anymore . Tooo much faff .. just order thr new ones with Klarna or PayPal credit then pay it off when the refund comes in

Why do you think your point of view trumps consumer rights? They have fulfilled their legal obligations with the refund - why can’t you understand this? Like I said, they’re allowed to make mistakes. They are probably unable to do an exchange due to systems etc. It’s common for companies not to these days.

If it was me dealing with you (and I did work in the exec team for a massive company doing ‘pre legal’ work and high level complaints), I’d probably offer you a gesture of a discount code or something to make up for it..but if you were a pain in the backside to deal with then that would be less likely!

You also said: The problem is.. the way I see it by the time they process the refund etc... I might miss out on the shoes I originally ordered
You're definitely going to miss out if you stamp your feet and insist they send you another pair 'on principle' so I can't see that they are that important to you.
You either want them or you don't 🤷‍♀️

This has happened to me 3 times in the last year. 2 companies (Asos and John Lewis) Sent out the replacement goods next day delivery. New look the item I wanted wasn't in stock but they gave me a free next day delivery voucher with 10% off.

So OP I agree it's shit. And isn't my experience of what other companies do.

Missing the point but what does this mean?

"convert me into a promoter and not a detractor"

Are you a human OP?

OP this is your biggest problem: "I work in the complaints industry therefore I know how things SHOULD be done". You're fighting this on a faulty principle. Converse have a system in place that works exactly like a lot e-commerce does these days, especially for global companies. It's faceless, impersonal and inflexible but that's how the massive machine runs. It's designed to get the most product, to the most people, in the quickest way and for the lowest cost. The departments, warehouses and staff who would deal with the different elements of this are probably hundreds of miles apart and not connected to each other at all. Other companies might still do exchanges where their infrastructure allows it but it's becoming less the norm. Gone are the days of one office and a quick phonecall from someone upstairs being the solution to any problem.

I could understand if Converse were out of the ordinary for operating like this but they're not.

If you want to waste a lot of time and money fighting it, go for it. It's your time but you're not fighting the good fight here.

I imagine people were requesting an exchange and then not returning the original, or returning it in poor condition