Forgot to return purchases on time, retailer is charging me

[user120525]

I stupidly forgot to return £400(!!) worth of clothes within the retailer's 14 day returns eligibility window (perimenopause brain?). So I just posted the lot back to them and wrote them a nice email asking if I could please get a refund onto my original payment method (credit card).
They wrote back saying they've given me £400 credit onto my online account instead. I don't want this credit, I really need the money back.
I realise that I am entirely in the wrong here but was wondering if anyone knows or has ideas for recourse here so I can get actual real money refunded back to me?! TIA!

I have serious issues re credibility from anyone who would rely on an AI Overview. May as well just use a monkey 🫣

Even worse when they do it twice.

There is nothing wrong with the Ai when the law is quoted and can be verified. If you want a real company telling you the same, then search in gov.co.uk, or the CAB, or Which? or ''give me an answer' There are lots of sites to access information.

Ai which shows fraudulent pictures online or alter the news is not the same as information about the laws.

For some reason, people have been persuaded that all Ai is bogus. You have to learn to sort the sheep from the goats. Now that may be easy in the UK, but in some parts of the world it can be very difficult when the flocks run together.

It's pretty dumb to post AI to try to prove your point when the AI disproves the point.

AI is so unreliable, and so is a lazy google search. I wish more people knew this.

What is wrong with the information about the law which I copied? Would you prefer I rewrote the whole thing in my own words to make it look as though I was proficient in law?

Would you have believed my made up suggestion rather than something copied in the true words?

Children do that for homework or exams. They look up the answer then so the whole class doesn't come up with the same thing in the same words, they change the wording to their own, thinking they have done a good job, when more likely they have altered the sense.

There's nothing wrong with the information. It just isn't relevant because thr goods aren't faulty and ghe OP is outside the refund period.

If you don't understand it, I can't explain it for you. But also YABU, you should be able to figure out OP doesn't have a leg to stand on for 'change of mind'. In this case you'd need to refer to a companies policy and if it's international UK rights probably won't apply anyway. And I didn't need to google that. Sometimes you just need to accept you screwed up, and you were lucky you got away with it before.

You’ve just posted something which confirms what i said, not what you said.
You’re literally posting evidence that says they are allowed to give a credit note in these circumstances.

Do you not understand that?

It’s not just about posting information about the law, it’s about interpreting it correctly, and that’s the bit where you’ve gone wrong.

To be fair, because of how AI has worded it I can understand how you’ve misinterpreted, and that’s where the risk of using AI falls, rather than taking advice from a human who understands the law and can explain it in human terms. CAB wouldn’t word it in the same way.

@llizzie

For online purchases you are entitled to a full refund if it is faulty or not as described even if you return it after 30 days.

However, if you simply change your mind, you have to notify them within 14 days and then return it within a further 14 days. If you don’t, then you are not entitled to any sort of refund at all. The retailer can just say no. Or, they choose to offer you something, like a credit note.

The OP was very late in returning these. They are not faulty. She just changed her mind. That means she is only entitled to a refund if she sends them back in time. She didnt. She isnt even entitled to a credit note but she sent them back without asking. The retailer has accepted them and offered her credit. She’s lucky to get that.

The AI overview you posted says exactly that. Did you even read it? She is not entitled to a refund by law. She only gets what they offer as a gesture of goodwill or she can keep the clothes.

What is wrong with the information about the law which I copied?

What is wrong with the law that you copied is that you completely misunderstood it!!
The reason children in school have to rewrite something they've researched into their own words is to show the understand it.

Point in case here why that's needed!!!

So explain it, why not, and tell me why I have got it all wrong. You are obviously a master of goods and services UK law and I will be hanging on to every second until I hear from you.

It all depends on the rules of the company she bought the goods from. By buying the goods you agree to the terms and conditions.

1. the goods aren't faulty so that doesn't apply.
2. not within the statutory returns period
3. retailer terms and conditions haven't extended the legal entitlement Therefore there is no entitlement to a refund and the retailer is entitled to refuse to even give a credit note. The OP is lucky to get a credit note and needs to find a coping strategy for future purchases.

I'll start by saying I've been in ecommerce for over 25 years.

You have two main types of return for physical goods, a change of mind return and a faulty goods return. Your AI posts focusses on the faulty goods return which is quite quite different from change of mind.

The OP did not comply with the legal framework set out required to be able to say you want a full refund. It's that simple

I am so very grateful to you for pointing out the error of my ways.

I shall try to avoid making such a dreadful mistake in future. I certainly will not bother to give out the whole law.

I am indebted to you, and you must be absolutely delighted at your success.

You’ve come onto a thread where someone is asking for advice and you give an absolute nonsense reply that it is not legal to give a credit note, and you’ve argued with everyone telling you that you are wrong.

Consumer law is very clear and very simple.

If you order online, you can return the order for any reason at all if you notify them within 14 days and then return it within a further 14 days. Do this and you get a full refund. If you miss this time frame, then you can ask the company for a refund but they can refuse. They may choose to offer a credit note, which you can refuse to accept and just keep the order or you can accept the credit note and return the order, but you are not entitled to refuse the credit note and demand a cash refund after you missed the legal timeframe.

You can also return things which are faulty, and for this, there is no real time frame. If you buy a toaster and it breaks after a few months, you should get a repair or replacement or a refund. The 14 day time limit doesn’t apply. It you have a faulty item and they offer you a credit note, you can refuse and insist on a full refund.

I really don’t understand why you think you are correct and that the OP is entitled to her money back. It must come down to reading comprehension and sadly, you just don’t understand what has been written. When you don’t understand things, and you’ve been told that you’re wrong, stop trying to give advice. You’re not helping anyone.

I think they've been generous giving a credit, they could have refused it as it's out of their timeframe. I'm AuDHD, so I forget stuff like this but also love rules and so understand if I've got it wrong and they won't break their rules (since I just can't break rules) 😂 Luckily I also have the type of ADHD where I'm scared to spend anything, so I rarely order anything as I worry I'll be broke. Can you put reminders in your calendar? I do that for things like cancelling subscriptions

You're trying to reason with the unreasonable here, don't bother wasting your breath (time).
We all know what you're saying is right, and I believe the OP knows the points of law now too.

Interesting that the OP hasn't been back, can only assume she's moved on so we all should too probably.

One of my first comments was that I wasn't sure if they could give a credit note.

Then I looked up the consumer law and quoted it in full. It clearly showed what the law is, that if you return an item within the legal limit you should get a full cash refund.

It also said that if you do not return it within the limit you have to settle for a credit note, or words to that effect.

If you had not had my post removed you could read it again. I don't pick out the relevant bits of information. I wrote the law out in full so there was no mistake.

Can they even refuse the credit note and send the goods back to you? I don't know

That was me who complained, your post was pretty vile and didn't explain anything

Was it the one where I thanked you for pointing out the error of my ways?

Was it the one where I apologised profusely and asked forgiveness for making such an error which might lead to people getting the wrong advice?

I apologised to you and you had that apology removed so that other posters could not se it. I suppose you have your own explanation for that.

This one explains that I was not giving advice, just quoting the whole law so that posters could see what they could get and what they could not. Hopefully, next time the OP will return the purchases in time.

You chose to rubbish that and told me I should not have posted all of it, just give an opinion on the case as is.

You didn't respond to me at all that post as far as I am aware remains.

You made an unwarrented personal attack on JohnMajorsChicken, thats what I reported

You have to be very careful with apologies on the site. If you don't grovel enough the apology is removed.