Would you expect shop to honour reduced price if exchanging?

[hooverhouse]

Overheard the customer ahead of me in a shop today... he was returning a jumper he had bought for his wife for Christmas for a bigger size in the same jumper. He had paid £59 for it before Christmas, but it had now been reduced in the sale to £39.

The shop assistant at the till called for the manager to "do a refund". Manager came over, did the exchange on the till, handed customer the bigger jumper and his receipt. Customer queried the price difference as the transaction was now apparently complete but he hadn't received the £20 difference back. Manager explained he hadn't realised there was now a price difference, having thought that it was "just a straight swap", however that it wasn't the company's policy to refund the difference in the situation.

The customer wasn't happy with this and said he had never experienced that approach in any other shops before; normally the difference would be refunded. The manager did end up relenting and refunded the £20 despite it not being "what they normally do".

It got me thinking... would you expect to get the £20 difference back?

Yes if you have the receipt you'd usually get back what you paid, but could vary by store.

No because if the price had increased, the customer wouldn’t want to pay more! The customer could have taken the first jumper back for a refund then bought the second one.

The customer was doing an exchange. He returned the smaller jumper for a larger size. That is an exchange.

If he had a receipt he could have returned the jumper he first bought and got his money back (if the shop does refund, under sale of goods act they do not have to issue refund as item is the wrong size but most do). Then he could pick up the new size jumper and buy that with the discount. Sounds like he has no idea about consumer law and sal shopping. I pity retail staff who will have to deal with many people like him over the next few days.

Return the jumper bought at full price. Then buy the jumper in a different size at reduced price.

If I was the customer and had the receipt, and the jumper was now on sale, I'd return the one I bought for a refund and then buy the smaller size at the reduced price. I can't imagine they'd refund the price difference per se, so this would be my work around.

Yes. I’ve returned a jumper that’s been reduced and asked if it’d be better to swap it and get refund for the difference or return it completely and do two separate transactions.

As an aside Im really tired of constant sales and special offers, I’d rather clothes were just one constant price. I’m not into fashion though. Well cut clothes in natural fibres that I wear to death.

The customer did point out to the manager that if he had returned the original jumper with his receipt (which he had), then bought the larger jumper in a separate transaction, he would have got the £20 back. It was part of his argument for why he should have been refunded the difference when he exchanged the jumpers in a single transaction.

However I do know of shops where customers bring back an item that they want to keep, because it has now been reduced in the sale. They want to have the price they paid refunded, and immediately buy the same back for the sale price. Some shops won't allow that.

That is the point. Doing it all in one transaction was an exchange.

If he went up to the counter and returned the jumper with his receipt and got the full price he paid. Then he could leave the counter. Pick up the new size jumper and queue at the till again. Pay for the new jumper at the discount price and then he would have his new jumper and the price difference.

Tbh he need to educate himself.

Not by exchange. You’d have to return it first them buy a new one to get the reduction.

I would expect any money to change hands if you are doing an exchange. You just swap one size for another.

Obviously if you notice that the item has since been reduced then it makes more sense to return the full price item and then buy it again at the reduced price, but I wouldn't expect the staff to process it as an exchange and refund you the difference automatically.

I would have returned the first one and bought the second. Wouldn't expect the difference if exchanging.

Not if I was doing an exchange, but if I realised the price had dropped I would just return it and immediately repurchase at the lower price

Annoyingly I did have this the other way round in Jules. I bought a top on black Friday but needed to exchange for a different size. When I went back a week or so later I had to pay an extra 20%

To get the difference you need to do it as a return/refund they buy the other one n at reduced price in a separate transaction

wonder if the price had gone up he’d be complaining and wanting to pay the new higher price

He sounds like the sort of person who, if a fault develops in the jumper in a few weeks time, will take it back and expect to be refunded the price he paid in the first place. I hope the shop took away his original receipt?

I'm with the customer here. I often return things and then buy them again if the price has been reduced.

That’s what I was going to say!

He's a CF!!!