Returns on BOGOFs?

Grimgrum

I bought three David Austin roses from a garden centre as a BOGOF. One died and I returned it for a refund under the five year guarantee on plants offered by the garden centre. The assistant did not want to refund me because I had already received one rose free. She consulted her manager who gave a refund as a gesture of good will. The good will did not include the assistant who handed over the refund saying “Here’s the money for the thing you never paid for in the first place”. I felt that I was within my rights to receive a refund without either goodwill or rudeness. Am I right to think this? Is there consumer protection on BOGOFs? Thank you in anticipation for your thoughts.

helloecho

If you return a BOGOF you should take back both items, else you are only taking back half of what you have actually purchased, even though one of them was free. Although they are seperate items, you are effectively buying them as a 'set'.

I'm certain you were within your rights for a replacement of the faulty item, but not a full refund. If you could get full refunds on single BOGOF offers, everyone would buy stuff on BOGOF and then take them back individually, thus doubling their money!

hollydays

You were only taking up what they were offering.She has tried to make you feel bad, like they were doing you a favour.I would have asked to speak to a Manager and made my feelings clear.I have to say I would have been happy to get an exchange here.

Perhaps if the garden centre was a chain,you could clarify this with their head office?

uktim29

Just out of interest, how many plants did you take back to get a refund (for bogof plants) on? Both or just the free one?

If you were only taking one back did you expect to get all your money back or half?

So have you ended up getting a full refund but keeping one because you didn't take it back?

pinkshoes

If you were taking back BOTH plants, then they should have given you a refund as promised.

If you just took back the dead one, they could argue that perhaps that was the FREE one, in which case the refund would be £0! I would have asked for a refund of HALF the amount paid, as I would feel dishonest asking for a full refund when you still have a perfectly good one at home!

uktim29

Exactly, I'm very interested to see how many plants actually went back.

RadoJo

As it says you bought three under BOGOF, does that mean that you didn't take up the offer of a free one with your third rose? If so, then I think you are correct that the dead one could easily have been the one that you paid full price for and didn't receive a free one - it shouldn't be worked out in the store's favour if you paid full price for one of the items.

However, if you effectively paid half price for all of them, I think a refund of half the cost of one would be appropriate, or a replacement which would be preferable to my mind seeing as it sounds like you wanted this rose.

I think that the attitude of the shop assistant seems a uneccessary, and whilst I can appreciate the annoyance of being overruled by a senior member of staff, that was not your fault and if the shop chose to refund you that should have been done with good grace.

nomoneytoday

I would have expected either 50% refund, or a substitute item if a replacement was unavailable..

hollydays

helloecho wrote: »

If you return a BOGOF you should take back both items, else you are only taking back half of what you have actually purchased, even though one of them was free. Although they are seperate items, you are effectively buying them as a 'set'.

I'm certain you were within your rights for a replacement of the faulty item, but not a full refund. If you could get full refunds on single BOGOF offers, everyone would buy stuff on BOGOF and then take them back individually, thus doubling their money!

There was someone posting on the freebie board a few months by marty-401 with the title "buy one get one free and your money back" suggesting exactly that as a moneysaving venture,so yes,it's a significant problem,but no,you should't have been spoken to like that.

uktim29

hollydays wrote: »

but no,you should't have been spoken to like that.

Funny, technically it's wrong but technically it's factual!

This sort of situation always makes me laugh, is it a case of the truth hurts? Is it expected that you should protect customers about the truth about themselves?

But then if you do that your lieing!

So if you lie to customers it makes them happy. The case here may just have needed not to say anything. But more often than not customers are wrong but you have to convery otherwise (it's actually lieing to them if you really look at it properly). Most people won't look at it that way probably because they don't want to, but at the end of the day it's true.

Customers would prefer to be lied to than told the truth in certain situations (they like to believe the lie because it's nice to them) but it's a lie.

Go figure?!?!?!

timnicebutdim_2

uktim29 wrote: »

So if you lie to customers it makes them happy.

No, it's a case of talking to people with respect and not being rude. In this case it was inappropriate and unprofessional for the cashier to talk to the OP in that way as it was obviously sarcastic. The OP had purchased a defective product (regardless of BOGOF) and needed a replacement or refund. Simple as.

uktim29 wrote: »

The case here may just have needed not to say anything.

Exactly! - Saying nothing isn't lying.