Refunds - Are we being stitched up?

[WillThisEverBeResolved]

Why do some retailers take so long to process a refund? Debenhams DBS can take up to 21 days, New Look 14 days. However, Yours are excellent, you receive a confirmation e-mail on the day that you return an item to the shop and your refund is in your bank account 2 days later!

i understand different retailers have different systems and there’s always staff shortages to take into consideration, but where is the money whilst this is going on? I have asked my bank and some retailers but they all blame each other!

AIBU to expect a faster refund process for tbe retailers who take such a long time?

Debenhams is absolutely outrageous. 21 days since they received my item back before they refunded me last time! Continuous back and forth with customer service. Whenever I return something back to Next or Crew in store, money is back in my account within 24 hours. I don't understand why when an item is physically received by an online retailer why it can take weeks for a refund!

I stopped using Debenhams when they told me they could not refund my dresses as they had not received them despite proof of postage saying otherwise. When I mention small claims they found them but still took weeks to process payment.

I often have to chase NEXT when I still haven't been refunded after a month.

Debenhams are a law unto themselves. They sent me the wrong item and then tried to charge me to send it back. The ensuing row went on for weeks and I never got a full refund.

I thought it was the bank. Where I work the refund is instant but the bank will take 2/3 days to release it

Debenhams is owned by the boohoo group and is totally different to the Debenhams from the past. The stories on here would put me off ever ordering from them

Avoid Debenhams at all costs! Even if you find an item for sale on their website for a cheaper price, do not be tempted to use them. I have been burnt by their returns process as well.

The company are cowboys who seem to make the returns process so difficult and infuriating. If you want to return anything to them, it is like getting blood out of a stone!

Hope they go bust. They shouldn't be allowed to treat customers as though they are the enemy.

It can be done - All Saints had the cash in my account within 48 hours, and 24 of those were a Sunday!

Some are outrageous.

Boohoo are also terrible for refunding - usually around a month from the email saying they got my returns parcel to the money hitting my account. I often have to chase and it's sometimes up to a week before someone replies to give me the scripted answer that it can be up to 4 weeks.

Ultimately, they'd rather the money was sitting in their bank accounts accruing interest/keeping them out of the red than sending it back to customers quickly.

I think the Boohoo Group have had financial issues for years now.

A lot it is cashflow, records and time management.

It makes far more sense for these companies to process batches of refunds together once a week/month rather than doing multiple individual payments.

I've always found Next to be brilliant, they refund same day , however I do always return the items to a store which may be different.

Debenhams is absolutely shocking, they took nearly a month when I ordered from them recently. I won't be ordering from them again.

H&M always used to be quite good but in the last few months they've been getting slower and slower.

Try getting a refund under delay repay - it’s a labyrinthine nightmare.

What an absurd take. Are you living in a box?

In the modern world, people do the majority of their shopping online. The high street is dead, haven't you heard? That's before you consider people who live rural, disabilities that prevent people going shopping in person or people who need sizing that isn't stocked in store as standard (New Look and River island, for instance, have a great plus size range but only available online, usually).

All of that can mean that you are ordering something in the hope it works out. If it doesn't, you return things, as is your right.

Say you have £100 budget for an upcoming event. You spend that £100 on Debenhams site. The outfit doesn't fit, or the material is crap, or the zip is faulty. You return the item the same day but oops, Debenhams don't give you back your money for a month. There goes your shopping budget and therefore you have to miss your event or wear something that's not really suitable.

Duh.

Oh the Whataboutery.

It’s blindingly obvious as night follows day that because the OP asked about refunds, s/he has no other care in the world, isn’t it? Why else would s/he be on here? Really!

And yes OP, how tight-fisted of you to want your money back when you return an item. If you can afford to buy it in the first place you can obviously afford to donate the cost to the merchant if you return it.

Yes, NEXT are fine if you return instore. Hopeless if you send it back.

Just use a credit card instead of a debit card. Problem solved.

You realise that not everyone is eligible for credit cards, yes?
Also that many, many people choose not to go into debt even if they were eligible.

Credit cards are not an accessible cash flow option for a huge number of the population.

Yes, I dread to think how much money of mine Debenhams has kept.

It used to be so good when they had bricks and mortar shops, I would take my returns to the shop and get a refund in a day or two.

When they moved to online only, you have to chase up a lot of refunds.

Even if you use a credit card, if you don't chase up the refund, you lose the money. The credit card company still want paying each month, it's not free money.

Not used Debenhams since they went bust - read the reviews when they were taken over and they are scathing!

What annoys me is that if you order something online and return it all (ie, 2 dresses ordered, 2 returned) that they should refund you the original post price. They don't have to offer free returns though. So many do not do this.

You don’t get into debt if you pay off in full each month nor do you pay interest. If you can afford the item, it makes sense to buy with a credit card for the consumer protection. Also, not having a credit card adversely affects your credit rating.

You know that, no?

I took some jeans back to Argos yesterday. Tu clothing. Refunded already.

I don't love Debenhams anymore but why should they refund you the cost of returns?

It must have cost them a fortune to process returns for free. I'm glad if they charge for returns. Too many people abuse the system and order loads with no intention of keeping it all.

Returning to shop always gets a swifter refund than returning via post.