Want refund for unwanted spa day

LilElvis

OK. So the spa ticket itself is unlikely to attract buyers. You don't want to give toiletries as gifts.

How about buying the toiletries from the spa and then selling those on eBay? Spas usually sell better quality skincare ranges which are frequently sold on eBay for relatively minor discounts below the rrp - have a look at the prices asked (and achieved) for brands such as Decleor and Gatineau.

naedanger

McKneff wrote: »

Wow, you have been so rude to your friend,

They are thoughtful enough to spend their hard earned money buying you a present and you fling it
back in their face.

You would never get the chance to do it again. You would never get another present from me.
Do you actually realise, even though your friend hanst said anything' how hurtful you have been to your friend.

I could hardly believe what I was reading to be honest.

You don't know the op or their friend.

I would not be upset if a friend/relative told me tactfully that they would prefer some other present in future, and/or enquired about getting it exchanged. Otherwise I might get them something similar another time.

Similarly I am confident I could tell some of my friends the same thing without causing them any upset. (And others I wouldn't tell.)

So I don't think you should assume the op was rude to their friend, or that their friend will feel the way you would.

[I don't use facebook, but if messages on it are visible to more than the recipient then that would seem a strange way of suggesting a swap.]

pinkshoes

OMG you come across as such a miserable so and so OP!!

The voucher will no doubt fetch half its face value or more on your local Facebook selling group. ideal for a christmas present for someone who will appreciate it.

If it is a decent spa anywhere in suffolk, then I will have it for my mum.

Oddly, I also hated the idea of a spa day until some friends took me for a "treat". There was no point having my nails done, but the back and neck massage was wonderful once I actually relaxed.

mattyprice4004

You seem to be missing the point.
There is NO action you can take, because they have done nothing wrong.

Like it or lump it, that's the truth. The law is fairly balanced on consumers and retailers - just because it doesn't work in your favour this time doesn't mean it's unfair. It's not always about you.

irishjohn

Bananas1 wrote: »

What makes you think I haven't endured this stuff before?? Thing is, there are people in this world who go round full of anxiety and stress, for whom being pampered and massaged and whatever, relieves the stress. But there are also people like me, who are not really particularly stressed, for whom the idea of someone invading their personal space and threatening massage or facial or manicure or even a haircut, creates stress. For me, it's like being landed on by a fat black fly. I just want them to go away.

We're not all the same, and believe me when I say, this is the inverse of what would make me happy, which is why I know I would never go there - it sparks the same feelings as a trip to hospital. An afternoon in the garden, digging, planting, sowing, pruning and taking care of my bees is bliss for me. I'm sure that a lot of people would find opening a beehive and sorting it out to be stressful, but that's my bliss.

You sound pretty stressed out by the fact that you cannot get your hands on £60 to spend as you please - are you sure you don't need a relaxing massage?

Bananas1_2

For the benefit of all those of you who are saying I have been 'ungrateful' and 'rude to my friend', let me establish two things..........

The alternative would be to lie to my friend, as I did the first time round, pretending to have enjoyed something I did not go to. Saying 'Oh wow, a spa day, how lovely!! Yes I had a brilliant time thank you'. Can I assure you that that made me feel horrible. I dislike lying.

I did not say 'I don't want it, I demand you take it back...........'

What I actually said was 'it was a lovely idea, and I really appreciate the thought, but I don't want to lie to you, it's not my thing'. Which is what I would hope a friend would say to me.

And the reason I knew I could say that? If you guys had read what I put, some time back I bought a big bunch of flowers for the same friend, who said to me............

'It was a lovely idea, and I really appreciate the thought, but my allergies mean I can't have pollen in the house, do you mind if I give them to my daughter?' And I wasn't hurt at all, and that was what happened. I did not think she was ungrateful or rude.

I knew my friend would want me to have something I enjoyed, and because the company would not refund me, I had read about distance selling on another forum, and believed she would have more luck getting the refund than I would. Since I spoke to her, I have read that the company are within their rights to refuse, on grounds of 'buyer remorse'. I just wish that they had made it clearer to her, as she felt certain that she could just get a refund and get something else.

Bananas1_2

You sound pretty stressed out by the fact that you cannot get your hands on £60 to spend as you please - are you sure you don't need a relaxing massage?

If you read it, I put..........
For me, it's like being landed on by a fat black fly. I just want them to go away.

So probably not really.

peachyprice

Bananas1 wrote: »

I have read that the company are within their rights to refuse, on grounds of 'buyer remorse'. I just wish that they had made it clearer to her, as she felt certain that she could just get a refund and get something else.

They don't need to make it clearer, it is not a law particular to them, the same applies to all of these type of vouchers bought from everywhere. They're never refundable.

You seem to have a bee in your bonnet because YOU mis-interpreted CCR's and thought your friend (not you) had a right to a refund. Your own ignorance of facts is not a reason to publicly slate the company all over facebook.

meer53

Spa days are really popular with the majority of people. saying no-one will buy the voucher on Ebay is ridiculous. The Spa i use is booked up months in advance and it's in the middle of nowhere !! You might not get the full £60 but you will sell it.

Pollycat

Bananas1 wrote: »

I realise that the law is on their side, but it shouldn't be.

But it is on their side, it doesn't matter what you think the law should be.

Bananas1 wrote: »

If my friend had bought it for herself and then changed her mind, that would be a different matter because she would be being skittish and inconsistent, but she bought it for me on the off-chance, and was unaware that unlike a jumper, it couldn't be returned and swapped for something else. I'll be willing to bet that these spas make loads of money from recipients who don't turn up for days they don't fancy. It's a total con.

Actually, you're wrong here too.
If your friend had bought you (or her) a jumper she may not be able to return it for an exchange.
It depends on the store's policy but the law doesn't say they have to.
It's not a total (or even partial) con - it's a mistake by your friend.

Bananas1 wrote: »

I just think the company should be under obligation to make it absolutely clear to the buyer that if the recipient doesn't want it, they won't get the money back, because my friend's family told her she ought to get me a garden centre voucher (which I would have loved), but it wasn't made clear to her that she was gambling on losing the money by trying something different.

If I can't get them to refund the money, I will have to put it on Ebay, and might get £1.50 if I'm lucky. What a waste of sixty pounds.......... But I will carry on warning people on social media not to buy spa days from this business unless they know 100 per cent that the recipient likes that kind of thing, cos the law is an !!!. Please could people just post other possible solutions now, instead of just repeating that the company has done nothing wrong - they have done something unfair, and the law is unfairly on their side, and it wants sorting. I'm only interested in other courses of action I could take, rather than being told the obvious. Thanks.

But you banging on about what the law should say and should do is just plain silly.
It's not a case of 'unfair'.

I'm not sure there are any other possible solutions - you've rejected every one that's been made so far.

You need to be told 'the obvious' until you get it. Just because you don't like what the law states doesn't mean it's wrong.