Zara charging for returns

[LoveLabradors]

Zara have started charging for returns. What do people think? Better for the environment as might discourage ordering on a whim? Or cost cutting - making the customer pay for a service that should be free? Zara are closing stores so the fact they are saying that returns to store are free is a bit of an irrelevance when for most people the stores are miles away!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61423753.amp

I wonder if other places will follow Zara’s lead?

I won't order where I have to pay for returns.

If you pay through PayPal you can claim back return shipping with Returns on Us, assuming Zara still accept PayPal.

@Echobelly unfortunately you will probably find that will be worse now! More people will take back to a store (one of the dwindling amount of stores!) rather than send it back.

I don't buy from Zara so it won't impact me directly, although I suspect other shops will follow suit soon.

In general I think it's ok-ish, although I understand sizing can be an issue. But some people do seem to order lots with no intention of keeping the items. I'm in some Facebook groups for clothing brands and I didn't realise it was a thing until I saw it there - someone orders say 5 pairs of trousers in every available colour, 3 dresses and 5 t-shirts and then posts photos of each one and says "I can only afford to keep one item, which one should I keep??" 😮Sometimes they even say "I've worn these for a few hours but not sure they suit me so thinking of sending them back"...

Ultimately free returns are not free at all, and lots of items are returned in a poor condition so they are binned.

That's quite different from having to exchange to a different size or finding something doesn't suit you. I order everything knowing a.) I like it b.) can afford it c.) intend to keep it unless it absolutely doesn't fit or doesn't suit. I return very little but it probably helps I stick to the same brands and similar styles generally, so I know they will likely be fine.

I don't order when there's no free return.

Returns are a big problem for retailers as not only is there the cost of the actual return but they usually pay another company to check the clothes/clean them etc before resale. At one stage Nike was actually giving away its returns to sports charities rather than revamping them for resale - the tax relief on the donation in kind and the saving in checking/revamping costs made it nearly worth it.

I prefer buying on ebay/vinted as the cost of the clothes is quite low and I can always resell if it doesn't fit (and benefit from decent buyer protection if it is not in a good state).

I was thinking about this today. I had v short notice about a forthcoming Buck House garden party and promptly ordered loads of dresses online to try on as I have no time to get to the shops. I'd have been screwed if I couldn't do free returns.

I get that it's really costly for the shops and I think more will follow.

I would have more respect for Zara (and Uniqlo and the rest) if they tried to sort out their haphazard sizing, their photography and their product information. I'm sure we would still end up footing the bill but at least it would be a more honest transaction. As it is, their problems with returns are, as far as I'm concerned, entirely of their own making, and trying to pass the costs on to the customer whilst wringing their hands about the environment is cheeky fuckery of the highest order.

There are now multiple stores that do this and all have lost my business unless I know the exact size I need and definitely want the item, so have already seen.

I live rurally and what this means is that many shops we may have used before and returned the unwanted or incorrect sizes to, now get zero business from us.

I’m another one who just wishes there was more information online about sizing and better photos of clothes on closer to average size people not the ridiculous models Zara uses. I’m not returning things for fun. It’s a pain in the arse. I just want to buy some clothes that fit and it sometimes feels impossible!

This! I just sent back the whole of an order as shirt sizes were massive! The oversized trend means you can't order your standard size 😩

I won't shop online with them now, it's a waste of time.

As pps have said what I can’t understand is why there isn’t more investment in giving clear images and information about an item. I’m looking at a leather bag at the moment and there are no dimensions given (surely easy enough to provide) and nothing to suggest scale. This is what contributes to all the wasted time and resources. It’s another symptom of fast fashion where there are simply too many items for them to take the time to do that.

But even more expensive places are guilty of it, you’ll get the model sort of bent double and weird camera angles, almost like they are playing peekaboo with you or it’s an arty photography project. If it’s a top all the photos will show it tucked in, so no clue on length. Fabrics are often not listed or incorrect. Personally I find videos so helpful, you can see much more clearly what is on offer including colour but again retailers would rather pile it high and you take your chances. Disgusting really.

It is very frustrating now that so many shops have shut down or are poorly stocked. I live virtually in central London and can’t rely on actual shops at all, though I much prefer to go out, see things, try them on and take them home with me that day rather than try to work out how something might look on me, pay out in advance and then have to wait for my item, perhaps missing the delivery. I do tend to use the PayPal free returns and can take things back to shops if one exists so rarely pay for a return (you get 12 a year).

I think actually all retailers want you to do is buy as much as possible and hope that you’ll be too distracted to return it. We know people have loads of unworn clothing in their wardrobes, would be interesting to know how much of this is due to that. What with having to work out if it’s Hermes or Collect plus or Royal Mail and then packing and queuing. A couple of my returns have got lost lately so more time chasing those.

You can still return online. The info is on the website what you need to do as a guest. Go to the returns link in any of the emails about your order and follow that.

To answer the op I'm happy to pay for the return. People are naive if they think free postage and returns really means free. It's just bumped into the costs of the clothing otherwise!

I don’t have any links on the emails that allow me to sort a return, so I wondered if the advice online was out of date as things had only changed at the start of this month. I scoured for ages the other day but I will look again!

I like Zara for work dresses, pretty blouses and some jeans, Zara works quite well for taller people like me. I don’t order loads, perhaps quarterly, but always end up
doing a couple of orders as the sizing is so unreliable. The quality is unreliable too, I’ve had two items in my most recent order with holes in - I would resent paying paying postage for faulty goods. But in general I have until now found the online experience pretty good although I loathe the website and ridiculous model poses. I am baffled by the whole “haul” business and the thought of ordering 50 items in one go is simply crazy. Therefore I’m not thrilled at being penalised for those who do. Perhaps ZaRa could give a set amount of free returns along with a capped item level?
As for going to Zara stores, my nearest closed a couple of years ago and the next one is a hellish, grubby jumble sale with consistently enormous, slow queues and surly staff, stained clothing and poor stock availability- not a great experience.

@LoveLabradors you do not have to pay the cost of returning a faulty item bought online Which have a useful proforma letter to use if a retailer tries to make you pay

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/letter/letter-to-refuse-paying-the-cost-of-returning-a-faulty-item-a4mrv9z9iQdk

Seems fair enough tbh

@londonmummy1966 thank you 😊

I wouldnt mind if the sizing wasnt how it is. Im a 14 so dont even fit some of their stuff 😅

I don't like paid returns, but if it's £1.95 I would still use them. It would cost a fortune to return the big boxes by size and weight by royal mail

But surely for online shopping, what they pay for sorting out the returns, they save on the overheads of running a store?

I went to my local shopping centre recently and loads of shops had closed down (e.g. Gap, Debenhams, Mango, Oasis), and the ones that were still open had very limited stock (M&S, White Stuff, Next).
I ventured into Zara but walked straight out again when I saw the sizes of the queues for the changing room and tills….

I now do most of my shopping online now and actually it’s meant that I have tried some brands that I haven’t bought from before so it’s been good in a way.

But I do return about 80% - even though I read the descriptions and reviews carefully it’s still very hard to judge how it will fit me (especially when the online models are often tall and thin).
However some stores have much better websites than others (my favourites are the ones that have videos, close-ups of patterns, and different sized models).

But if I have to pay for returns it will put me off.

To the poster who said ‘well you would pay £2.99 for parking’ - yes but if I was going to a shopping centre, I wouldn’t just be going to one shop! I might go to 6 different shops. If I shop online instead, and they all charge for returns, I might end up having to pay 6 lots of £2.99….

Good point

It's nice to browse and feel fabrics

Sometimes you spot something that may look nothing online

I don't really order online from them so am not overly fussed. The culture of regular online clothing orders weekly/monthly isn't exactly necessary or sustainable, nor is trying on everything you see that you like the look of. I no longer look for new clothes or buy them routinely unless I specifically need an item or want to replace one that's worn out etc. I have plenty of clothing at home to work through and rotate.

Given that most people would presumably prefer retail stores stayed open and had a high street presence it stands to reason that a business needs to cost save in this challenging economy. Processing and delivering a parcel isn't 'free' for a business whichever direction it's going in so no, I don't feel entitled to a freebie in that respect even if it is subjectively true that paying a few pounds is never actively welcome.

If you're the kind of person who shops constantly/every month and is buying multiple items to try on it doesn't seem particularly unreasonable to contribute to the cost of that, when you can presumably afford it or wouldn't be actively shopping frequently in the first place. I expect other retailers will follow suit and I don't blame them.

Can't believe people are so up in arms. The clothes cost the same in the shop. Go to the shop if you can't afford to return it. Businesses are fucked right now and need all the help they can get .

Some people don't live near a Zara. I live 25 miles from the nearest one. They are closing branches so this one might not even be there. I have never lived in the same place as any major retailer. ( ooh apart from a tiny WH Smith's). Living rurally or being unable to use public transport ( we don't have buses and the nearest train station is a 2 and a half hour walk ( don't have a car)) means it's really only online that yiu can shop!