Waitrose refusing to accept return of nappies due to EU regulations??!

gardentools

Hi,

I bought some Huggies nappies from Waitrose the other day and by mistake I ended up picking up the wrong size. I tried to take them back to swap for the next size up but they said that due to EU regulations they were forbidden from taking back any baby related products including nappies and so there was nothing they could do. They went to great lengths to insist that it wasn't their policy or their fault, but the EUs!

The nappies were completely unopened, and I had the receipt. Is this true or some sort of crazy lie?! I have googled but can't seem to find any such EU law, so any help and advice would be much appreciated. Maybe I should have just kicked up more of a fuss?

wealdroam

Do Waitrose have a returns policy allowing you to return things that are not faulty?

If they do, then that is in addition to your statutory rights and they can state whatever restrictions they like in that policy.

You have no statutory right to return goods that are not faulty.

You are relying in whatever contractual right is in their returns policy.
If it says "no baby products can be returned", then that is it.

They cannot however, blame the EU.

neilmcl

wealdroam wrote: »

They cannot however, blame the EU.

Not unless their T&Cs regarding baby items are based on some EU legislation we don't know anything about. Personally I would have asked exactly what EU legislation they were referring to.

NeoNerd

gardentools wrote: »

Hi,

I bought some Huggies nappies from Waitrose the other day and by mistake I ended up picking up the wrong size. I tried to take them back to swap for the next size up but they said that due to EU regulations they were forbidden from taking back any baby related products including nappies and so there was nothing they could do. They went to great lengths to insist that it wasn't their policy or their fault, but the EUs!

The nappies were completely unopened, and I had the receipt. Is this true or some sort of crazy lie?! I have googled but can't seem to find any such EU law, so any help and advice would be much appreciated. Maybe I should have just kicked up more of a fuss?

I work in returns, and I'm certainly not aware of any EU directive regarding baby products. But, as has been said above, there's no legal right to return non-faulty products.

DVardysShadow

It discredits Waitrose enormously in my eyes that they claim some bogus EU regulation rather than just being straight about it and refusing to accept a return.

nikki_angel

Asda accept returns on nappies.

hcb42

well it beats blaming Elf and Safety and is more current.

ZsaZsa

nikki_angel wrote: »

Asda accept returns on nappies.

as do my local tesco,without receipt, on several occasions when H has ignored the size on the packet :mad:

gardentools

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yeah I can understand them refusing to accept the return on the grounds of buyer error, which is no fault of theirs, but I think it is definitely poor that they would hide behind the EU and not just admit it is them being stingy. Think I'm going to go back again and kick up a fuss. In fact looking at their website they say:

"Should you not enjoy one of our products, tell us and we’ll replace and refund you. It is our policy to replace or refund you for Waitrose food and household lines if: a product is not at fault, but genuinely bought by mistake or you are unhappy with the product in anyway"

So I am now definitely going to go back and have words. I thought the whole point of Waitrose was that you pay 10 times what things normally cost because of their amazing customer service. But it's probably the worst customer service I have experienced in my life...!

vyle

Just goes to show that one person misunderstanding a rule/hearing the wrong information can make an entire company look bad lol.

DVardysShadow

vyle wrote: »

Just goes to show that one person misunderstanding a rule/hearing the wrong information can make an entire company look bad lol.

Absolutely. It is a failure of training and of performance monitoring that they have a person on the loose making up fictional excuses.