Returned goods too many times?

ldncase

I'm currently in a case scenario with some website/store. 

I used the free return label provided by them, and it seemed they couldn't locate the item/parcel, even though Royal Mail's tracking shows clearly that it's delivered. They refused to refund it, so I've escalated it to PayPal. But to my surprise, they claimed that I've placed too many orders and rarely kept the items. I pretty much return 40-ish items from 10-20 orders over 8-10 months of period.

For this, I cannot deny. The reasons are:

*They offer free shipping and free return. I only ordered from this merchant just to 'try on', and most likely I'd buy the same things elsewhere for better prices.
*Their goods tend to be sent from their physical stores, and from time to time, the condition might not as good as I hoped for.
*All the items were clothes, which of course needed to be tried on.

So, I was shocked to learn this from PayPal's CS. And I'm not sure if that would effect PayPal's ruling. To me, it pretty much like the merchant wants to get rid of the problem by dragging in something irrelevant. 

Grumpy_chap

I am not sure from the reading whether the company:
1. accepted and shipped an order and only said "too many returns" when you reached the point of sending this order back.
2. saw a pattern of repeated returns and therefore blocked the account from further purchases.

If the case is (1), then the OP should be able to return under 14-day for any or no reason.

If the case is (2), then I don't see that it is unreasonable for the supplier to have a process to block customers based upon an excessive returns history.

Alderbank

Just as you can choose where to buy from, so this retailer can choose who to sell to.

Going ahead, they can refuse further orders from you. However for this specific order they have an agreed contract with you and they can't now remove or restrict your consumer rights for that order.

What date did you receive that order, what date did you tell them you were cancelling the order (or part of the order) and what date did you actually return the goods?

You say you used their free return system so it sounds like you used their own change of mind returns procedure rather than your statutory rights. Do you have a link to their terms and conditions?

Is it a UK registered company? How did you pay?

ldncase

Grumpy_chap said:

I am not sure from the reading whether the company:
1. accepted and shipped an order and only said "too many returns" when you reached the point of sending this order back.
2. saw a pattern of repeated returns and therefore blocked the account from further purchases.

If the case is (1), then the OP should be able to return under 14-day for any or no reason.

If the case is (2), then I don't see that it is unreasonable for the supplier to have a process to block customers based upon an excessive returns history.

Hello. Thanks for the reply.

This order with a dispute was from a couple months ago,  after that, I had placed a couple orders and returned them without issues. Then the dispute happened, and I haven't placed any since then, so I don't know if I've been blocked. I always use guest checkout via PayPal, no registered account with them.
I'm cool if they have decided to ban me, but they cannot use that 'I've returned too many times' for this ongoing dispute! They are trying to paint me like I'm fraud or something.

PHK

From what you've said it's not that they say you've committed fraud but an unusual pattern of returns (which it clearly is) .

marcia_

 If you really need to try clothes on or feel the texture and end up going to buy from a store anyway why do you not do that from the beginning instead of returning 40+ items? 

born_again

ldncase said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I am not sure from the reading whether the company:
1. accepted and shipped an order and only said "too many returns" when you reached the point of sending this order back.
2. saw a pattern of repeated returns and therefore blocked the account from further purchases.

If the case is (1), then the OP should be able to return under 14-day for any or no reason.

If the case is (2), then I don't see that it is unreasonable for the supplier to have a process to block customers based upon an excessive returns history.

Hello. Thanks for the reply.

This order with a dispute was from a couple months ago,  after that, I had

aven't placed any since then, so I don't know if I've been blocked. I always use guest checkout via PayPal, no registered account with them.

 placed a couple orders and returned them without issues. Then the dispute happened, and I h
I'm cool if they have decided to ban me, but they cannot use that 'I've returned too many times' for this ongoing dispute! They are trying to paint me like I'm fraud or something.

Do you not think the address on the account will not be a bit of a give away?

ldncase

marcia_ said:

 If you really need to try clothes on or feel the texture and end up going to buy from a store anyway why do you not do that from the beginning instead of returning 40+ items? 

*Coz they are mostly designer clothing and kinda hard to find. This store price their goods in Pounds, which are a lot more expensive than those in France or Italy. I will buy the the same items from overseas and pay the VAT and duties. Hence the try-on.

*As mentioned, 40-ish items are for a period of 8-10 months. It looks like a lot, but it's common that people could buy more than 2 items in one single order, for the sake of free shipping or just to try different sizes etc.

*Also, I don't just buy for myself.

ldncase

born_again said:

ldncase said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I am not sure from the reading whether the company:
1. accepted and shipped an order and only said "too many returns" when you reached the point of sending this order back.
2. saw a pattern of repeated returns and therefore blocked the account from further purchases.

If the case is (1), then the OP should be able to return under 14-day for any or no reason.

If the case is (2), then I don't see that it is unreasonable for the supplier to have a process to block customers based upon an excessive returns history.

Hello. Thanks for the reply.

This order with a dispute was from a couple months ago,  after that, I had

aven't placed any since then, so I don't know if I've been blocked. I always use guest checkout via PayPal, no registered account with them.

 placed a couple orders and returned them without issues. Then the dispute happened, and I h
I'm cool if they have decided to ban me, but they cannot use that 'I've returned too many times' for this ongoing dispute! They are trying to paint me like I'm fraud or something.

Do you not think the address on the account will not be a bit of a give away?

As said before, I don't mind being banned. I never registered for an account simply because I'm lazy and don't like recieving too many commercial emails. 
I can get it if they refuse to sell it to me in the future, but I've obviously returned something and signed by their warehouse people. But they are making it like I didn't send the item back or something.

Okell

ldncase said:

Grumpy_chap said:

I am not sure from the reading whether the company:
1. accepted and shipped an order and only said "too many returns" when you reached the point of sending this order back.
2. saw a pattern of repeated returns and therefore blocked the account from further purchases.

If the case is (1), then the OP should be able to return under 14-day for any or no reason.

If the case is (2), then I don't see that it is unreasonable for the supplier to have a process to block customers based upon an excessive returns history.

... This order with a dispute was from a couple months ago,  after that, I had placed a couple orders and returned them without issues. Then the dispute happened, ... I'm cool if they have decided to ban me, but they cannot use that 'I've returned too many times' for this ongoing dispute!...

Why not?  You've already said:

ldncase said:

... I pretty much return 40-ish items from 10-20 orders over 8-10 months of period...

That sounds like an unreasonable number of returns (and orders) to me over a period of 8 to 10 months.  As others have said, the seller is not legally obliged to sell stuff to you.  they can choose not to if they decide you are more trouble than you're worth.

I usually take the side of the consumer in this sort of case, but I'm afraid that "buyers" who could be seen to be abusing the returns system make it more difficult for ordinary consumers to exercise their legal rights.

And what does this mean?  Are you a genuine "consumer"?

ldncase said:

*Also, I don't just buy for myself.

ldncase

Alderbank said:

Just as you can choose where to buy from, so this retailer can choose who to sell to.

Going ahead, they can refuse further orders from you. However for this specific order they have an agreed contract with you and they can't now remove or restrict your consumer rights for that order.

What date did you receive that order, what date did you tell them you were cancelling the order (or part of the order) and what date did you actually return the goods?

You say you used their free return system so it sounds like you used their own change of mind returns procedure rather than your statutory rights. Do you have a link to their terms and conditions?

Is it a UK registered company? How did you pay?

*I'm not going to buy from them in the future, so banning or not doesn't matter to me.
*I'm not mentioning the company name here. But yes, it's an UK one.
*Paid via PayPal, hence there is a dispute there.
*This particular dispute is not just about change of mind. The item was actually faulty, and I have informed both the merchant and PayPal already.
As stated in my original post, my many returns also have to with the condition didn't meet my expectations. A few times, I would like to just buy from this merchant, but I received items in questionable condition, as some of they were dispatched from the physical stores. Clothes arrived creased, or slightly tinted as such.