No refund without your name and address

bylromarha

Returned a broken item to Milletts today. Asked for name/address for the refund - I'm used to this now, but still hate it. Just not worth having the same conversation with staff I used to have a few years ago.

Staff member processing my refund obviously picked up on my annoyance and told me that he couldn't give me a refund without my personal details. His head office have made it clear no address, no refund.

I had a broken product I was returning to store, the receipt in my hand and to be told I could not get a refund if I did not give my personal details really irked me. I thought the law said I should get a refund, personal details or not.

Where does the law stand on this? Do you have to give your personal details to get a refund if the company say so?

powerful_Rogue

If you want a refund and an easy life - Yes.

If you want a refund and the hassle or phone calls/emails/letters/potential SCC action - No.

Fosterdog

As it involves a transaction the company may have to keep a record for auditing purposes. I'm not sure if that is true but I've never had a refund without giving details and never worked anywhere where store systems allow a refund to be processed without the details.

You could possibly get around it by escalating to head office but to do that you would have to give your details so they have a way of a) contacting you and b) sending your refund so a bit of a pointless task.

Where I work we quite often get the same customers returning lots of items "damaged on arrival" or " faulty from day one" and when we start to recognise someone as having an unusual number of returns we look up their return history and decide whether or not we refuse their custom in the future. Some people create faults to get a change of mind return as a SoGA return, and believe me it is a lot more common than you would ever imagine.

bylromarha

Fosterdog wrote: »

As it involves a transaction the company may have to keep a record for auditing purposes. I'm not sure if that is true but I've never had a refund without giving details and never worked anywhere where store systems allow a refund to be processed without the details.

You could possibly get around it by escalating to head office but to do that you would have to give your details so they have a way of a) contacting you and b) sending your refund so a bit of a pointless task.

Where I work we quite often get the same customers returning lots of items "damaged on arrival" or " faulty from day one" and when we start to recognise someone as having an unusual number of returns we look up their return history and decide whether or not we refuse their custom in the future. Some people create faults to get a change of mind return as a SoGA return, and believe me it is a lot more common than you would ever imagine.

I can believe that people can be that way.

When "give me your address" came in a few years ago, the explanation I was given was it was in order that store staff weren't making up details to get fake refunds. Which is why I give the details now without question, but it still irks me to have to do it.

BTW, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda - none of them ask for personal details for refunds under £20.

mttylad

And you can give them a load of balony - make an address up etc.

hollydays

Head office rules can't override the law . I know As foster dog says people will damage to return but if you make a habit of this I imagine you'd give a false address . It's a tricky one though , you could ask consumer direct but I'm not sure they wouldn't just say" why not just give them your address".

unholyangel

I think in these cases its a matter of convenience to give them your name & address.

I mean, if they wanted to make things more formal (communication in writing) or if they refused to help/refund and you had to take them to court, you'd still have to provide your name and address for both of those.

We're expected to be reasonable in our behaviour. And also most of us have an inkling how the courts feel about making a claim on principle alone.

bylromarha

unholyangel wrote: »

I think in these cases its a matter of convenience to give them your name & address.

I mean, if they wanted to make things more formal (communication in writing) or if they refused to help/refund and you had to take them to court, you'd still have to provide your name and address for both of those.

We're expected to be reasonable in our behaviour. And also most of us have an inkling how the courts feel about making a claim on principle alone.

No, it's a matter of noseyness and data collection on the part of the retailer.

I don't like standing in the middle of a shop and having to give my name and address. It makes me uncomfortable and it's unreasonable of them to expect it. And when I have the proof of purchase in my hand, the card I paid with ready for the machine (with my name on it if the company really want it) there is absolutely no reason for them to know my personal details.

unholyangel

bylromarha wrote: »

No, it's a matter of noseyness and data collection on the part of the retailer.

I don't like standing in the middle of a shop and having to give my name and address. It makes me uncomfortable and it's unreasonable of them to expect it. And when I have the proof of purchase in my hand, the card I paid with ready for the machine (with my name on it if the company really want it) there is absolutely no reason for them to know my personal details.

My point is that if you refuse to cooperate with the request, you may well find you have to give them your details anyway either to enter written communications with them or - if it had to go that far - when making a court claim against them.

Plus i'm almost certain that should you take a retailer to court for refusing to process a refund without you giving them your name and address, you'll find costs awarded against you, even if you win your claim for the refund.

iammumtoone

This annoys me to, especially when I get questioned why I haven't filled in the email section (if there is one) or given my telephone number. I just reply I don't have one as I don't want my details sold on or marketing sent from the company. I don't know if they would ever use the information in that way but I am not prepared to take that chance.

daytona0

iammumtoone wrote: »

This annoys me to, especially when I get questioned why I haven't filled in the email section (if there is one) or given my telephone number. I just reply I don't have one as I don't want my details sold on or marketing sent from the company. I don't know if they would ever use the information in that way but I am not prepared to take that chance.

I used to work in a call center and for most companies the data wasn't shared around - it was more to contact people OR for security reasons (police and fraud). Customers had this paranoid feeling that the company was scheming to steal their data and/or sell it onto other companies. I can't vouch for every company, but it just didn't happen in ours (a rubbish version of Amazon). I used to get the occasional customer who would refuse to give me their phone number and the standard reply was "ok no problem", because I didn't care!

Most of the time the company just wants a way to contact you. In OP's case it is probably to reduce or stop fraud.