Returning An Item Which Is Now On Sale

[indie_chick5]

Hi, I'd like some advice please. I bought a jumper from Sainsburys for £14. After trying it on at home it wasn't for me so I returned it, 17 days after the date of purchase. I was told that because the jumper was now in the sale at half price I would only be refunded £7. I sucked it up at the time but I am not sure if it was right. I paid full price, so surely I should get full price back? I would have preferred £14 store credit. I appreciate it'a not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but am curious to know if this is correct. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[sunny-dave]

Their refund policy states :

"What if I change my mind?"

"We’ll be happy to exchange or refund it for you. As long as it’s within 30 days, it’s in the original condition and you’ve got your proof of purchase."


So as long as the item was 'as new' and you had the receipt, they should have refunded the full purchase price.

[EDDIE51]

Unless the item is faulty a shop does not have to refund you at all.
You were lucky to get anything after 17 days when you just decided it did not suit you.

[jackthehat]

If there was nothing wrong with it except you changing your mind, the shop is not obliged to refund you anything...

[sunny-dave]

http://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/faqs/refunds-returns/product-can-i-change-my-mind

[Buenchico]

For 'in-store' purchases (unlike online ones) your right to a refund or exchange only exists when the item is either faulty or 'not as described'. (e.g. if you bought a dress marked as Size 16 and it turned out to be Size 12).

For all other goods you have no rights whatsoever to either a refund or exchange. (The only exception might be where the store advertised that it would accept returns within a specified period, as such an advertisement could be deemed to be part of your contract of purchase).

So any exchange or refund offered by a store (for non-faulty items) is purely an act of goodwill. The store can (and in my opinion should) simply say 'Tough luck pal. You bought it. You're stuck with it. Go away!".

So Sainsbury's weren't obliged to offer you anything at all back. If they did so (purely as an act of goodwill) then they were left with an item that they could only put back on sale for £7. If they gave you £14 for it they'd be making a loss, so you could hardly expect them to do so!

[EDDIE51]

That is a 'policy'not law dave.
If they gave the full price back then people would just take stuff back get the full price refunded and then buy it again at the sale price. Ii would make the entire point of a 'sale' worthless

[sunny-dave]

But is IS their policy, eddie/chris/jack, (however daft it seems) and is on their website for all to see.

So they should honour it or reword it ...

[EDDIE51]

I know a woman who buys a dress for a special occasion,wedding for example,wears it once and then takes it back for a refund.Quite a common trick.

[sunny-dave]

Indeed it is - which is why many stores put huge, sewn-on, tags on that sort of clothing & won't accept returns if they've been removed.

[indie_chick5]

Thanks all, I appreciate the whole 'I shouldn't get anything for just changing my mind' but as sunny dave says, they are happy to refund under such circumstances, just not what I originally paid which I don't think is right. Yes, I could buy it at the sale price but even so they'd still make a profit, albeit smaller, so that argument doesn't stack up .

[EDDIE51]

sunny dave, there will be small print about sale price items.
Otherwise you could buy an item £100 then when it was reduced to £50 in a sale take it back, get a £100 refund then buy it again for £50.
I have seen 'designer' clothes at say £500 full price then down to £100 in a sale. Do you actually think they would give you £400 back just by saying you have decided it was 'not for me' and returning it at sale time?

[woofgang]

Did you have the receipt showing the price you had paid?

[sunny-dave]

I'm not saying it's right, or even makes much sense for the store - just that it does say it quite clearly.

If JS can produce some 'small print' then that's OK - otherwise I'd want the full whack (assuming I was complying with the "as new and with receipt" clause).

[sunny-dave]

I do know that M&S will refund the full amount charged on the day of sale if you have a receipt, but only the current price if you don't.

[EDDIE51]

A bit off topic but, back when people had cheque books but not cheque guarantee cards there was a trick to cash a cheque at M & S .
They would accept a cheque for an item as long as you had ID. Refunds were always in cash. So if you wanted to cash a cheque for £20 you bought an item for £20 by cheque, then went to the service desk and returned it.They gave you the £20 back as cash! Very useful a couple of days before pay day, as you knew it would take 3 days for the cheque to
get back to your bank.

[woofgang]

I can vouch for this working....very handy for hard up students.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes the best thing was to do it on a Friday.That way you knew the cheque could not even be put into their bank until Monday thus giving you a free loan until the Thursday a whole week later.

[woofgang]

indeed...and 20 quid went a long way then. I could travel from Northampton to London for £1.15 plus busfare at either end.

[Old_Geezer]

IMO regardless of the legal position, a stated store policy should be upheld. I suspect the person you dealt with didn't have a clue. But as you accepted the offer you'd be on sticky ground correcting it now.

Best thing you can do is buy a few dozen in the sale and return them after the sale pointing out it was store policy to refund the existing price not the price paid at the time, and now that there is no sale on, you have to be refunded the full present price.

[indie_chick5]

Thanks everyone. Yes, I had the receipt showing full price paid (£14) and the item was in mint condition with tags on.