Returns Rant - relevant to clothes sales only!

[deniser]

Had they perhaps quoted the measurements in different, smaller centimetres than the ones on your measuring tape?

 

[allsquare]

I blame Marks & Sparks

 

[Jay08]

Had they perhaps quoted the measurements in different, smaller centimetres than the ones on your measuring tape?

Was nothing wrong with the length measurement. We had more space then we thought for a L space desk so got a bigger size, they took it back without any problems.

 

[First in Retail]

Was nothing wrong with the length measurement. We had more space then we thought for a L space desk so got a bigger size, they took it back without any problems.

I think the post was an attempt at humour, please don't blame the forum, sometimes the loonies manage to get there logons correct and join in. You could help me bludgeon him to death if you like ? I don't mind sharing the task............

We just have to wait for a dark cold night .......mmmooohhhaaawwww

 

[deniser]

Was nothing wrong with the length measurement. We had more space then we thought for a L space desk so got a bigger size, they took it back without any problems.

You're exactly the sort of customer I'm complaining about. Those who don't measure first.

 

[Jay08]

You're exactly the sort of customer I'm complaining about. Those who don't measure first.

You dont have to worry about me, i never return cloths that are the wrong size i just wear them. If am unsure i get a size bigger. But something like a desk had to go back, I dont know what i was on the day i was measuring.

LOL First in Retail.

 

[deniser]

i never return cloths that are the wrong size i just wear them.

Thanks - that made me laugh!

 

[gibby]

What is annoying is when a customer orders something & returns it for a refund just because it dosent fit, rather than get the next size.

Does anyone have any tips on how to push nicely for exchanges rather than refund?

ta

G

 

[deniser]

What is annoying is when a customer orders something & returns it for a refund just because it dosent fit, rather than get the next size.

Does anyone have any tips on how to push nicely for exchanges rather than refund?

ta

G

I think when they say it doesn't fit and don't order the next size they really mean they don't like it.

 

[movietub]

Is it just me that cringes when out shopping with the girlfriend/wife and she presents the cashier with a load of returns without any explanation as to why they were coming back? I don't wish to be sexist but this is one of the all time things which most men don't do and most women I know seem to do frequently! Most women my generation that is, I'm sure my mum or her mum didn't use to do this quite so often.

My girl takes back probably 2/3 of what she buys and I hate it.

From a your point of view I would say very clearly that any item returned without a copy of the invoice or returns note/number will not be processed and instead put to one side and if your not contacted within two weeks it will be binned or re-sold.

If I returned a pair of jeans by walking past the front of the shop and throwing them in do you think they would track me down and issue a refund?

Also you should cash in where possible to help offset the admin costs. For example after 7 days why not offer credit note only? That way you get another sale (or they lose it and forget about it).

 

[wezza]

Interesting topic and whilst reading had a question.

If you do not accept returns after a period of time say 2 months. What do you do if the customer just sends it in the post after your cutoff date?

Do you just post it back and say that they are too late?


I've had some emails from people wanting to a refund or exchange clothes, which is fine, but with some I'm still after waiting 2 weeks or so for the item to be returned! I've followed them all up to see if they have changed their minds!

 

[Blush]

I can totaly sympathise with you, we have noticed a very similar trend.
We sepnt a considerable amount of time with one lady, in fatc she travelled to some distance to the shop to collect the dresses even, and still returned two of them.Surely she could have known when she collected themn which ones would fit?
We have a cut off and I stick to it ruthlessly.One customer somethign a 6 weeks after she received it, she hadn't contacte dus prio tot his.I contatce dher to say we couldn't accept it and all we could offer was an exchange or credit note and she has never been back in touch.
I think some customers think they can order like they do at next, order half a dozen and keep one!!.We don' tpay the ocst of posting returns either.
As for information some customers do ignore the information on the site, especially on sizing etc.
I had one dress returned minus the swing tags and it smelt nicely of lenor! Customre wasn't happy that we refused to refund, in the end I did a partial refund and used the dress as a display dress in the shop

 

Interesting topic and whilst reading had a question.

If you do not accept returns after a period of time say 2 months. What do you do if the customer just sends it in the post after your cutoff date?

Do you just post it back and say that they are too late?


I've had some emails from people wanting to a refund or exchange clothes, which is fine, but with some I'm still after waiting 2 weeks or so for the item to be returned! I've followed them all up to see if they have changed their minds!

If they haven't complied and then just send them back after the legal period of entitlement then they are unsolicited goods, so you dont have a responsibility to do anything, its up to them to collect the items at their own cost if they want them back. Hence the policy of issuing an RMA note and making it quite clear on there what the conditions and timescales are for return.

Its the only way to not end up being victimised by unscrupulous customers, and that way you lose the ones you didn't really want anyway.

Remember the old Pareto 80/20 rule of thumb, 20% of your customers cause 80% of the problems - its those 20% who take up an inordinant amount of time and yet account for the least level of spend generally, or certainly not spend which accounts for a good value in comparison to the time trying to reolves issues.

 

[gibby]

A friend of mine hit that situation, she sent some items back to a firm 8 weeks after telling the firm she was going to return them.

The firm refused to refund her so she asked for the goods to be returned to her they agreed on condition she paid the delivery cost upfront.

She really is a complainer and despite realy moaning about it all the firm didnt budge - rightly so.
She went to trading standards & her card company & was told both times it was clearly her problem.

I think we need to be this strict with customers on these matters as we wont be in business long if we dont.

We work very hard to give good service and keep prices keen, if customers get silly with returns it just puts up prices.
Some customers will moan about it but the good ones will come back & the mcnuggets can shop elsewhere


G

 

I think we need to be this strict with customers on these matters as we wont be in business long if we dont.

We work very hard to give good service and keep prices keen, if customers get silly with returns it just puts up prices.
Some customers will moan about it but the good ones will come back & the mcnuggets can shop elsewhere

Quite agree!

 

[groovyjon]

Another classic excuse when they return something outside the returns period is that it took 3 weeks to get to them in the post. If it is an unsigned delivery (smaller items just sent by first class) then there's no way of proving otherwise.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Another classic excuse when they return something outside the returns period is that it took 3 weeks to get to them in the post. If it is an unsigned delivery (smaller items just sent by first class) then there's no way of proving otherwise.

Which is why you pay the extra 70p and make it signed for!!
Then the "we never got it" arguments never occur.

 

[sysops]

Which is why you pay the extra 70p and make it signed for!!
Then the "we never got it" arguments never occur.

Yebbutt...

(this is one of my favourite subjects, can you tell?)

You send 100 parcels, 300g each

Scenario A. 1st Class Packet Post
You pay £1.84 x 100 = £184.00

Scenario B. 1st Class Recorded
You pay £2.54 x 100 = £254.00

How many of the 100 will even be later than 2 days, never mind go missing or have problems? Enough to warrant £70 extra? Depends very much on the value of your parcels.

 

[deniser]

Yebbutt...

Depends very much on the value of your parcels.

Well that's the key to it. If my parcels were worth less than £20 I wouldn't bother with recorded.

My parcels are worth between £20 and £300 each so I always use recorded. My dilemma is with the next stage - whether to use special delivery or not but on balance and doing a similar sort of calculation I don't.

My main issue is making sure no-one can rip me off by claiming they haven't received it.

 

[gibby]

if we do use the post office we alwasy use signed for as they go missing far less than the others.
The customers pay the postage anyway - in one form or another and it save all the hassle.

We do state that customers must send recorded items back signed for/recorded. If not & the items go missing they have to handle it with the post office.

G

 

[Steve2507]

We have the same problem as everyone else with clothes. We recently had one women who sent back a costume stinking of cigarette smoke and was dirty. It had obviously been worn to a party. It simply went straight back to her (after we had taken photos of it).

What really gets me (apologies if this turns anyones stomach) are the customers who return toys. Sometimes months after they were purchased, saying they have tried them and didn't like them. They even get sent back to us with various curly bits (if you know what I mean). The toys go straight back to them with a polite but firm letter stating we cannot accept toys back once opened and used. Before anyone questions this I have confirmed it with trading standards and the DSR is to give someone the same chance to look at a product as they would in a shop. You wouldn;t test one of our toys in a shop would you?

 

[movietub]

We have the same problem as everyone else with clothes. We recently had one women who sent back a costume stinking of cigarette smoke and was dirty. It had obviously been worn to a party. It simply went straight back to her (after we had taken photos of it).

What really gets me (apologies if this turns anyones stomach) are the customers who return toys. Sometimes months after they were purchased, saying they have tried them and didn't like them. They even get sent back to us with various curly bits (if you know what I mean). The toys go straight back to them with a polite but firm letter stating we cannot accept toys back once opened and used. Before anyone questions this I have confirmed it with trading standards and the DSR is to give someone the same chance to look at a product as they would in a shop. You wouldn;t test one of our toys in a shop would you?

You know there used to be (maybe still are) scams pulled by sellers of 'adult gadgets' which relied on sending someone the wrong/cheaper alternative of what they had ordered from a magazine. The idea being that most people kept such purchases low key and would not call to complain. Simply accepting the £10 piece of crap instead of the £40 monster they were expecting from the picture in the magazine...

Sounds like your being honest and experiencing the exact opposite - cheeky buggers happy to send anything back!

If I were you I would coat the next returned toy in itching powder before popping it back in the post to them

 

[gibby]

We have the same problem as everyone else with clothes. We recently had one women who sent back a costume stinking of cigarette smoke and was dirty. It had obviously been worn to a party. It simply went straight back to her (after we had taken photos of it).

What really gets me (apologies if this turns anyones stomach) are the customers who return toys. Sometimes months after they were purchased, saying they have tried them and didn't like them. They even get sent back to us with various curly bits (if you know what I mean). The toys go straight back to them with a polite but firm letter stating we cannot accept toys back once opened and used. Before anyone questions this I have confirmed it with trading standards and the DSR is to give someone the same chance to look at a product as they would in a shop. You wouldn;t test one of our toys in a shop would you?

I would send a letter demanding the courier costs before retuning the used items.
We legally should be allowed to charge for time wastage for this sort of thing.

G

 

[MH1]

All any retailler has to do is stick to their T+C's, nothing more and nothing less.

If you don't feel they are worth sticking too why would your clients? I don't have return problems myself, probably had three items out of the last 2500 returned, if they are out of the return date it becomes my decision only if I agree to an exchange.

I offerred a woman an exchange recently, she argued, so I promptly informed her the offer was no longer on the table. I treat all clients fairly and legally, but I refuse to be taken for a ride.