Faulty Designer Bag

*speed-queen*

Hi guys,

I bought a luxury designer handbag from a brand in a well known outlet village, whilst staying near by on holiday (100+ miles from home).

The bag cost me more money than I'd care to mention (even at its outlet price) but I was very pleased at first.

3 months later it has developed a fault in the leather, I emailed the company through their website with photos of the bag and receipt.

The company are very apologetic, and accept it is faulty and have offered me a full refund or exchange.

The only problem is they are insisting that to receive the refund or exchange that I must go 100 miles out of my way back to the outlet village.

They are a huge brand, with many stores, stockists and a well functioning online shop/presence and a head office in london. I really thought they'd be able to fix this for me via the internet/post.

Is there anything I can do/say?

ConsumerGuy0016

*speed-queen* wrote: »

Hi guys,

I bought a luxury designer handbag from a brand in a well known outlet village, whilst staying near by on holiday (100+ miles from home).

The bag cost me more money than I'd care to mention (even at its outlet price) but I was very pleased at first.

3 months later it has developed a fault in the leather, I emailed the company through their website with photos of the bag and receipt.

The company are very apologetic, and accept it is faulty and have offered me a full refund or exchange.

The only problem is they are insisting that to receive the refund or exchange that I must go 100 miles out of my way back to the outlet village.

They are a huge brand, with many stores, stockists and a well functioning online shop/presence and a head office in london. I really thought they'd be able to fix this for me via the internet/post.

Is there anything I can do/say?

First off, great result for you that the designer has accepted the fault and has offered you a full refund.

Seems very odd though that they are insisting you travel 100 miles to hand them the bag. Have they advised precisely why they want you to hand back the item in person and not send by post?

visidigi

*speed-queen* wrote: »

Hi guys,

I bought a luxury designer handbag from a brand in a well known outlet village, whilst staying near by on holiday (100+ miles from home).

The bag cost me more money than I'd care to mention (even at its outlet price) but I was very pleased at first.

3 months later it has developed a fault in the leather, I emailed the company through their website with photos of the bag and receipt.

The company are very apologetic, and accept it is faulty and have offered me a full refund or exchange.

The only problem is they are insisting that to receive the refund or exchange that I must go 100 miles out of my way back to the outlet village.

They are a huge brand, with many stores, stockists and a well functioning online shop/presence and a head office in london. I really thought they'd be able to fix this for me via the internet/post.

Is there anything I can do/say?

Could this because you bought an outlet specific product? That only the outlet can deal with? I assume they have said you can return it by post but at your own expense? Or have they said no post at all?

InsideInsurance

Mirror other peoples comments, its understandable that they possibly only want you to deal with the outlet due to the way these companies can be set up etc but seems very odd that it has to be done in person and cannot be done by post.

Have you spoken to the outlet store themselves about posting it back to them with the appropriate insurance cover?

pinkshoes

Can you not send it insured via a courier back to them? Why are they wanting you to go in person?

Could you ask them for travel expenses if they insist on you going in person?

*speed-queen*

Just a quick update for you all.

After many many emails, they have agreed that I can post the bag back to them ... Hurrah....

But they cannot refund me unless I go in person.

They are offering an exchange or a credit note.

2 problems:

They cannot directly exchange the bag like for like as it is now sold out.

If I accept a credit note it can only be spent in store (not online), the nearest of which is them... 100 miles away.


So I'm currently in the situation of a girl describing other bags to me via email, so I can decide what else I would like to exchange for.


They are trying to be helpful, but its getting a bit of a joke!

ConsumerGuy0016

*speed-queen* wrote: »

Just a quick update for you all.

After many many emails, they have agreed that I can post the bag back to them ... Hurrah....

But they cannot refund me unless I go in person.

Honestly, what is the point of posting an update on here if you didn't actually bother to answer any of the questions that the respondents in this thread wasted their time asking you?

Questions like:

i) Have they advised precisely why they want you to hand back the item in person and not send by post?

ii) Could this because you bought an outlet specific product? That only the outlet can deal with?

iii) I assume they have said you can return it by post but at your own expense? Or have they said no post at all?

iv) Can you not send it insured via a courier back to them? Why are they wanting you to go in person?

We can't advise you on your consumer rights if we aren't aware what the retailer in question is specifically offering.

InsideInsurance

If the item is faulty then the SOGA gives them three options:

Repair
Replace
Refund

A credit note does not count as a refund and whilst you are free to accept if you want to you can reject it and force them to give you one of your statutory resolutions.

*speed-queen*

ConsumerGuy0016 wrote: »

Honestly, what is the point of posting an update on here if you didn't actually bother to answer any of the questions that the respondents in this thread wasted their time asking you?

Questions like:

i) Have they advised precisely why they want you to hand back the item in person and not send by post?

ii) Could this because you bought an outlet specific product? That only the outlet can deal with?

iii) I assume they have said you can return it by post but at your own expense? Or have they said no post at all?

iv) Can you not send it insured via a courier back to them? Why are they wanting you to go in person?

We can't advise you on your consumer rights if we aren't aware what the retailer in question is specifically offering.

Sorry I assumed my update answered the above questions without entirely spelling it out.

They have now agreed that I can send it back, and they will pay for the postage. As covered in my update.

Q1) They didn't say why, they just said I had to. When asked why and pushed they agreed post is fine. I guess it's because it was what they are used to.

Q2) I think the fact it is an outlet item has complicated things. It was not an outlet specific item, however the price was only available at at the outlet (a year after the main stores)

Q3) They originally said no to posting at all. When pushed they agreed I could post, when questioned about who would cover postage they said they would on this occasion.

Q4) Yes, yes I can post it back to them. Via royal mail special delivery.

My main point of the update was the latter part about my options.

*speed-queen*

Oh also I assume the reason I cannot have a refund when sending it back to them is they will not have my original payment methog eg my debit card to put the money back on to. I'm not sure of the legalities of getting a refund payment back remotely?

Shelldean

Slightly different but m &s outlet quite clearly state that good purchased in those stores can only be returned to those stores, not main stores. But no idea why?. So I guess it's a similar things?