Elias Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Need a little help guys, purchased some items from a clothes shop on Boxing Day, and low and behold they have now been substantially discounted only a day or two later... So my question is this, is there anything in English law which could save me? Or am I stuck having paid over the odds for now discounted goods. Any help much appreciated. J Link to post Share on other sites
ED-SKaR Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 you paid the price it was at the time, end of story. Link to post Share on other sites
-Drake- Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Take them back and get a refund then buy them again (thats assuming you have receipts and what not). We've had alot of people do this when they come back to our store and there isnt much we can do to stop them. Link to post Share on other sites
Elias Posted December 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Not a bad idea, just wondered whether they would only refund it at the new lower price? J Link to post Share on other sites
Skarclaw Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 AFAIK they have to refund you the price that you brought it at, least thats what I had to do when I was a till jockey. No idea about the law though. Normally a chat with the manager will sort things out. Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Jackass Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Sorry mate, but i think they refund at the price it is now. My girlfriend works in a store that has that policy and I think its pretty commonplace. Just be grateful that you got a fairly decent bargain Afterall i'm sure if we looked on ebay we could find 100s of things that we could have bought cheaper in hindsight. Link to post Share on other sites
MDK_Marshal Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 To echo my many years as a till monkey, I believe that legally you have to refund the price that was paid. Then there's nothing to stop you buying the same stuff again. Managers may be a bit iffy with it, but the guys on the tills (who have invariably had their souls destroyed by retail work) generally won't care - they get paid the same whatever you do. EDIT: LJ IS WRONG! WROOOONNGG!!! Well, maybe I just remember always refunding the price that was paid... but, then, my memory is a bit... addled at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites
Jagdraben Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Everywhere that I've worked, so long as you have a receipt, you get the money you paid for it. The most important reason for this being, in the opinion of most corporations, is so that you don't buy something during a sale and then return it afterward. Doing so would allow an individual to net a tidy profit in a small period of time, which would result in the company losing money. Most companies I know of are willing to honor their later discounted prices. And if they don't, there's no reason not to return the item and then buy the same item on sale! EDIT: Of course, if you don't have the receipt, the most you can hope for is store credit. Which benefits the store (they have already made their profit on the item, now they have the opportunity to profit from it again, at the cost of the potential profit of another item). Link to post Share on other sites
Elias Posted December 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Cheers guys. Although someone seemed to be a little cranky Luckily I do have the receipts, I sent an email to the company to see if they would do anything about my situation, if not, I might suggest that I return the items and buy new ones at a lower price, if im feeling cheeky I might suggest store credit to the difference in price in lieu of returning the products and buying them again. But we'll see what they do. J Link to post Share on other sites
MDK_Marshal Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 I'm not cranky, I'm drunk... Besides, I know LJ! Link to post Share on other sites
Xaccers Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 There is no legal requirement for a store in the UK to give you a refund at all. It all depends on their own policy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7800386.stm Link to post Share on other sites
Pablo Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Yup, unless they're faulty of course. Even then, they can refuse if they believe the goods have been tampered with (i.e. they weren't really faulty). I used to work for a company that had a no refunds policy, and if push came to shove we could send the items back to the manufacturer for inspection. That was a good one to explain to customers. My personal favourite though was trainers being brought back after a spell in the washing machine. "The tongue's broken off, the inside padding has swolen up and the rubber on the toe is hanging loose" "Yes madam - that's because they've been put in a washing machine, which you shouldn't do" "I haven't put them in the washing machine" "Madam, they're still damp, they're whiter than Michael Jackson, they smell like a summer meadow and have washing powder under the insole" "Um..." Link to post Share on other sites
Stealthbomber Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Just to add to the banter... Aside from being faulty, you're legally entitled to return good that are not "fit for purpose". That IS different from being faulty. Sort of. In the case of a pair of trainers, for example, they might be fine when you bought them but, if after jogging 10 miles (and getting them a bit dirty) the sole came loose, I'd waste no time in taking them back to the shop and demanding a refund. A refund and NOT a replacement. Always baffles me why people accept replacement goods. Hmmm, I just returned something that isn't satisfactory. is it likely another item that's identical will be any better? Also, don't forget the laws about "distance selling" too. You ARE legally entitled to return any item you don't like within (IIRC) ten days if you're buying it sight-unseen. "Sight-unseen" also includes catalogue companies such as Argos. Personally, wherever possible, I try to check stuff out in a shop and then buy it off the interweb to take advantage of the distance-selling laws. Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Jackass Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Hmmm, I just returned something that isn't satisfactory. is it likely another item that's identical will be any better? You do get lemons though. I had a rucksack where the strap fell of first time i picked up (reputable brand) - got it replaced and the new one is fine. However I did take a rear wheel of a bike back because it buckled far too easily and was given a better one, as it was due to a manufacturing fault in the whole line. What i said earlier though about getting a refund only at th enew price - I did this recently, but then i didnt have the receipt. Maybe with the receipt its a different ball game? Besides, I know LJ! We all have our cross to bear mate Link to post Share on other sites
Stealthbomber Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 The usual deal is that, unless you've got a receipt, you get store credit rather than a refund. Also, by law, once you accept a replacement you lose the right to a refund. That's also a good reason to ALWAYS ask for a refund rather than a replacement. If you get a replacement and that's faulty as well (think G&G L85 here) you might soon discover that the item is a turkey and you'll have lost the right to a refund. Course, store credits aren't that bad. You can always give em to people as presents etc. Link to post Share on other sites
Pablo Posted December 29, 2008 Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Aside from being faulty, you're legally entitled to return good that are not "fit for purpose". That IS different from being faulty. Sort of. True, we always treated that the same way as faulty goods. Ah, retail - how I miss you so... ...yeah right. Link to post Share on other sites
Elias Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Just thought I'd get back to this and tell you how it went. The store was Hollister, I visited the one in Westfield Mall, Shepherds Bush. I sent one email telling them I basically felt it was a little unfair that I had paid full price and then the prices were knocked down only a couple of days later. Luckily the customer service at Hollister seem to actually be helpful: " As long as the items went on sale 14 days or less from the time you bought them, we are happy to credit you the difference in price" Conclusion: Result! J Link to post Share on other sites
Stealthbomber Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Heh, Nice one. Good to see that somebody actually has the smarts to realise that there's more to business than a fast buck. A bit of fairness and decency will create a satisfied and loyal customer in the long term. Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew March Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 If only everyone had the common decency of this Company. Good result man. Just thought I'd get back to this and tell you how it went. The store was Hollister, I visited the one in Westfield Mall, Shepherds Bush. I sent one email telling them I basically felt it was a little unfair that I had paid full price and then the prices were knocked down only a couple of days later. Luckily the customer service at Hollister seem to actually be helpful: " As long as the items went on sale 14 days or less from the time you bought them, we are happy to credit you the difference in price" Conclusion: Result! J Link to post Share on other sites
amateurstuntman Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 A couple of years ago I bought a bass broom for sweeping the concrete in my garden. After two years of vigorous sweeping it snapped at the head. I went up to B&Q to buy a replacement and noticed that the brooms were still exactly the same so I bought one, kept the receipt and took the broken one back two days later for a full refund. Win. Link to post Share on other sites
FireKnife Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I have a good mate who works in a Robert Dyas (sells that JML *suitcase* to those that don't know). If they have an item returned then they have to refund the price that was paid for, even if it is now 75% cheaper etc. Lucky we aren't like New Zealand, who have big signs at every checkout saying 'we don't have to give you a refund if we don't want to etc, it is at management disgression' 'FireKnife' Link to post Share on other sites
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