online refund given in store vouchers

ste0436

hi, just a quick question.

i purchased some clothes through an online retailer in their black Friday sales, however, i sent them back as they did not suit.

i have now received a notice from the company issuing my refund. However, they have told me that as i purchased the items in the sale they are unable to process a refund for the order, and have issued me with store credit covering the order's value.
question is, are they allowed to refuse to give me a cash refund as i purchased the items in the sale? i do not particularly want to order further items at this time and so a cash refund is what i would like.

KatrinaWaves

is it a UK site?

spadoosh

If you returned the goods within the rules set out in the distant selling regs (potentially part of consumer rights act now, cant remember) then you are entitled to a full refund. Unlikely to be cash but bank transfer, all ok assuming im being pedantic.

If youre outside of these rules. Your refund will be bound by the terms and conditions of sale.

So basically if you returned the item in 14 days, youll be entitled to a full refund through your original payment method. If you did not return within 14 days, you might still be entitled to a refund however it will be outlined in the terms and conditions of the sale.


Yeh sorry missed that, has to be under the jurisdiction of UK law.

ste0436

hi, yes it is a UK site and i returned them within 14 days. they have just said that because the items were in the sale they can only issue a refund in the form of store credit.
this may have been outlined before i purchased the items and i just didnt see it. are they allowed to put a process like this in place and so i just have to suck it up, or are they required to refund me in the form i paid for the items?
cheers!

Takmon

ste0436 wrote: »

hi, yes it is a UK site and i returned them within 14 days. they have just said that because the items were in the sale they can only issue a refund in the form of store credit.
this may have been outlined before i purchased the items and i just didnt see it. are they allowed to put a process like this in place and so i just have to suck it up, or are they required to refund me in the form i paid for the items?
cheers!

What website is it?

spadoosh

ste0436 wrote: »

hi, yes it is a UK site and i returned them within 14 days. they have just said that because the items were in the sale they can only issue a refund in the form of store credit.
this may have been outlined before i purchased the items and i just didnt see it. are they allowed to put a process like this in place and so i just have to suck it up, or are they required to refund me in the form i paid for the items?
cheers!

Under what used to be the distant selling regs but think its changed now however the rules are largely the same, youre entitled when ordering online to change your mind and get the goods refunded if you return them within 14 days. The refund is typically the original payment method. So if you paid in store credit, you would be refunded store credit, if you paid by bank transfer you would be refunded by bank transfer etc etc.

So if you paid by cash, presumably debit/credit card then you should be refunded to that.

MSE have an article on it here.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/#buyingfromhome

The sales thing theyre talking about is only applicable to buying in physical stores. As you bought online you are covered for a full refund as long as it was returned within 14 days.


Theyre trying to pull a bit of a fast one. With buying online and changes of mind i suspect quite a few poeple would be willing to accept any kind of refund to the full value for simplicity reasons or not fully understanding the law. You do not have to accept the store credit though.

unholyangel

Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation & Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 state:

(7) The trader must make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as the consumer used for the initial transaction, unless the consumer has expressly agreed otherwise.

And when it says expressly agreed otherwise, that doesn't mean its buried in the T&C's. It means you need to specifically & explicitly agree to it. It also shouldn't be their SOP, as that has the effect of trying to restrict your statutory rights - but they could offer it as an alternative.