Goods Return

oliveleaf

I recently made a purchase from Sainsburys which was a xmas gift. As it was unsuitable i retuned the item.I understand that stores are not required to take returns but most large size stores do.Sainsburys accepted the return which cost £16 but because it was now in the sale would only return £12. Is this common practice?

Mark_d

There is no automatic right to refund in situations like this, where the gift was bought in store.  It all depends on the retailer's policy.  Some retailers only give refunds in the form of vouchers.

I would say it's entirely reasonable for Sainbury's to refund you the lower of the price paid and the current sale price.

If retailers didn't do this, people would buy gifts at full price.  Then post Xmas, return the gift and re-buy it at the sale price.

maisie_cat

Did you have a receipt to prove how much was paid? If not most stores will refund the lowest recent price

RefluentBeans

Did you point this out when you returned it? From working in retail there’s multiple ways to do a refund. This may just have been missed (in the return season it’s very easy to miss) but when you point it out it normally gets the answer. If you didn’t - then you can take both receipts with you and ask for the refund or csn just leave it. Depends how much £4 is worth to you. 

Ayr_Rage

As you did not have any right to return the purchase I think Sainsbury's have been very accommodating, they can only sell it again for £12, not £16.

RefluentBeans

Ayr_Rage said:

As you did not have any right to return the purchase I think Sainsbury's have been very accommodating, they can only sell it again for £12, not £16.

Unless it was a food product, Sainsburys returns policy is 30 days, extended to 31st January for the Christmas period. So the OP did have the right to return it, as that’s part of the contractual arrangement (unless it was a food product). 

sheramber

Items bought instore are onl y able to be returned under the store's own policy.

They can set their own terms for instore returns.

Sainsbury's have not refused a return. They have accepeted the return but only refunded the current selling price. 

ThumbRemote

Sainsburys policy is here: https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/refunds-returns/what-is-refund-policy

Assuming you had a receipt to prove the purchase price, you should have been entitled to a full refund. 

RefluentBeans

I think there is some confusion on these boards recently - retailers in physical stores don’t have to accept returns. But if there is a returns policy they have to follow that policy. It can be ‘harsher’ than the online equivalents of returns (the 14 day rule) and they may put certain exclusions in place - for example sale items. But they can’t suddenly withdraw that policy for you just because they don’t want to accept the return. But the retailer in a physical shop hasn’t got to accept returns at all, and their refund policy can be ‘no refunds’. 

In this case - the policy doesn’t make a rule saying you get the price that it is currently advertised for, and that would be a strange policy to have (prices go up and down). So the expectation from most people would be a full refund (of the price you paid) is what is meant by ‘refund’. In fact - that’s such a basic premise that most places won’t even define what a ‘refund’ is as it’s just so commonly accepted to be the price you paid for it. 

Like I said before - take both receipts in and point out the issue, or just chalk it up to checking the refund amount. It really does depend if you can be bothered to queue (and probably wait for a supervisor) for £4. I don’t think it would’ve been intentional - just an error by the sales assistant. 

35har1old

oliveleaf said:

I recently made a purchase from Sainsburys which was a xmas gift. As it was unsuitable i retuned the item.I understand that stores are not required to take returns but most large size stores do.Sainsburys accepted the return which cost £16 but because it was now in the sale would only return £12. Is this common practice?

Saindburys refund policy prior to the xmas is that you are able to return a item until the 31st January unless its earrings etc

Okell

If Sainsburys policy permits returns and refunds for in-store purchases (which it does so far as I'm aware - I've certainy taken advantage of it in the past myself) then the OP is entitled to a refund of what they paid for the returned item, not the current price.

(Would those posters who think it's the current price that should apply still say so if the price had gone up?)

What I'm at a loss to understand is why the OP didn't point this out when they received the refund instore...