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!

Just stop ordering online if remembering to return (clothes you can't afford) is to big an obstacle.
Then you won't need to blame peri or ADHD.

You've literally answered your own question???

"Putting pressure on them" could be one reason
A more charitable interpretation would be hoping the organisation would be more likely to agree if asked publicly because they would then also benefit from positive publicity

Or it could simply be a chance to ask a different person (as in the social media manager and customer service might be different people -I've done the same before when asda lost my return -couldn't get any sense out of the people on the customer helpline but whoever managed the x account managed to sort it)

Whether you think taking to social media to politely ASK a company to reconsider is a fair or ethical thing to do is up to you, but what it isn't is automatically "shaming" them and that was my whole point.

If the poster had said "try shaming them on social media" and you said that was unfair I would have agreed with you. But the poster only suggested contacting them via social media, so the only pejorative connotations were coming from you!

Would help if you could say what store

More than 2 weeks late!!! You are lucky they gave you credit and not just sent the items back.

It’s just tough. Stop using excuses of perimenopause and adhd. Plenty of people are the same and learn to manage.

You have messed up. Deal with it and move on.

To be fair I think you’ve done well to get the credit. They don’t have to give you anything?

If you genuinely think that you are being treated unfairly (ADHD tax) due to a disability (diagnosed ADHD) then I'm sure the company would have to work with you to find a better solution

Oh come on, now. You can't expect businesses to make allowances every time someone says 'It's not my fault I am forgetful and disorganised, it's part of my disability.' Can you imagine the chaos of trying to administer that?

If your ADHD is really that disabling then perhaps you shouldn't be in charge of your own finances at all and you should hand that responsibility over to a carer.

Better check how long you have to use the credit note.

Exactly. If you were given an extension then surely you'd forget that too?

Sorry, "SM" ?

I got a fish brain, but if I know I have £400 worth of clothes and I desperately need the money, I’d send them on time.
Kind of them for giving you credit…they probably didn’t even have to.
Hope you find a way…probably kind emails rather than sm bash

I was late sending back an item that was £175 as I went on holiday the day it arrived and I assumed it would be a 28 day return. I called them when I got back and realised but I had a bit more sway as they had failed to uphold the next day delivery I had paid for so as it arrived a day later than it should have been they understood I had already left for my trip - anyway I asked nicely and they gave me a refund. I would call up and kill them with kindness and see if you can get a sympathetic person to do you a refund - no harm asking. Good Luck.

They are under no legal obligation to refund you at all.
You sound as if £400 is a real issue for you-so why did you forget?
Returns policies are often abused , so it is not a surprise that this company will not part with the cash.

Can you use the credit note to buy things friends or family want and they reimburse you the money? Or perhaps use it to buy presents you would otherwise have bought elsewhere - freeing up cash.

i do not think the store is being unreasonable and have been fair issuing the credit note. Agree with PP not fair to shame them on SM either.

A statutory period applies to online, mail, and phone orders. You have 14 days to notify the retailer you want to cancel, and then another 14 days to return the goods. You don't need to provide a reason.

That's 28 days. Have you gone over this? If you are a regular customer they may consider refunding as a goodwill gesture.

Unfortunately you are only entitled to a refund within 14 days unless the items are faulty. It's how they make their money.

They don't have to even offer you a credit note sadly. One possible solution I've used, although it doesn't always work, is to order items then get a refund on those items instead... Although it might just refund it back to account credit.

In the UK you have 14 days to inform of a return and a futher 14 from that to return so if you receive goods decide on day 2 you don't want them, you have 14 further days to return. Most companies offer 28 days to a month for informing and returning to make the policy easier for customers

Ask your credit card supplier. Also the CAB might be able to help. Financial Ombudsman?

I am not sure they can legally issue a credit.

They don’t legally have to do anything, which OP is realistic enough to know, she’s just being hopeful. There’s no legal grounds to pursue a refund and a waste of time asking those other people who will just say the same.

Which law would stop a retailer giving credit when someone misses the legally entitled return window? Can you quote that law please?

No, you can’t. Because it’s utter nonsense. She is no longer entitled to a refund. She randomly returned the clothes anyway, without actually asking if that was ok, so they got unsolicited items in the post. They’ve given her store credit. They could have just sent the clothes back again. It would be an utter waste of everyone’s time to start calling around consumer rights organisations when her consumer rights have not been breached.

She is not entitled to a refund. They have given store credit. Perfectly acceptable.

AI Overview
Learn more

No, you are not obligated to accept a credit note instead of a refund if you have returned a faulty product or if you are entitled to a refund under consumer rights laws. If you're returning something because it's faulty or isn't as described, you are generally entitled to a full refund. A retailer's returns policy can only require a credit note for returns due to a change of mind or for items you are not eligible for a refund on.

Here's a more detailed explanation:
Faulty Goods:
If a product is faulty, you are entitled to a refund, repair, or replacement within a reasonable timeframe (typically 30 days for a full refund, then potentially repair or replacement for longer than 30 days).

Change of Mind:
If you're returning an item simply because you've changed your mind, the retailer may offer a credit note or exchange instead of a cash refund, but you're not legally obligated to accept it.

Online Purchases:
If you've returned an online order within the 14-day cooling-off period, you are entitled to a full refund if you've changed your mind.

Credit Notes for Certain Items:
There are exceptions where a credit note may be the only option. This might include items like personalized items, perishable goods, or those with limited return policies (e.g., unwrapped CDs/DVDs).

None of that applies.

if you have returned a faulty product or if you are entitled to a refund under consumer rights laws

and that’s the key phrase. OP is not returning a faulty product and is out of time for a refund under consumer rights legislation. So none of that applies.

None of the exceptions, I mean.

The first paragraph states the applicable point:

A retailer's returns policy can only require a credit note for returns due to a change of mind or for items you are not eligible for a refund on.

In fact pp has pointed out the actual crux.

My italics are just to reiterate the point that it's perfectly legal to give credit only in certain circs.

In any case they didn't have to do anything at all so going off to the ombudsman would be very silly indeed.

AI Overview
Learn more

No, you are not obligated to accept a credit note instead of a refund if you have returned a faulty product or if you are entitled to a refund under consumer rights laws. If you're returning something because it's faulty or isn't as described, you are generally entitled to a full refund. A retailer's returns policy can only require a credit note for returns due to a change of mind or for items you are not eligible for a refund on.

Here's a more detailed explanation:
Faulty Goods:
If a product is faulty, you are entitled to a refund, repair, or replacement within a reasonable timeframe (typically 30 days for a full refund, then potentially repair or replacement for longer than 30 days).

Change of Mind:
If you're returning an item simply because you've changed your mind, the retailer may offer a credit note or exchange instead of a cash refund, but you're not legally obligated to accept it.

Online Purchases:
If you've returned an online order within the 14-day cooling-off period, you are entitled to a full refund if you've changed your mind.

Credit Notes for Certain Items:
There are exceptions where a credit note may be the only option. This might include items like personalized items, perishable goods, or those with limited return policies (e.g., unwrapped CDs/DVDs).