Exchanging goods/Refunds

carolyn_beardmore

Hi Experts
Yesterday I returned a T-shirt to Topman, had a valid receipt, and exchanged it for another more expensive one for which I paid extra cash.
No problem with the exchange but when the transaction was complete the assistant asked me to provide my name, address and telephone number. When I queried this I was told that I have to give it. I understand that if they were handing out cash they may need an audit trail, but I was paying them. This has happened to me in Next and River Island and they get quite 'confrontational' when I challenge them about it. Any one had the same problem, any ideas to avoid giving them my details unneccessarily?

somethingcorporate

Give them false details!

If you paid by cash not like that they have anything to compare it to.

carolyn_beardmore

Thanks for the response.

I gave them false details yesterday (quite difficult trying to think of something) but next put it straight on their computerised till and query if it's wrong. I think it's a bit cheeky for them to ask - makes me think what are they doing with the information?

Forwandert

The more people complain about this it won't be long before the stores add this into their terms and conditions for exchanges which of course they are not required to do anyway only if they offer exchanges or change of mind policies as standard practice.

Your exchange would have gone via refund then as payment towards the new item which is why the store would require your details, refund fraud is on the increase most retailers are monitoring refunds very closely, our store detective the other day spotted someone pick a receipt up off the floor outside the store, come into the store fill her bag with items off the receipt then go to customer services and say she had changed her mind on her purchases and take the items back out of her bag..

somethingcorporate

When I worked in retail about a decade ago we kept it for serial-refunders. People would use and abuse the refund policy never actually buying anything for longer than a week (it was in photography so they could get a lot of benefit from having an expensive bit of kit for a week or two before refunding). Nowadays it is probably for marketing or fraud.

Give your postcode but a different number on the street, change 1 digit of your phone number - these are the first things that spring to mind I have done in the past to get around this.

Esqui

I just give them my old address and phone number, if it's something really uncomfortable. But mostly, I'll give my real details because, well...I'm not really that inconvenienced by it

Meepster

The only reason they ask for your details is to try and stop fraud.

They don't use it for marketing or anything else sinister.

I really don't see what the problem is with giving my details out when I'm returning something. I'd rather give my details than see prices bumped up so that retailers can offset some of the losses due to fraud...

Equaliser123

Meepster wrote: »

I really don't see what the problem is with giving my details out when I'm returning something. I'd rather give my details than see prices bumped up so that retailers can offset some of the losses due to fraud...

Same here. Not sure I understand the paranoia about giving details when it is the customer who has simply changed their mind.

Esqui

For someone who works in a shop, there are much easier ways to dishonestly gain money than using your name and address to try and apply for credit cards or whatever.

DCFC79

For the amount of times ive given my name and address i have as of yet had no spam mail so there is nothing actually untoward going on.

wealdroam

carolyn_beardmore wrote: »

...they get quite 'confrontational' when I challenge them about it.

So they get confrontational after you have been confrontational... is that right?

If you want them to help you, by exchanging the product*, then perhaps it might be easiest to give them your name and address.
Just a thought.



*you may have a right to an exchange, but I have always found being nice helps the process along.