New Look Sale - No Returns Allowed

famy

I have recently purchased many sale items on the new look website (£100 worth). When I tried to return it in store, the sales assistant told me that I could only exchange my items. However, I checked online at the bottom of the website 'delivery and returns' section, but there was no mention of the exchange only policy for sales items. It clearly reads

''Returns to store (UK & Ireland only)
You can return products delivered to a UK address to any standalone New Look store (excluding our concessions in department stores and factory outlets) in the UK or Ireland for an exchange or refund within 28 days of purchase. Please ensure you bring the despatch note with you as proof of purchase.
We will refund the full price you paid for the products, in sterling, using the same method you used to pay for them. Refunds for products bought online using PayPal will be made by issuing New Look credit vouchers.''

The same is also written on my dispatch note. Yes i do agree that most stores do have a different policy when it comes to returning sale items, but it is often written in the back of their receipt and on the returns section of the website. However this store does not.
This is very unfair to customers especially those who are spending loads, like me without any knowledge of their returns policy regarding sale items. They should update their website when they change any of their policies.

Surely this cannot apply for online customers because they cannot try the item on before purchasing it.

zppp

flea72 wrote: »

well this got even more interesting today

went back to the store today, and found something i would like to exchange my sale items for

however, i had two items i wanted to return, but only one item that i wanted to replace them with. SA said you have to exchange on each item, not on the value of your items. so even though the two items i wanted to return totalled £8 and the item i wanted to exchange them for was £12, this wasnt allowed

now im quite a mild mannered person, but at this i saw red, and must admit flipped a bit. demanded to the see the manager, and thankfully, they agreed 'just this once' to let me do the exchange

i asked to see their refunds T&C - seems there are A4 sized notices, on the wall behind the tills and it does infact state that sale items can only be exchanged. i asked the manager to come and stand public side, and read the notice on the wall out to me, to which she agreed. seems even her youthful eyes couldnt at such a distance, so she then moved all the notices so they were propped up on the tills - whether they stay there or not is another matter

so just another thing to watch out for at NL

F

They have no obligation to refund or exchange unless there is a fault with the return. End of. That is the law, and you need to accept this.

zppp

famy wrote: »

I have recently purchased many sale items on the new look website (£100 worth). When I tried to return it in store, the sales assistant told me that I could only exchange my items. However, I checked online at the bottom of the website 'delivery and returns' section, but there was no mention of the exchange only policy for sales items. It clearly reads

''Returns to store (UK & Ireland only)
You can return products delivered to a UK address to any standalone New Look store (excluding our concessions in department stores and factory outlets) in the UK or Ireland for an exchange or refund within 28 days of purchase. Please ensure you bring the despatch note with you as proof of purchase.
We will refund the full price you paid for the products, in sterling, using the same method you used to pay for them. Refunds for products bought online using PayPal will be made by issuing New Look credit vouchers.''

The same is also written on my dispatch note. Yes i do agree that most stores do have a different policy when it comes to returning sale items, but it is often written in the back of their receipt and on the returns section of the website. However this store does not.
This is very unfair to customers especially those who are spending loads, like me without any knowledge of their returns policy regarding sale items. They should update their website when they change any of their policies.

Surely this cannot apply for online customers because they cannot try the item on before purchasing it.

Online sales are different as they are subject to the Distance Selling Regulations, which gives the right to a refund or exchange, hence the different policy.

famy

zppp wrote: »

Online sales are different as they are subject to the Distance Selling Regulations, which gives the right to a refund or exchange, hence the different policy.

So does that mean that I ma entitled for a full refund in store because I purchased my items online?

jenpoptrash

I bought something in the New Look sale and they did tell me their new policy - though the notices at the still had a different refund policy on them.
One of my items had a faulty zip, took it back the next morning and they tried to tell me exchange only. When I said the item is faulty and since they had no more in store that weren't faulty I was entitled to a refund. Manager came over and said no. Bit more was said then aggreed to refund but to the original card only which was husbands not mine they would only give a credit note.
Lost the will to argue so took the credit voucher - were they in the right to do that?

andyrules

Here is the relevant information from Consumer Direct.

Claiming a refund
If goods are faulty and you wish to claim a full refund you should contact the trader within a reasonable period of time, this time period is not set out by the law as it will vary depending on what has been purchased and the circumstances of the sale. For instance you may buy a pair of shoes and wear them the next day, and realise they are faulty and return them within a week for a refund. Equally it might be reasonable to buy a pair of skis in a summer sale and not use them until winter and return them for a refund the following season when the fault is discovered. The best practice is to take action and report the problem and ask for a refund as soon as you discover the fault.

When can I get a refund? When will I be entitled to only a repair or replacement?
If you are returning goods that are not of satisfactory quality or not as described and you inform the trader of the problem within a reasonable period of time, you may be entitled to full refund. If you have had some use from the goods or have had them for a while before you take them back you could ask for a repair or a replacement item. You, as the consumer, have the option of which solution you would like, however you must not require the trader to repair or replace the goods if this would be too costly, as compared to another remedy.

If a repair or replacement is not possible for the trader to provide, then you may be entitled to a reduction in the price of the goods to reflect the use up to that point or a refund. These remedies exist alongside the remedies available to you under the general law to terminate the contract for breach of condition and obtain a full refund.

Any remedy that is carried out by the trader must be carried to be within a reasonable time for the consumer and without causing significant inconvenience.

Looks like you should have had a refund, repairs to NW clothing can't be cost effective, additionally you had no wear from the item.

The only high street store with whom I have ever had a faulty goods dispute is Comet (about 30 years ago!!). To this day, I will try every other retailer before I make a purchase from them, so stores should really understand how damaging such pettiness is.

Although NW's new policy hasn't affected me, I will definitely be very wary about buying from them now - I only buy for others so need the return facility. Seems they don't understand their own policy anyway.

andyrules

zppp wrote: »

They have no obligation to refund or exchange unless there is a fault with the return. End of. That is the law, and you need to accept this.

The thread isn't about whether the store is obliged to refund, it is about the sudden change in their own policy, and how transparent the change is.
End of.

Jennie-1987

Finally returned my lot and can thus say:

1.Christmas refund policy is until 31st January from sometime in early November.
2.There were no signs about sale item refund policy though there were lots of sale signs.
3.My item, bought online at end of November from the sale was refunded without batting an eyelid.
4.I did have a discount code to all items however and some items were just different prices than the tags but not in the sale so this might mean the above was overlooked.
5.Someone next to me bought a sale item and i didnt hear anything mentioned about a different* return policy. *different in that it wouldnt be the usual 28 days or refundable.

themull1

jenpoptrash wrote: »

I bought something in the New Look sale and they did tell me their new policy - though the notices at the still had a different refund policy on them.
One of my items had a faulty zip, took it back the next morning and they tried to tell me exchange only. When I said the item is faulty and since they had no more in store that weren't faulty I was entitled to a refund. Manager came over and said no. Bit more was said then aggreed to refund but to the original card only which was husbands not mine they would only give a credit note.
Lost the will to argue so took the credit voucher - were they in the right to do that?

yes, they normally refund the card used to pay initially. If you hadnt wanted the credit note, you could have gone back with your husband for the refund back on his card.

darkpool

I don't understand why people expect a refund when the clothes aren't faulty. It's not rocket science when you are clothes shopping - if you like the cloths and they fit buy them. If you don't like them or they don't fit don't buy them.