£900 Credit note help (shop denies they said they'd give a refund)

Turning_into_scrooge

I think we have to remeber that there are some people in this world than can actually afford to spend £900 on a piece of jewelry and they have every right to do so if that is their wish.
To the OP if the item was not damaged in any way then the shop can argue that they are doing you a favour by giving you a credit note but if it is a chain of shops them maybe a letter to head office may move matters in your favour seeing as they have back tracked on the original agreement, verbal or not. CAB is usually a good place to go regading letters of this nature with the clout they carry. I hope you win the battle and manage to get your mother to realise that expensive gifts are not needed, but really does any mother listen when it is their child :eek: :rotfl: I'm also very sorry that this thread turned into a bit of a war but i wish you luck with sorting this out :beer:

tonys_3

The main problem now Deeds, is that time has probably run out.
Had your mother gone to the credit card company and explained the situation straight away,they should have refunded her money.Because there was a breach of contract.
The fact that it was verbal is irrelevant.

Even if you were to go to court now,they would ask why so much time has elapsed.Check with your c/card company [I assume it was a credit and not a debit card?]and see if they can put pressure on the jeweller.Also go to Citizen's advice to see what their
opinion is.With so many witnesses,albeit biased ones,a strong solicitors letter may well
suffice.

BWZN93

daveboy wrote:

So what is a forum if people can't say what they think?

Say what you like if its relevant - your comments were not, and certainly not in the spirit of the forum. Did you ever read about the intention of the site?

Similarly, please do not lecture me on the Human Rights Act - Ive studied it in depth for my dissertation last year, so I appreciate your point, but a forum for help and support is exactly that. Im actually wondering why you are on this site - do you actually enjoy criticising others? Ive read some of your other posts which is why I ask.

Id like to appeal to your better nature and ask if you would refrain from making comments that appear insensitive to others, as the rules of this site may not be 'law' in the HRA sense, but are there for a reason. And please dont hide behind the law to have a dig at people over a bracelet - its there to protect bigger speeches than that.

Jo xx

aliasojo

***Note from Board Guide: I think the subject of questionable replies has been discussed enough and it's time to draw a line under this aspect of the thread. Please can everyone stick to the original topic now otherwise I will lock the thread to avoid anymore comments that are not relevant to the original post. Thanks all. ***

boofy_2

DEEDS: Why not bite the bullet and buy yourself a special piece of jewellery, and also a piece for every member of the family? That way your Mum's kind deed will be spread amongst you (so to speak!). Please use the note before it expires. You wouldn't want to lose it altogether would you?

stripeyfox

"everywhere else usually refunds unwanted christmas pressies and quite often extend their 'return within' time too."

I'm not sure this is the case at all. Most shops I know off tend to take a harder line with customers returning unwanted presents.

Without wishing to single out Deed's own case, the goodwill often extended by shops has lead to confusion over what someone it entitled to and what a shop may do at it's discretion.

Notwithstanding broken "verbal agreements" the shop is not required to do anything unless the item is faulty or "unfit for its intended purpose".

Rave

As others have said, your mother did have every right to a refund. When an item is purchased a contract for the supply of goods is formed between the retailer and customer. Under general consumer law you are not automatically entitled to a refund, however in this case the retailer specifically agreed that if the person for whom the item was purchased did not like it, it could be returned for a full refund. This therefore formed part of the contract that was made- the fact that this was not put in writing is irrelevant, as the law says that a contract can be made verbally.

I also suggest a solicitor's letter- and going to the small claims court if that fails. Since there were two people there besides your mother who witnessed this contract being made, I think you would have a strong case.

Poppy9

I am sorry if the shop has mislead your mother into making a purchase. Its appalling they have lied.

For others though can I put forward the situation from a former jewellery shop owner.

I used to own a small jewellers shop. Many customers who came in before Xmas were present buying and would ask for a refund if not suitable. Now most customers are genuine but some just want to wear an item for a night and return. Our policy was we would exchange (not earrings though) but not refund on most items. We didn't offer credit notes. However when it came to larger value items each case was dealt with on merit. i.e. was the customer a regular, was the item handmade, would we sell it after xmas, could we return it to the supplier after xmas.

Some items of more expensive jewellery are bought on appro. from the supplier. That means you can keep it for a week or so before being billed. If you or your customer doesn't like it you can return it and it just costs you your postage.

Lots of people (usually men) make over extravagent jewellery gestures at Xmas. Some think the more they spend the more it will be like if we refunded all of these items we would have ruined our xmas trading period. Xmas is the best time for jewellers. Not so much money made on wedding rings as diamonds etc. Xmas trading can account for 50% of your annual turnover but you have to work blooming hard for it. 12 hour days 7 days a week for a few months. Imagine totting up with glee your Xmas sales as a reward for your hard work only for people to return everything afterwards. You are left with useless stock :doh:

We used to operate a more generous policy but two regular clients ruined it for everyone.

The first commissioned a emerald and diamond ring for herself. At every stage from design, to choosing her stones (for a vast selection) she was happy. She saw the ring at various stages of assembley so she could modify etc. When the ring was finished she decided she didn't want it anymore. Foolishly we had only taken a very small deposit off her which didn't fully cover the cost of the stones or any of the labour that had gone into it. Ring was worth over £2000 and it took us 2 years to sell as it was very individual From then on all handmade jobs deposits had to cover the cost of raw materials. The second customer was a regular for years. She could never pay in full so paid in installments for a few weeks and then had the goods when paid up. Once she wanted an item for her sons 21st - cost £500 she had paid £100 in installments but her sons birthday was iminment. We let her take the ring and bracelet and didn't see her again form months despite phone calls and letters. We were a bit soft as we knew she would be in trouble from her husband so didn't visit her at home. Eventually my OH waited for her to finish work and told her if she didn't settle he would call at her home. 12 months later she paid in full.:eek:

My suggestion to the OP is to go back to the shop and ask to purchase a nice Diamond to the value of £900. You can then keep this stone and maybe in the future have it set in either a ring or necklace for herself or family. Out of touch with prices now but you should get a nice diamond for this money. You need to know the colour, clarity etc. to make an informed choice. You should find this info on here :Diamonds

MattOsprey

ctm wrote:

Could you not approach people in the shop looking to buy stuff and they 'buy' your credit note from you and then use it to buy their stuff?

Hi Deeds,
I think it is great that your mum wants to buy you an expensive present. It is her money to do with as she wishes. I think that if you said you liked it not to offend her, and then she found out she would be gutted. The value of this item happens to be high by most peoples standards, but I think that is irrelevant. I like the above idea of finding someone purchasing something, maybe an engagement ring or something. I hope all works out for you.
I would also like to say that a lot of people think I have a lot of money, because I drive a nice car and have a big house. The truth is that I also have big responsibilities and without the help on this site with bargains and money saving then I would have a lot less luxuries in my life.
Treat people as you would like to be treated reguardless of status, colour or creed.
Life is good. We only get one chance at it. So lets be nice!

Chuckman

Well said Matt! :T

After all, if we were all selfish and self-centered, then this site would not have been created and we would have missed out on valuable advice and bargains.

More sharing! More caring! Together we can make thing better!