Charging for returns?

[thebellagio]

I've just seen that H&M are the latest company to charge for online returns

Am I the only one who's really pissed off by this?

The logical part of me does understand why they are doing it. But the emotional side of me is pissed off. I live in a small town - literally all the shops on the high street have closed (there's no saving it, it's dead). The ONLY clothes shops we have now are Primark and M&S - i'm in the middle, where I don't want to buy my clothes from Primark, I'm too old for that. But equally I just can't buy my clothes from the same place as my 70yo mum. I really cant do it!

I used to love places like DP - but they are also charging for returns. But our dotty P shut down, so there's no going into town to try things on, see if I like them. The nearest shopping centre is over an hour away, so i'm literally reliant on online shopping. But I'm a funny size - I'm in between sizes, and I'm quite short so without trying things on I literally don't know how different makes/brands will fit

But charging for returns just makes me not want to buy anything at all. So I end up relying on friggin ASDA for clothes

By all means charge for returns but sort your sizing out first so it's at least consistent.

I can't get worked up about it. I rationalise it by thinking that bus fare/petrol to go to the shops to return is probably about the same as the cost per return. Presumably they have admin costs to cover. Online shopping and returns are an environmental disaster too so a small cost might discourage people from ordering these 'hauls' and then returning everything.

I won't buy from anywhere that charges for delivery and returns.

If you're an H&M member you get free delivery over £30 and free returns, it doesn't cost anything to sign up afaik

H&M returns are still free for members

I'm ok with it as long as the retailer lists garment measurements for all individual items like Uniqlo. Otherwise they've lost my business.

a small cost might discourage people from ordering these 'hauls' and then returning everything.

Surely people who get 'hauls' are only a small proportion of online shoppers? The silly influencer crowd?

Returning everything isn't a sign of haul-dom. Sometimes you order a few things and none of them work for you. The fabric doesn't feel nice, it's too short, it's too long, it's too tight somewhere, it's too loose somewhere. You can easily like three things, order them each in two sizes because of how the sizing works, and not have any of these six items fit you.

The problem is when you go in person half of these shops say they don’t stock the product and to order it online. They really don’t help themselves…

I posted about Blacks doing this a few days ago. It pisses me off too. I’m almost thinking about taking the day off work twice a year to go shopping on Oxford street so that I don’t have the hassle of returning things online (after spending this morning asking M&S why they’d only deigned to refund me for some of the items I’d returned) but also higher chance of things being available in the right size there. Day off required though because I’d really rather not tackle Oxford street on a Saturday…

Agree with PPs that it would be better if they at least provided measurements. The stuff I returned to Blacks was stuff for DH which was S/M/L sizing which they seem to pick at random.

As long as it means they are processing returns properly and not just binning them then I think its the right thing tbh. Such a massive waste otherwise.

I am so angry about this. As a tall woman there are no options on the high street, all the tall ranges are online so it’s a double
whammy of never being able to shop for what you want and then having to pay for the privilege to return items as the sizing is so random. I used to buy loads from DP for me and more recently my tall daughters but I refuse to use them now - same with Longtall sally.

I agree with the principle BUT the sizing is so inconsistent’ That must be addressed

I mean that's my fault for using the term 'hauls' which obviously linked to SM, but really I just mean anyone over-ordering for fun, or ordering loads to try on when they only intend to keep one thing, and then returning. I think you'd be surprised how many people do that. I do understand how returning things works and I do it often myself (when necessary), but I also appreciate that a small charge probably makes sense to allow them to process them. Otherwise they do often just bin them to my knowledge, and it's so wasteful.

I can understand how this has arisen though. Businesses are not charities and while returning something unsuitable is fine, some are abusing it. I overhead someone the other day saying she had ordered 9 bikinis and only intended to keep one. It is people that people doing things like this has sped up those chargoing for returns. It also means that the sellers need larger amounts of stock becaue of the amount of items that are to and fro in transit.

I feel like the lack of consistency in sizing is the biggest issue. There’s just no way of knowing if something will fit - especially stores like H&M which has always been erratic

I really can't get worked up about this. Some retailers charge for postage and returns, some for returns only , some for neither. It doesn't make the slightest difference whether or not I'll order something.

I can see how we've got to this situation although it's crap - even if you want to shop in store they don't make it easy, with shops shutting and loads more stock online. It would piss me off to be charged for returns and still have them mess up my refund, though. In fairness I've always found H&M to be fairly efficient at this but others Zara are atrocious.

Definitely sign up to be a H&M member, they have special offers sometimes too. I got 30% off any item of my choice recently.

I can see why it’s getting more common. I’m fortunate in being able to click and collect at almost any shop and return on the spot but you still have the travel fare to get there which is usually no less than the charges.

The ‘free delivery over £50 or whatever it is’ encourages more returns imo.

The returns are free in H&M if you are a member.

I feel torn because it's of course different to return something you intended to keep but doesn't fit than it is to order 10 things when you only ever intend to keep two of them. I'm in some clothes related FB groups and definitely lots of people are ordering the same thing in every colour just to try and say they can only afford one... Free returns are not free as the company is paying for them so otherwise they'd just add the cost to their prices.

I'm wondering if clothes not being the size they are sold as make them not as described in which case they are considered faulty and returns cannot be charged on fault goods. Perhaps someone with a legal background could clarify.

All stores charge for delivery and returns. Some levy a separate charge, some incorporate it into the price of the clothes, but they all charge.

The problem with incorporating delivery and returns costs into the price of the clothes is that the loyal customers, who buy responsibly and don’t return excessively, end up paying the delivery and returns costs for everyone, including people who buy nothing. That’s really unfair.

I was furious with Jack & Jones last month. We'd been into the shop, they didn't have the size DS needed in the colour he wanted, so I ordered on line. £5/6 postage then a returns fee as the items weren't the same colour as in store. I complained and they waived it.

This. Simples.

100 people buy from Store A but 50 of them return what they bought. Store A charges for delivery and returns, so all 100 people pay their share of the delivery costs. Only the people who return items pay returns costs.

100 people buy from Store B. 50 of them return what they bought. Store B adds the cost of delivery and returns onto the price of clothes, instead of a separate charge. This means that the 50 people who kept their goods pay the delivery charge for all 100 people, as well the returns costs for the people who made returns. So the only people who pay for returns are the people who didn't return anything.

Which is fairer?