To never shop at Zara again?

[Avaximitis]

I feel like I've had a terrible customer experience with Zara.
I bought some clothes for my 11 year old DGD for Christmas presents. I bought them online on 9th December and gave them to her Christmas day.
On NYE I was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and stayed in hospital for 2 weeks. I needed oxygen and IV medication and have been very unwell.
I returned home yesterday.
Family visited when I got home and DD gave me 3 of the Zara items back, apologising that they do not fit. Unworn. Tags in place. Simply too small. DD said she couldn't return them to me whilst I was in hospital receiving oxygen, for obvious reasons, so waited until I got home.
I have spent 1 hour today talking on their 'chat' system. They have no customer service telephone number to call, which I much prefer. Anyway I asked for a real person and not an AI bot and was connected to a person. I explained everything and asked if I can return these 3 items. I explained about being in hospital and I explained that whilst I was in hospital I missed the 30 returns date. I explained I got home yesterday evening and am contacting them today at my first opportunity. I explained the items are unworn with tags in place. I have checked, and none of the items are in their January sale. They are all in stock and all full price.
The associate I dealt with point blank refused a return. It is 6 days too late.
Despite them being bought for Christmas present so there was 3 weeks until I actually gave the items to DGD. And despite the fact I have been in hospital.
Not one ounce of sympathy.
No extended Christmas returns period.
No telephone number to call.
No display of understanding of my situation.
A total refusal to accept a return when it is only 6 days late.
I'm staggered beyond belief.
Truly unbelievably poor customer service.
I can't believe it.

Sorry OP, I hope you're feeling a lot better.

The issue with making exceptions, even if seemingly very reasonable, is that anyone could claim what you're claiming. So they have to just have blanket policies.

You should have got and given a gift receipt so she could have exchanged them

Zara’s returns policy is completely inflexible and always has been.

Absolutely vote with your feet.

However they haven't done anything wrong either.

I've worked in customer service, and you can't make exceptions for each exceptional or sad story you get. Almost everyone has one.

Hope you're feeling better now op. You could maybe sell on vinted or somewhere to get some money back.

I wonder if any multi national retailer does that kind of thing. But I get it, I was lucky with some nonrefundable flights when a family member became deathly ill.

I am very sympathetic - BUT how do they actually know you're telling the truth? I believe you, but my point is that if they can't afford to make an exception for one person because then everyone will try the same excuse. I would say though that Zara is notorious for a very rigid returns policy.

Aside from being in hospital, every other online retailer I have used offers extended Christmas returns.
Why not Zara?

Most helpful. Thank you.

Why not ask for an exchange instead? They may be willing to compromise.

In future, ask for a gift receipt - it takes the responsibility off you.

Take them into the shop and ask for a gift card?

Sorry that you’ve been so unwell.

Rules are rules, I’m afraid.

Why couldn’t your dd have returned them herself? I would see that as her responsibility, given how ill you were

Op can you not go into a Zara store take items back and ask for an exhange you wouldn’t be asking for your money back just an exhange for same value or same items in the next size up. Might be easier speaking to someone face to face then.

I’m so sorry you had such an awful NY op. I hope you are feeling much stronger now.

I am sorry but I think you are expecting slightly too much to ask to be treated as an exception. It wouldn’t be financially viable to check out everyone’s stories.

I agree that their overall returns window is too short though. I don’t shop with them bc their sizing is too rigid and their website drives me mad!

I’d just send them anyway. They usually refund you to save the hassle of having to post them back but that’s just my experience so take it with a pinch of salt of course

It’s like Ryan air. It’s cheap but the price you pay is that their terms are tough take it or leave it and inflexible.

Tough tits basically.
sell them on vinted

Return without the receipt and get a gift voucher/swap
.that's what I normally do.

Because they don’t have to. It really is that simple unfortunately.

So helpful, will you loan the OP your time machine or shall I offer mine?

@YouWillNeverGuessMyUsername
That won’t work in Zara.

Mean-spirited and horrible of Zara.

Might be worth getting a doctor’s letter confirming that you were indeed seriously ill in hospital, but what these companies really hate is bad publicity: put your story on whatever social media you use, contact one of the newspaper consumer columns, try to find out who is the real boss of the organisation (though this is tricky these days as they hide behind layers of corporate walls) and write directly to them.

It’s all very well saying Zara is playing by their own rules, but rigid inflexibility is not a good look when someone has been seriously ill.

Zara won’t care.

All companies care about bad publicity.

Why are your family even bothering you about this when you have been ill in hospital?

Zara’s customer service is awful! I stopped shopping there a couple of years ago because of it. The clothes aren’t that great anyway.