wallis returns policy

[janetsflower]

I bought a dress at the beginning of last week from Wallis in Debenhams and paid �35.00 for it. Put it on last night my husband says it makes me look fat and old so i decided to take it back, so its not been worn and its still got the labels on however i can't find the receipt so they are telling me that i can only exchange it for something else in the store - i am ok with that except since i bought it it has gone in the sale and been reduced to �20 so i can nly exchange for that value and not what i paid. Obviously I am not happy about that and am writing to their head office to complain but apart from this being ethically wrong does anyone know where i stand legally, any ideas what stuff i can quote n my complaint. Thank you

[birdwoman]

Can you get a copy of your bank/credit card statement to prove what you paid? If you paid in cash then you might have a problem proving it. Sorry can't help with the legal stuff though. Good luck.

[janetsflower]

i did pay with my card and could get a bank statement but i bought other stuff at the same time so the transaction will be for more and secondly i don't see why i should show them my bank statement - its personal and none of their business how much i have in my account. Thanks for the response tho

[jules77]

if you cant provide the receipt they are not legally bound to exchange it for the higher price - at the end of the day, you could have paid �20 for it, and cant prove otherwise. Put yourself in their position if you had a shop and someone was asking for an exchange without a receipt. You are wasting your time writing to the head office.

[bednobs]

i don't think it's ethically wrong at all!
i don't think you have any basis for complaint really, except about your bu@@er of a husband - shop him in to the mother in law if i were you

really, i cant see you will get any joy - they have a policy and everyone knows if you want to get a refund you need a reciept. In fact, i dont even think with a receipt they are legally bound to give you a refund if youve just changed your mind about something

[GeordiePengy]

This works both ways as well. I bought some (DIY) items in the sale. Didn't use all of it and took the unopened items back. I didn't have my receipt (doh!) and the first branch I took it to refused to give me anything. I immediately went to another branch who happily gave me a credit note. Only when I looked at the credit note did I realise that they'd given me the full value of the item rather than the sale price.

[Buenchico]

Once you've bought something, your contract with the vendor is terminated and (unless the item you've purchased is faulty), they have no further obligation towards you.

Unless goods are faulty, no trader is ever obliged to provide a refund, exchange or credit note. (The only exception would be where you were specifically told that you could return or exchange the item if you weren't happy with it. That statement would then form part of the contract of purchase).

Any trader who gives a refund, exchange or credit note (for non-faulty goods) is doing so purely as a goodwill gesture and not out of any legal obligation.

So, the Wallis staff would have been perfectly entitled to shrug their shoulders and say 'Tough', as they showed you the door.

They've sold the dress and got �35 in their till. They can now only sell the dress for �20, so if they 'gave' you �35 (as the value of the item you can have in exchange), they'd be �15 worse off than before you walked back into the store.

Chris

[filthiestfis]

Excellent answer from Chris as usual.

[lady_p_gold]

That is perfectly normal practice, if you take something back and it has gone down in price they only offer you the price it is now. As previously stated they are not legally bound to give you anything so I think they are being perfectly fair. However if I were in your shoes I would take your husband back and trade him in for something more polite .. 'fat and old' indeed.

[joannie10]

I was just thinking the same thing filthiestfis - Chris's answers are always excellent and so informative. Well done.

[gina32]

as far as they know you could have bought the dress at the sale price but return it for the full price then go back instore and rebuy it, gaining you �15

[fluff-mcguff]

most people dont nkoe this but it is your legal right to get a refund. shops say that cos most dont know any different