World Duty Free (WDC) - Faulty Ted Baker Bag, won't accept return

Clarky_

Hi there,

Long story short...

I bought a £250 Ted Baker handbag from a WDC store at Leeds Bradford airport.

The bag was lovely. But the colour of the leather completely faded after my girlfriend had used it for a couple of weeks.

I return the bag to WDC and they refused to accept it. On the grounds that it wasn't in mint condition and couldn't re-sold.

I explained that I was retuning the bag due to the fault and heard nothing back.

I have subsequently emailed again and written a letter. They stick with the same line and then don't reply to further communications.

Has anyone else experience this with World Duty Free?

I've made plane to them they are breaking the law by not accepting the return within 12 months of purchase and they don't seem to care.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Matt

wealdroam

Clarky_ wrote: »

Hi there,

Long story short...

I bought a £250 Ted Baker handbag from a WDC store at Leeds Bradford airport.

The bag was lovely. But the colour of the leather completely faded after my girlfriend had used it for a couple of weeks.

I return the bag to WDC and they refused to accept it. On the grounds that it wasn't in mint condition and couldn't re-sold.

I explained that I was retuning the bag due to the fault and heard nothing back.

I have subsequently emailed again and written a letter. They stick with the same line and then don't reply to further communications.

Has anyone else experience this with World Duty Free?

I've made plane to them they are breaking the law by not accepting the return within 12 months of purchase and they don't seem to care.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Matt

When did you make the purchase?
When did you report the problem to the seller?

Clarky_ wrote: »

I've made plane to them they are breaking the law...

I see what you've done there... airport... plane... plain.

agrinnall

And in addition to wealdroam's questions, how did you pay (hopefully not cash)?

bod1467

Was this bought airside? (After security and passport control). Was it bought in relation to a non-EU flight/destination?

(I don't know whether this would complicate matters. My thinking is that either/both of the above could mean UK legislation may not apply).

Pollycat

Clarky_ wrote: »

Hi there,

Long story short...

I bought a £250 Ted Baker handbag from a WDC store at Leeds Bradford airport.

The bag was lovely. But the colour of the leather completely faded after my girlfriend had used it for a couple of weeks.

I return the bag to WDC and they refused to accept it. On the grounds that it wasn't in mint condition and couldn't re-sold.

I explained that I was retuning the bag due to the fault and heard nothing back.

I have subsequently emailed again and written a letter. They stick with the same line and then don't reply to further communications.

Has anyone else experience this with World Duty Free?

I've made plane to them they are breaking the law by not accepting the return within 12 months of purchase and they don't seem to care.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Matt

Was it used in the sun?
Could that have been why it faded?

It sounds a bit strange that a leather bag would fade over a 2 week period (was that the length of your holiday?).

Did they return the bag to you?

Were you absolutely clear that you were returning the bag because it was faulty in the letter you sent with the returned bag?

Link to WDF returns/refund policy:
http://www.worlddutyfree.com/customer-services/returns-policy.html

If your item has developed a fault, we are able to offer a full refund, a replacement (stock dependant) or an exchange for another item (stock dependant) within one year of the date of purchase. As long as you can provide us with a copy of your proof of purchase, we can help you.

So - did you provide proof of purchase?

Have they given a reason for refusal of refund?
e.g. have they said to you that they do not accept that the bag had 'just' faded or something similar?

Clarky_

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies! :T

The item was bought in May 2014 and the issue was reported in July.

It was bought from a departure side store –!but I believe that would still fall within the same UK laws as others outside the airport.

I was very clear why I was returning the bag, and it was returned with explanation that because it's 'not in mint condition they can't accept it'. I respond directly to that explaining that they are confused about my reason for returning and actually I'm returning because it's faulty – to which I don't receive a reply. This has happend three times!

They haven't mentioned the fading, why it might have occurred or any explanation. Just that I cannot return the bag because it's not in mint condition. Which is not true if it's faulty and under a year old.

The bag faded in the sun yes, and I don't consider this acceptable for a £250 bag. I've never experienced the same thing with other quality leather products. The colour is a peach one and this is obviously an issue with the dying process.

Thanks again for the advice, any tips on what I can actually do to rectify this appreciated!?

Others must have had a similar experience with World Duty Free?

Since I have three times been told I can't return the item because it's not in mint condition and three times further replies (explaining that the bag is faulty and this is the reason for return) and chasers have been ignored – It seems clear it is internal policy to treat customers this way when they attempt to return something expense.

Clarky_

I should add that I paid using a debit card – not sure if that helps?

hollydays

I may be wrong here, but if it's been exposed to very strong sunlight , I don't think that's the fault of the retailer. I don't think it was meant to be regularly used in those conditions.

Pollycat

There's a couple of consumer guide links at the top of this board.

It may help if you read through them.

I found this in one of them:

Consumers get extra benefit from The Sale And Supply of Goods To Consumers Regulations.
When goods are faulty, if you return them within six months, then it's up to the shop to prove they weren't faulty when you bought them. After this, the burden of proof shifts and it's up to you to prove they were faulty when you bought them.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/#goods

BUT - as I mentioned in my post #5 - you may have an issue because the bag was used in sun.

But, according to the above, it's up to WDF to prove the bag wasn't faulty when you bought it.

I think it's maybe time to write to them quoting specific consumer rights.

And - do you have proof of purchase? I asked this earlier.

peachyprice

Clarky_ wrote: »

The bag faded in the sun yes, and I don't consider this acceptable for a £250 bag. I've never experienced the same thing with other quality leather products. The colour is a peach one and this is obviously an issue with the dying process.

Could you expand on this please. You made it sound like it just faded in normal use, but now you're saying it faded in the sun, two very different things.

Was it left lying in the sun on the beach, on the back shelf of a car etc., or was it just used on sunny days?

Some dyes are naturally more susceptible to fading and shouldn't be left in direct sunlight, regardless of the price. If this is what has happened to the bag it's not faulty, it's been misused, which would explain why they are ignoring you.

Clarky_

Hi all,

peachyprice - The bag when faded due to being exposed to sun light. That is my issue. My GF has probably another 3-4 quality leather handbags stored in the same place in her room. One Ralph Lauren one is 7 years old and hasn't faded at all, none of them have. This one was in the same place as the rest and faded after a few days. I would expect an item to fade over time (several years) but my issue is how quickly this happend. This has clear been an issue with this bag.

Pollycat - I read all the guides before coming here. Unforatuenly it seems that this company do not take much regard for these regulations.

Since I bought the bag Ted Baker have stopped selling any bag with this peach colour on their website.

Very sad that World Duty Free is refusing to help us. I feel that at least I can spread the word about how this company operates to prevent others from purchasing high value items at airports.

I'm really not sure what else to do...

It seems like others who bought the bag have been affected by the fault in the same way.

ebay.co.uk/itm/Ted-Baker-Peach-Hickory-Stab-Stitch-Bag-FAB-RRP-229-/351218897231?pt=UK_Women_s_Handbags&hash=item51c647114f