B&Q have I been diddled unfairly?

djheath

Long story so here goes:
Last week I put a new kitchen in for my mum. I bought some materials and tools from B&Q last week and spent £95 in total. I paid partly in cash and £45 using a gift card.
I didn't use two of the items I bought and so today just took them back for a refund. The total amount of the two items is £30. When I got my refund, the lady gave it to me as a credit note, not as I wanted, in cash. She said its because I spent some of the purchase using a gift card so the system wont refund me the cash.

I think this is wrong. I realise why this is in place and thats to stop people with gift cards buying something of the same value, taking it back and exchanging it for cash, but the fact is, the original amount I purchased was well over the gift card amount. Even if I hadn't bought the two items I wanted a refund for, I still could have used the gift cards and paid cash. Now I am stuck with a credit note that I can only use in B&Q which means in total they will have taken £125 from me, and basically swapped my cash for a credit note when I didn't want one in the first place.
£45 gift card
£50 original purchase
£30 credit note
= £125.

This seems completely wrong and even the girl serving me said so, but said she had no power to change it - "computer says no" syndrome.

Am I right to expect my £30 back in cash, considering the gift card would have covered the remaining balance so B&Q wouldn't have been out of pocket?

iNath

Unfortunately this is the case and it is designed (quite rightly as you pointed out) to stop people getting cash from gift cards. Given the amount you spent I would have got a manager to override it if you were not happy with the credit note.
Luckily credit notes are valid for a year and can be used in any store, it's quite likely you'll need something soon (even after they expire we've been told managers can override it).

djheath

iNath wrote: »

Unfortunately this is the case and it is designed (quite rightly as you pointed out) to stop people getting cash from gift cards. Given the amount you spent I would have got a manager to override it if you were not happy with the credit note.
Luckily credit notes are valid for a year and can be used in any store, it's quite likely you'll need something soon (even after they expire we've been told managers can override it).

I realise that but I still think its cheeky and aren't B&Q doing pretty much exactly what they are trying to stop, but the other way around?. A better system surely, would be to refund any amount over the gift card in cash, and any amount up to the gift cards value as a credit note.

If the amount being given back was over £50 then I could expect some of it to be part of a credit note.
This way just seems wrong.

hollydays

It does seem unfair,I agree,but isn't it fairly common knowledge you can't get cash for gift cards?

Bearing in mind the strong possibility you might have to take some goods back,perhaps you should have asked the question when you made the purchase.

djheath

hollydays wrote: »

It does seem unfair,I agree,but isn't it fairly common knowledge you can't get cash for gift cards?

Bearing in mind the strong possibility you might have to take some goods back,perhaps you should have asked the question when you made the purchase.

But I am not asking for cash for gift cards. I am asking cash for cash. The gift card amount is irrelevant. The amount I am asking for is less that the total amount I paid in cash, so why cant the refund come from that? At the end of it all, the total amount purchased, after refunds, is still greater than the the amount in gift cards so cash should be refunded.
If I spent £10 solely in gift cards and wanted a £5 refund, I would expect £5 in gift card back, no problem.
If I spent £10 in gift card and £10 in cash, and wanted a refund of £5 I would expect £5 in cash. I dont see where there is a problem with that. If I wanted £15 refund I would expect £10 in gift card and £5 in cash. It works that way, why not the other?

Anyway, thanks for the replies. I have written a letter to head office and see what they say. As you say, I will shop in B&Q in the future so its not a big loss but there is still principle involved.

Sssssss

djheath wrote: »

I will shop in B&Q in the future so its not a big loss but there is still principle involved.

and what if out of principle B&Q refused to refund you at all, after all the items weren't faulty, you'd just changed your mind or didn't use them.

djheath

Sssssss wrote: »

and what if out of principle B&Q refused to refund you at all, after all the items weren't faulty, you'd just changed your mind or didn't use them.

Then I will put it down to a learning experience, but I dont really understand what you're getting at. My grievance isn't with the items, as a consumer I have the right to return items that weren't used or faulty - it says so on the back of the receipt. My grievance is with the way B&Q have handled the refund. I think its unfair. I can understand their reasons, but their reasons cause the problem they are trying to prevent, to occur for the consumer.
For example:
What happens if I had bought an item for say £500 using a £45 gift card as part payment. Lets say I dont use the item and then a few days later notice it for a lot cheaper in another shop. So I take it back, which I have a right to do within 90 days as the receipt says, would anyone be happy to receive £455 in store credit? I doubt it, but thats the exact scenario that would happen.

I am not out of pocket, I understand that, but it has meant that I am forced to spend £30 extra in B&Q.

poppy_f1

theres no legal right for the store to refund your items just cause you didnt like them or didnt use them im afraid, thats company policy, therefore they can refund you in whatever way they want
some stores will only refund in credit notes regardless of how you paid

iNath

djheath wrote: »

Anyway, thanks for the replies. I have written a letter to head office and see what they say. As you say, I will shop in B&Q in the future so its not a big loss but there is still principle involved.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but...... what if head office send you a good will gift card? :rotfl:

nellytheelephant

I'd say most places would have refunded the amount of the gift card first, and then cash x

RadoJo

Since B and Q are effectively doing you a 'favour' by allowing you to return goods which were not faulty, I think it is reasonable for them to try and enhance their position by offering you the refund as gift card. They are not there to make life easier for you, but to make money. I can understand why you are annoyed, but I can better understand why they have such a policy. Even if you had paid completely in cash they would still retain the right to refund you in store credit for items which are not faulty - this is how they ensure that the business is not lost. After all, it has cost them a certain amount to pay the staff who served you in the first place, and then the staff who dealt with your refund, so they are securing their 'investment' as it were by ensuring that you are a return customer.