Online refund problems

[MollFlounders]

Wise Mumsnetters - I'm hoping you can help me solve something I'm now very worried about

I've been a regular online customer at a London-based fashion online retailer that allegedly prides itself on values of authenticity and integrity. Hmmm.

In early October I bought two pairs of work trousers in two different sizes. Neither fit so I returned them via Royal Mail using all the packaging, forms and instructions as per the retailer's instructions. £270 worth of goods.

Unfortunately I managed to lose the proof of postage. Don't ask. Anyway, I naively wasn't that bothered right then as I was a repeat customer and I thought that they surely wouldn't try to screw me over and rely on that idiocy by me to deny the refund. Except they have. I've now had three weeks of back and forth where "customer service" basically says: screw you, if you don't have proof of postage then there's no refund for you.

I'm now very stressed about this. Yes I'm an idiot to have lost the proof of postage but I think it's pretty outrageous behaviour to make me pay the price for what has gone wrong here, which is clearly either a stuff up by Royal Mail (package was misdirected or lost) or a stuff up at the online retailer's end (they have lost track of it in their warehouse).

So being down £270 with Christmas around the corner, as sole breadwinner and with two kids, is now literally keeping me up at night. Any ideas as to how to get this fixed would be appreciated.

Thank you! Moll

How can it be outrageous behaviour that the shop don’t want to refund you for items they haven’t received back from you?

I think you’ve been horribly unlucky that the parcel went missing when you’d lost the proof of postage and you’ve learned a lesson the hard way. I know that losing that amount of money would be awful.

In future take a photo on your phone of the tracking reference on the receipt; then it won’t matter if you lose the piece of paper.

I work for an online retailer and we do often refuse to refund without proof of postage. Sometimes if you return to the post office you sent it from they will give you a duplicate receipt and retailers tend to accept that. Otherwise keep on at them, a manager can authorise it on a one off if your persistent enough

How regularly do you shop with them?

Ok thanks everyone. It's a good idea to ask for the duplicate. I will try that. How often do I shop with them: I've been shopping with them for five years since the business was founded and probably buy every couple of months. I'm in their "family and friends" loyalty programme etc

Good idea re the screenshot Shoes. I should have done that.

If it was a pre paid returns label then are they not able to tell if it has been scanned or not? You could ask them to send you a copy of the returns label they originally sent and I'm sure one of the numbers on it is the tracking but I may be wrong. I only say that as before some retailers have been able to tell my return has been posted in this way without seeing a proof of postage. Also once I was told to take a picture of my returns label (UPS) as this had the tracking info. Could be the same for this perhaps.

Thanks Esmerelda. They say they have "no way of tracking" anything without my proof of postage. Given everything is barcoded, I do find this really hard to believe. Surely they scan packages on receipt at the warehouse?

The amount of the money I'm losing really, really upsets me. I'm looking at my budget for Christmas and it's taken a chunk out of that.

I guess I also (yep I'm sure very naively) feel that it's not great business to let a loyal customer carry the can for what is either a postal problem or a problem at the retailer's end. I know these things are policies, but I've been naive about this I can see

Or maybe it is great business; it just doesn't feel like very sustainable business

Having said that, I see that there have been quite a few complaints about this retailer on Mumsnet - I just unfortunately didn't see them and hadn't had a bad experience up until now

You could see if leaving a trustpilot review provokes a more positive response? Some companies are quite keen on answering them.

Ah that's a good idea, thanks Esmerelda. It will at least make me feel a bit better too....

Unfortunately I managed to lose the proof of postage. Don't ask. Anyway, I naively wasn't that bothered right then as I was a repeat customer and I thought that they surely wouldn't try to screw me over and rely on that idiocy by me to deny the refund. Except they have.

^So what they should just take your word that you have posted back £270 worth of goods and give you a refund no questions asked?

YOU lost the proof of postage. You’ve screwed yourself over.

It's a shit situation and very bad luck but I really don't understand what they are supposed to do without any proof at all that the items were returned.

Being a regular customer may mean you're less likely to try and rip them off but they don't know you and all they have is someone trying to get nearly 300 quid back without any evidence at all.

I do find it a little hard to believe that you would order such expensive items and then start claiming that it's going to affect your Christmas if you don't get the money back. I'm struggling to feel too sorry for you in that respect tbh.

Actually I might have misread. I thought you'd ordered two pairs of very expensive trousers but now realise it was 4. So I guess you were planning to keep two if they fitted?

Sinister - I planned to keep one if they fitted. I ordered two different styles for choice, in two sizes each as I'm in between sizes. So there's a big difference for me between one pair of trousers I can wear to work virtually every day for c£65 and no trousers for £270

In terms of not knowing me, yes I do get that and I understand the proof of postage issue in that sense - but as mentioned, I have been a regular customer of this business for more than five years which is when the business started and am in their loyalty programme etc so that's why I (as I said, naively) thought that there may be a better outcome here.

Anyway, as others have said, hard lesson learned....

That does make a bit difference and I can understand your frustration but the retailer really aren't at fault here. I think it would be really unfair to hold this against them and leave bad reviews etc as other people have suggested.

Well there's always the chance that the parcel will turn up eventually.