Very returns.

Okell

As I think I've posted on previous threads, I actually buy very little stuff online.  And that's because I expect that there's a good chance that anything I do buy online has already been bought, opened, looked at, and tried on or turned on by at least one other person before me.

For many purchases this may not be important, but for those purchases where it's really important that something is "new", I'd be very, very reluctant to buy online unless I was getting a huge saving.  And then I might be suspicious for other reasons...

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Ergates said:

The interesting bit is the conflicting expectations that we, as customers, have - with the retailers squashed in the middle.

On one side we expect to be able to buy something, open it, test it, then be able to send it back and get all our money back.   So when we return something having opened it and tested it, it has retained it's full value.

On the other side we expect to not pay full price for something that someone else has opened and tested.  So if someone else opens and tests it, it loses a significant chunk of it's value.

Well it's ultimately all very superficial, cars are the worst for this, you sit on the inside of the thing but worry if the outside has a scratch on it....

I guess a valid concern for a customer might be where a warranty has been counted from an early date due to someone else's interaction with the goods. 

Big retailers could have an avenue for clearing such stock (like Amazon does with their Warehouse outlet) but for most I imagine they decide it's easier to pallet it up and gets auctioned off somewhere. 

We all know how hard Argos work to push their own return policy of "unopened" or fob you off to the manufacturer but they still seem to have stock to clear:

https://www.argosclearance.co.uk/

These companies work on volume, the time to assess returns, debate with customers, repair/repackage, resell doesn't particularly fit with their business model, they make enough overall to write it off where as a small business is more likely to micro manage each transaction and be concerned about a single loss. 

Very have the choice to not sell iPads, they have the choice to set up B&M stores and only sell iPads there and whilst there is some truth to online shopping making things cheaper for us, it's not really true with Apple products as you are paying over the odds for the brand. 

As an aside if you buy your iPad from Apple they will engrave it for free, once it has "Good luck at uni dear grandchild" engraved on the back you can't change your mind, it's a brilliant idea, a service that is is free that customers not only think is for their benefit but also buy into yet is really for the benefit of Apple. 

Rev

And still no update from very. It was delivered to them on 27/10/24. 

Returns have always been credited within a few days in the past. But then I’ve only ever returned clothes before. 

Rev

I called very today as it’s long past the 14 days they say they need to process refunds. Rep kept trying to fob me off ‘just wait some more days please’ etc. She kept saying it’s 14 working days. But the website doesn’t say that. It says 14 days and then 3 working days to process refunds after receipt of the returned goods. 

I said I wasn’t prepared to wait and would just like to know when the refund would be processed. After putting me on hold three times then coming back and repeating ‘please wait a few more days’ she gave up and put through to a lovely Scottish bloke. 

Explained the situation, told him I had opened it but that I had let them know I was returning and cancelling the contract etc. He asked if he could call me back as he needed to speak to the relevant department. He Did so within the hour and it’s now all sorted. 

Thanks to everyone for the advice. It’s really appreciated.