Being Asked to Return Items to Aisa

Ainsty

Hi,

I purchased some clothing online from Harpers of London. The items are of very poor quality so I want to return them for a refund. After a string of emails, they said I must return them to their distributors in Asia, although they have not yet provided an address.

Can the company insist on the return of the items to Asis?  If they can insist that I return them to Asia, do I have to pay? There is no address for a British office on their website, but they do say they are located in London.

Thank you 

A

DullGreyGuy

Ainsty said:

Hi,

I purchased some clothing online from Harpers of London. The items are of very poor quality so I want to return them for a refund. After a string of emails, they said I must return them to their distributors in Asia, although they have not yet provided an address.

Can the company insist on the return of the items to Asis?  If they can insist that I return them to Asia, do I have to pay? There is no address for a British office on their website, but they do say they are located in London.

They arent based in London, they are a far east company, likely China and fairly likely Hong Kong. 

Unfortunately if you know what you are looking for there are many signs it's not a UK based company, particularly if you read their T&Cs. 

They will offer you significant discounts to get you to keep the goods rather than return them. If you want to return them it will be at your own expense and it's fairly likely either they will get stuck in Customs and then be returned to you or disappear from tracking after getting into China. They'll then say they never received the return so refuse the refund. 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/harper-london.co.uk gives other people's experience of the website. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

Is it this place?

https://harper-london.co.uk/


There are a lot of websites popping up that on the face of it look professional, it's only when you dive into the info and T&Cs pages that things start to look off. 

These places often offer a 20-30% refund if you complain but if they aren't based in the UK then there isn't much you can do, not worth the risk of returning IMHO. 

These site dress themselves up and then ship the same stuff you can buy on Temu for a tenth of the price which probably explains the quality issues  

Ainsty

DullGreyGuy said:

Ainsty said:

Hi,

I purchased some clothing online from Harpers of London. The items are of very poor quality so I want to return them for a refund. After a string of emails, they said I must return them to their distributors in Asia, although they have not yet provided an address.

Can the company insist on the return of the items to Asis?  If they can insist that I return them to Asia, do I have to pay? There is no address for a British office on their website, but they do say they are located in London.

They arent based in London, they are a far east company, likely China and fairly likely Hong Kong. 

Unfortunately if you know what you are looking for there are many signs it's not a UK based company, particularly if you read their T&Cs. 

They will offer you significant discounts to get you to keep the goods rather than return them. If you want to return them it will be at your own expense and it's fairly likely either they will get stuck in Customs and then be returned to you or disappear from tracking after getting into China. They'll then say they never received the return so refuse the refund. 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/harper-london.co.uk gives other people's experience of the website. 

Thank you for your reply. I have checked their T&C and Return policy. Although the Return Policy states that they ship for Asis, there is nothing to say that returns have to go there. I can't see anything in the T&C, is there anything else I should look out for in future? I confess when I checked, and they explicitly stated they were located in London (not just the name) I did believe them. 

born_again

This site has cropped up before.

Best advice in reality. Is any site that comes up in your social media feed is to avoid. 
Even well known brands. Never go via links on Social media. Search them via one of the many search engines & go by a direct link (Not Sponsored) ones either.

DullGreyGuy

Ainsty said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Ainsty said:

Hi,

I purchased some clothing online from Harpers of London. The items are of very poor quality so I want to return them for a refund. After a string of emails, they said I must return them to their distributors in Asia, although they have not yet provided an address.

Can the company insist on the return of the items to Asis?  If they can insist that I return them to Asia, do I have to pay? There is no address for a British office on their website, but they do say they are located in London.

They arent based in London, they are a far east company, likely China and fairly likely Hong Kong. 

Unfortunately if you know what you are looking for there are many signs it's not a UK based company, particularly if you read their T&Cs. 

They will offer you significant discounts to get you to keep the goods rather than return them. If you want to return them it will be at your own expense and it's fairly likely either they will get stuck in Customs and then be returned to you or disappear from tracking after getting into China. They'll then say they never received the return so refuse the refund. 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/harper-london.co.uk gives other people's experience of the website. 

Thank you for your reply. I have checked their T&C and Return policy. Although the Return Policy states that they ship for Asis, there is nothing to say that returns have to go there. I can't see anything in the T&C, is there anything else I should look out for in future? I confess when I checked, and they explicitly stated they were located in London (not just the name) I did believe them. 

Its boring to do but if you read them & their other policies and think that this is supposed to be a UK based company marketing to the UK...  

They key one to look for is the legal jurisdiction, those not in the UK will often say "UK" not knowing that the UK isnt a legal jurisdiction but is made up of 3 - Scotland, N.Ireland and England & Wales. You sometime see them say its "USA" which would be a very odd choice for a UK company but also it isnt a jurisdiction, over there each state is its own jurisdiction. 

Other things to look for:

• They should name the legal entity at the beginning like Harper of London Ltd, these sites never do and either just repeat the brand name or the websites address
• Look for language that doesnt make sense in a UK context, like section 1 of their terms state "you are at least the age of majority in the state or province in which you reside", we dont have states or provinces in the UK, those are US/Canadian terms so why is a UK company using them?
• Check postage times, these guys say up to 3 days to post and up to 15 working days/3 weeks to deliver, there is no UK to UK delivery service that is that slow and a UK company almost always will hold stock in the UK and EU or US deliveries are not that slow. These are open that they are sending from Asia, which is unusual but would be even more so for a UK company.
• Site wide 50%+ discounts - real companies cannot afford to do such things
• Look for an address and look up that address if there is one, many will be the address of a mail forwarding company. Lack of an address is a red flag

Mix and matching, kind of like point 2 above but more broadly, where they have a French telephone number but say they are based in London and have a NY legal jurisdiction

Pollycat

Ainsty said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Ainsty said:

Hi,

I purchased some clothing online from Harpers of London. The items are of very poor quality so I want to return them for a refund. After a string of emails, they said I must return them to their distributors in Asia, although they have not yet provided an address.

Can the company insist on the return of the items to Asis?  If they can insist that I return them to Asia, do I have to pay? There is no address for a British office on their website, but they do say they are located in London.

They arent based in London, they are a far east company, likely China and fairly likely Hong Kong. 

Unfortunately if you know what you are looking for there are many signs it's not a UK based company, particularly if you read their T&Cs. 

They will offer you significant discounts to get you to keep the goods rather than return them. If you want to return them it will be at your own expense and it's fairly likely either they will get stuck in Customs and then be returned to you or disappear from tracking after getting into China. They'll then say they never received the return so refuse the refund. 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/harper-london.co.uk gives other people's experience of the website. 

Thank you for your reply. I have checked their T&C and Return policy. Although the Return Policy states that they ship for Asis, there is nothing to say that returns have to go there. I can't see anything in the T&C, is there anything else I should look out for in future? I confess when I checked, and they explicitly stated they were located in London (not just the name) I did believe them. 

Avoid any company that tells you to contact them for returns address.

Check out reviews before committing to buy.

I agree with everything in the post immediately above this one.

Here's one instance where they let themselves down:

The ordering process at Shop name is as simple as possible. 

And what does this gobbledygook mean:

We reserve the right to refuse service at any time for any reason. You acknowledge that Your Content (other than credit card information) is transmitted unencrypted and (a) may involve transmission over different networks and (b) modifications may be required to meet technical requirements when connecting networks or devices.

You're ordering some clothes, FHS!

We may provide you with access to third party tools over which we have no control or authority.

You acknowledge and agree that we provide access to such tools "as is" and "as available" without any warranties, representations or conditions and without any endorsement. We do not accept any liability arising out of or in connection with your use of any Optional Third Party Tools.

Any use by you of optional tools offered through the Website is at your own risk and discretion and you should ensure that you are familiar with and agree to the terms on which the tools are offered by the relevant third party provider(s).

What 'tools'?

The 'About us' page seems to be flowery AI and gives no information on the company.

I could go on...

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Contact Us page only being a very generic webform seems common on these sites as well. 

sheramber

powerful_Rogue said:

WooPlokis said:

If Harpers of London does not provide a verifiable UK business address and only mentions returning items to Asia after the sale, that could be considered misleading. In many cases, if the seller insists on a return location outside the UK, they are expected to cover the return costs, particularly when the goods are defective or not as described. Asking you to pay international shipping to Asia would likely be unreasonable and potentially unlawful.

At this stage, it would be sensible to:

• Ask them formally for their UK registered address and company details

• Request written confirmation of who pays return shipping

• Remind them of your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

• If they refuse or delay, consider a chargeback through your bank or card provider

Situations like this highlight the importance of transparency and accountability online. Whether it’s shopping, services, or other industries, reputable platforms make their terms, locations, and responsibilities clear from the start.

This thread is almost 10 months old. Looks like the website has since gone which is to be expected.

It requires buyers to seek out that information before ordering.

Lack of it should raise red flags. 
 

This is a company based in the far east, that people assume are based in UK because they have UK or London in the name. 

Website is no longer available. 

Pollycat

sheramber said:

powerful_Rogue said:

WooPlokis said:

If Harpers of London does not provide a verifiable UK business address and only mentions returning items to Asia after the sale, that could be considered misleading. In many cases, if the seller insists on a return location outside the UK, they are expected to cover the return costs, particularly when the goods are defective or not as described. Asking you to pay international shipping to Asia would likely be unreasonable and potentially unlawful.

At this stage, it would be sensible to:

• Ask them formally for their UK registered address and company details

• Request written confirmation of who pays return shipping

• Remind them of your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

• If they refuse or delay, consider a chargeback through your bank or card provider

Situations like this highlight the importance of transparency and accountability online. Whether it’s shopping, services, or other industries, reputable platforms make their terms, locations, and responsibilities clear from the start.

This thread is almost 10 months old. Looks like the website has since gone which is to be expected.

It requires buyers to seek out that information before ordering.

Lack of it should raise red flags. 
 

This is a company based in the far east, that people assume are based in UK because they have UK or London in the name. 

Website is no longer available. 

But many people don't seek out information before ordering i.e. do basic checks on the company they're giving their money to.

It seems that there are more and more threads like this popping up.

The internet is not the warm, fluffy and honest place that a lot of people think it is.

sheramber

Pollycat said:

sheramber said:

powerful_Rogue said:

WooPlokis said:

If Harpers of London does not provide a verifiable UK business address and only mentions returning items to Asia after the sale, that could be considered misleading. In many cases, if the seller insists on a return location outside the UK, they are expected to cover the return costs, particularly when the goods are defective or not as described. Asking you to pay international shipping to Asia would likely be unreasonable and potentially unlawful.

At this stage, it would be sensible to:

• Ask them formally for their UK registered address and company details

• Request written confirmation of who pays return shipping

• Remind them of your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

• If they refuse or delay, consider a chargeback through your bank or card provider

Situations like this highlight the importance of transparency and accountability online. Whether it’s shopping, services, or other industries, reputable platforms make their terms, locations, and responsibilities clear from the start.

This thread is almost 10 months old. Looks like the website has since gone which is to be expected.

It requires buyers to seek out that information before ordering.

Lack of it should raise red flags. 
 

This is a company based in the far east, that people assume are based in UK because they have UK or London in the name. 

Website is no longer available. 

But many people don't seek out information before ordering i.e. do basic checks on the company they're giving their money to.

It seems that there are more and more threads like this popping up.

The internet is not the warm, fluffy and honest place that a lot of people think it is.

Precisely. Stating companies should show this information , as Wooplokis does, is all very well but getting fly by night foreign companies to do so is another matter. 

Who is going to make them?

It is a case of buyer beware.