Restocking Fees In-store?

DLewis11

I saw a website offering a discount on wallpaper and they had a local store.

I went in person and they told me they could order rolls to collect from the store. I paid up-front.

Whilst waiting for the rolls to arrive I did some further checks and realised due to the pattern size I had miscalculated and would need to buy an extra roll, but on balance I felt this pushed my budget too far, so I returned to the shop to cancel the order, as thought all retailers were bound by right to the “cooling off period” and would offer a full refund.

Arriving at the shop, they presented me with a box as the rolls had arrived on a next day delivery, I explained the situation and that I’d like to return them, and they told me there was a £15 return cost (they would need to pay) and a £50 Restocking fee.

This isn’t a custom-printed, bespoke product - it’s a mass manufactured roll of wallpaper available from many retailers, so the only costs incurred by the manufacturer and retailer are arranging postage. I don’t mind covering delivery but why was I paying an arbitrary restocking fee? They told me it was “on the terms on their site”, something which I hadn’t been made aware to me in store when purchasing.

They asked me to give them a few days to speak to the manufacturer to see what they can work out.

Do I have any grounds to refuse the restocking fee?

powerful_Rogue

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a change of mind store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

DLewis11

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

powerful_Rogue

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

Why is it crazy? This has always been the case.

DLewis11

powerful_Rogue said:

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

Why is it crazy? This has always been the case.

Only in that it's unusual - I don't think I've ever encountered a store refuse a refund and it's surprising to me you'd have more protection buying online than in person from effective the same company.

It's 'crazy' in that I've had my belief about consumer protections up-ended by my first post on MSE forum.

pinkshoes

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

It's not crazy. In a shop you are CHOOSING to go there and make a purchase and are free to leave at any time. You get to examine the goods in the shop or look at any samples they have to make up your mind whether to purchase or not.

So by offering you the chance to return for a fee, then they are doing above what they law states. They did not have to give you that option.

Shops like M&S or similar have a returns policy far above what is required. 

You clearly liked the wallpaper, so why not just buy the extra roll you need?

DLewis11

pinkshoes said:

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

It's not crazy. In a shop you are CHOOSING to go there and make a purchase and are free to leave at any time. You get to examine the goods in the shop or look at any samples they have to make up your mind whether to purchase or not.

So by offering you the chance to return for a fee, then they are doing above what they law states. They did not have to give you that option.

Shops like M&S or similar have a returns policy far above what is required. 

You clearly liked the wallpaper, so why not just buy the extra roll you need?

Because it's very expensive wallpaper and was already pushing my budget. I didn't come here to argue with people. Equally I could say I'm CHOOSING to visit a website and are free to leave it at any time. I get to read a product description, reviews and look at images of the item. 

I am happy to cover the retailers costs for delivery, but a percentage restocking figure that has no basis on costs incurred to the retailer or manufacturer but is simply away to claw back free profit from an administrative inconvenience is clearly not in the consumer's interests. What am I paying the £50 for? It can't be processing costs because it's based on a percentage per item and individual RRP vary wildly. It's just extra money for them because they took 2 minutes out of their work day to arrange an order on a computer system and it apparently falls within the law.

I understand that may be what the law states, and for the reason you have explained, but most shops are quite right to go above and beyond in that case.

Ergates

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

DLewis11 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

You purchased in store, so the cooling off period does not apply. In fact, unless the store offers their own return policy, there is no automatic right to return a store bought item for a refund. So the store could easily have said 'Sorry, no refund'.

That's crazy but good to know.

Why is it crazy? This has always been the case.

Only in that it's unusual - I don't think I've ever encountered a store refuse a refund and it's surprising to me you'd have more protection buying online than in person from effective the same company.

It's 'crazy' in that I've had my belief about consumer protections up-ended by my first post on MSE forum.

The reason you have more protection when buying online is that you cannot actually see the item in question - you're going off a description and a few pictures and it's often hard to judge.  e.g. if you bought wallpaper online you might find, that the stripe that looked green in the picture is actually more blue and will clash with the carpet (or whatever).  Part of the purpose of the laws (with the 14 day returns thing) is to bring your ability to review the product in line with what you would have had in a physical shop.

Obviously that doesn't quite work when you go into a physical store and ask them to order something in without seeing it first - but laws will never cover all possible eventualities without becoming unwieldy.  e.g. how would you differentiate a shop that has samples in the shop and then orders in what the customer selects from one where they have samples in, but the customer wants something they didn't have a sample of, etc.

Most shops (not all) offer refunds, but quite a lot will only offer credit notes.

DLewis11

Cool well thanks both. Now I know this I will have to either hope they waive the fee, or else suck it up and bankrupt myself but at least I’ll have one nice wall to look at.

cymruchris

As you've found out the options open are less when purchasing directly from the store - not sure on the cost of a roll of wallpaper - but might be more money saving to buy the extra roll, have a wallpaper that you do like, and not pay the £50 restocking fee as a result. Yes it's going to be a little over your budget, but you'll have a decent looking wall rather than just a dent in your wallet.