Retailer claim returned parcel not received

It may be good for courier companies but sending back 87% of stuff you buy is a ridiculous way to shop if you think about it. It just means prices go up to pay for all the couriers and staff putting things into boxes then taking them out of boxes.

The retailers hate it, lots of the returns go straight in the bin too. A few investigations have exposed it as a massive waste and open to people abusing it by returning items they've used once then sent back for a refund. It just ratchets up costs and waste that ends up being paid for by everyone.

Agreed, although it would appear not a soft touch in this case.

Only on here could this become the problem of the OP for "ordering too much". You have to laugh.
If businesses don't like don't have an online presence.

As a side note the days of free delivery and returns are long gone. I ordered a pair of walking trousers with £4.99 which were identical size to the ones I have in a different colour. Couldn't get them over my thighs and then got stung for another £4.99 delivery fee for the return

It's a tough one as saying "don't have an online presence" pretty much means your business is a non starter these days. It's the distance sellers act that ties our hands (I'm an online retailer). I can ship items to clients (large and heavy) and they can send them back within 14 days for no good reason and its a huge pain in the arse. It all has to be repacked to look like brand new.

I have it in my T&Cs that they pay the shipping for a non-fault return - you can elect to do that.

Hey, if a business model is set up to account for the return shipping of £1000's of worth of shoes, bully for them, but you surely must be paying extra for those shoes to cover that cost. Shipping isn't free, unless they are making the customer pay, and even then, everything needs to be checkled over to make sure its fit for resale. Just look at all the reviews on Amazon along the lines of "Definitely NOT a new product!!".

Seems the market is correctiing itself now that the online retailers have the monopoly and can pass on the return charge. (p.s. if you can find ANY fault with the product then the retailer pays the postage)

I think with your trousers mate - go to a shop - that's the only real reason for shops to still exist now. A place to try things on before buying.

Does it?.....

I did go to a shop, they didn't stock them so ordered direct from the manufacturer.

The original point of it somehow being the OPs fault stands for the reason you state. If the retailer allows it then that's their business model

I sell online too and have similar about charging for no fault returns. It's a fine line to tread though - push it too hard and suddenly faults start to appear and then it's a double whammy, I have to pay for the return postage to get a (now) damaged item back.

Thanks for all replies chaps

The reason I ordered 8 pairs was because my holiday was imminent and I needed a few pairs - my intention was to keep more pairs, but the pictures online and how they looked in real life were v different!

The retailer has an online presence only, there is no physical shop which I could have visited to try them on.

The return cost me £55 in total, with ~£38 of that being the extra level of cover.


I contacted Parcelforce yesterday to query the parcel tracking, and was initially told that the parcel had been loaded onto the van, taken on the route, and then returned to the depot on the same day. I told a search request would be raised to locate the parcel at the depot, and I could collect it once found.

A few minutes later the call was returned, and I was told that the parcel had in fact been delivered correctly, and that I should raise a Parcelforce claim if it had not been received by the retailer. I requested photo, GPS coordinates of delivery, and written confirmation that the parcel was delivered to the right place, but this couldn't be provided due to GDPR (17 other parcels were delivered at the same time). The lady on the phone advised me to make an online Parcelforce claim several times during the call.


I contacted retailer again with this information who replied with:

As the online tracking did not contain much information, we phoned Parcel force customer services and they advised they did not have an electronic POD but contacted the Manchester depot on our behalf. The response from the Manchester Depot was that the parcel was delivered along with a number of others to the fulfilment centre on XYZ St, Manchester, *correct postcode*. However after they reviewed the tracking numbers of the other parcels delivered at the same time they were addressed to Company X, 2 XYZ St, Manchester, *correct postcode*. Our address is Company A, 40-42 XYZ Street, Manchester *correct postcode*. Therefore it has become apparent that the carrier has mis-delivered the parcel and we have indeed not received the return."


My parcel was addressed to Company A, 40-42 XYZ Street, Manchester *correct postcode*

Hahahaha spot on! I carry tubes and tyre levers for my motorbike though so maybe thats a sign im getting old too

And it's a model that is going to be slowly withdrawn or as the returns are hurting margins.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/10/m...