The c
onsumer group says online shops routinely failed to reimburse delivery costs of unwanted purchases or cost of items.
Popular UK retailers ‘breaking law’ by not refunding for returned goods
UK retailers are “breaking the law” by not refunding customers for returned goods, Which? has warned. The c onsumer group says online shops routinely failed to reimburse delivery costs of unwanted purchases or cost of items.
Which? sent 12 mystery shoppers across the country to buy more than 200 items from 17 big online retailers in June and July. The shoppers then returned their purchases by post and tracked the entire process, from the cost of returning an item to whether they received the correct refund.
John Lewis came out on top, with Matalan bottom. Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which? , said: “Returning an online purchase shouldn’t be a battle to get your money back. Yet leading retailers are breaking the law by failing to give shoppers the refunds they are entitled to.”
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She said retailers “need to take responsibility for getting their returns processes right”, adding that shoppers “shouldn’t be left to foot the bill for retailers’ mistakes”.
River Island and Sports Direct, both of which have branches in Birmingham, failed to refund the original delivery fee in any of the cases tested by Which?. too.
A Sports Direct spokesperson said in a statement this week: “Unfortunately, we are not able to provide any meaningful comment on the ‘mystery shopper’ claims.
“Despite requesting the basic details of the orders from Which? to be able to understand what has or has not happened with the specific transactions, they have refused to supply the necessary information. We of course seek to address genuine customer concerns.”
Pets at Home said in a statement: “We regularly review our policies and the information available on our website to ensure customers have access to clear and accessible guidance on our terms and conditions.
“As always, if customers have any questions or concerns, we would encourage them to contact us directly.”
