Urban Outfitters

Odster

I bought some slippers online from Urban Outfitters and returned them after they fell apart. I used the returns label they included in the package but also enclosed a letter for good measure. When I received my refund, the £4.99 P&P was not included.


Here's my email exchange with Urban Outfitters customer service - the pitty is that I was generally happy with the outcome but they never really apologised for getting it wrong to start with.

nb. I was being (semi) tongue in cheek with my language:) :)but I was suprised by their tone and absolute reluctance to admit their mistake.

From:JxxxxxXxxxxxx COLOR=#1f497d]Jxxxxxxxxxxxx[/COLOR
Sent: 04 November 2011 11:24
To: Urban Europe CS
Subject: Faulty Items Return
Dear Sir/Madam

I have been refunded £11.90 for a pair of slippers that I returned due to them not being fit for purpose (I accompanied the return with a letter explaining that they had fallen appart within a single use). However, the original cost to me was £16.89 + the return postage.

It is my understanding of Distance Selling regulations that the seller is responsible for all costs incurred by the buyer. This would include outbound and inbound postage in this instance.

Please can you clarify your postition? Original email and order details below.

Regards
JxxxxxXxxxxxx



ORDER SUMMARY
Product NamePrice EachQtyTotal PriceItem Status
Knitted Mouse Slippers (Grey, M/L)£14.001£14.00Tracking #:
Despatched 2011-10-10
Subtotal:£14.00
Discount:-£2.10
P&P:£4.99
Order Total:£16.89
(This order includes £2.81 VAT)



Dear Jxxxxx,
Your return from order 975278 was processed on 04/11/2011. A credit of £11.90 has been applied to your card. Please allow 3-5 working days for your refund to appear.
If your original order contained a promotional discount, we have taken this into account so the refund price of individual items may therefore vary from the original selling price.
For questions related to your order, please contact us at UrbanEuropeCS@ or ring us at (0) 845 330 1288 Mon-Fri, 9:00 - 18:00.
Thank you for shopping at urbanoutfitters


From: Urban Europe CS <UrbanEuropeCS@>
Date: Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Subject: rrt.crdt : Faulty Items Return
To: JxxxxxXxxxxxx COLOR=#1f497d]Jxxxxxxxxxxxx[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000ff]&#64;[/COLOR



Hello Jxxxxx,

I am sorry to say, the shipping cost in the amout of 4.99 was not issued back on this return. We do not issue a full refund on orders when you return them for a refund.

Kind regards,
Daryl xxxxxxx
Urban Outfitters Europe
UrbanOutfitters

If you require additional assistance or have any other questions, please visit our Help/Info section or contact us at UrbanEuropeCS@. For help placing an order ring us at +44 (0) 845 330 1288, 9am - 5pm.

Please include this email with your reply.



From:JxxxxxXxxxxxx COLOR=#1f497d]Jxxxxxxxxxxxx[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000ff]&#64;[/COLOR
Sent: 07 November 2011 11:45
To: Urban Europe CS
Subject: Re: rrt.crdt : Faulty Items Return
Hello Daryl

Thank you for your response. I would however, like to alert you to the fact that Distance Selling Regulations are a legal requirement as laid out by the Office of Fair Trading and I'm astounded that such an established company is non-compliant with them.

To reiterate my email and my letter correspondence: I believe that the item I purchased was faulty as the slippers fell apart during reasonable use, after being worn for a single day. Under the OFT rules, I should not only be entitled to the £4.99 handling fees paid to Urban outfitters but also my own £4.99 of handling.

I have pasted below some relevant information below but this is freely available at oft.gov and it beggars belief that you are not already aware of this.

I look forward to hearing of your proposed resolution.
JxxxxxXxxxxxx

Refunds
The retailer must refund the full amount including the delivery
costs as soon as possible after the consumer cancels, and in
any case within 30 days at the latest. You cannot insist on the
goods being received by you before you make a refund.
Returning goods
Only if it is covered in the contract and the written information
can you require the consumer to pay for the cost of returning
the ordered goods. If the consumer then fails to return the
goods, or sends them at your expense, you can charge them
the direct cost to you of the return, even if you have already
refunded the consumer’s money. You are not allowed to
make any further charges, such as a restocking charge or an
administration charge.
If you do not include these details in the required written
information then you cannot charge anything. You can never
require consumers to pay the cost of returning substitute
goods. If the goods are faulty or do not comply with the
contract, you will have to pay for their return whatever the
circumstances.




From: Urban Europe CS <UrbanEuropeCS@>
Date: Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 8:29 PM
Subject: rrt.crdt RE: Faulty Items Return
To: Jxxxxx Xxxxxxx <Jxxxxxxxxxxxx@>


Hello Jxxxxx,

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, we were not notified that this was a faulty item before the credit was issued and only the item credit was issued. I have refunded the original shipping fee to your account and await the scan of your proof of postage to refund your return shipping fee.

Please note that we ask on our website that you contact us so that we can send you a free post label in the unhappy event that a faulty item leaves our facility.

Kind regards,
Erin XXXX
Urban Outfitters Europe
UrbanOutfitters

If you require additional assistance or have any other questions, please visit our Help/Info section or contact us at UrbanEuropeCS@. For help placing an order ring us at +44 (0) 845 330 1288, 9am - 5pm.

Please include this email with your reply.



From:Jxxxxx Xxxxxxx <Jxxxxxxxxxxxx@>
Sent: 09 November 2011 10:59
To: Urban Europe CS
Subject: Re: rrt.crdt RE: Faulty Items Return
Hello Erin,

To suggest that you had not been properly informed is frankly disgraceful. It is completely inaccurate to say that you were not notified before the credit was issued, or indeed subsequently when I intitally raised the breach of consumer rights but was still being told 'We do not issue a full refund'. I fail to see what else I could have done to help you:
· I completed and enclosed the form on the back of the dispatch note to say it was faulty.
· I also enclosed a letter with the return, detailing the fault.
· The email exchange between me and Daryl had the subject of 'Faulty Items Return'!!
I do not own a scanner or a printer and since the actual cost of postage was £1.33 (not the £4.99 that I was charged), it's not something I'm going to fight for. I do however feel that this has been a dismal display of customer service and a flagrant disregard to trading law.

Regards
JxxxxxXxxxxxx




On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 9:18 PM, Urban Europe CS <UrbanEuropeCS@> wrote:

Hello Jxxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your reply. As Erin clearly laid out for you, our website requires that you contact us prior to sending anything back to us when an item arrives faulty. This means that you either contact us via phone or email before you return something to us. This does not include enclosing a letter in the parcel which the returns department is not expecting.

You further have stated that we owe you £4.99 in return postage:

"Under the OFT rules, I should not only be entitled to the £4.99 handling fees paid to Urban outfitters but also my own £4.99 of handling"

However you are now saying that it was not £4.99 but actually only £1.33.

I apologise that you feel as though our customer service has not met your satisfaction. However when provided with accurate information we have acted accordingly by refunding not only the item but the original postage price of £4.99. As an extended courtesy I have issued you a new credit of £1.33 that should post to your account within 3-5 working days. I do hope this information is helpful.

Kind regards,
Sean Xxxxxx
Urban Outfitters Europe
UrbanOutfitters


If you require additional assistance or have any other questions, please visit our Help/Info section or contact us at UrbanEuropeCS. For help placing an order ring us at +44 (0) 845 330 1288, 9am - 5pm.

Please include this email with your reply.

somethingcorporate

Seems that they were fairly accommodating! well done on getting a good result!