Shops selling returned good as new.
Discussion
Bought a little personal DAB radio from a high street catalogue shop. The box looked fine, it has sticky tabs closing it with no obvious signs of it being opened before. It was in a plastic bag that didn't appear to be original packaging.
Opened the thing up and it was all dusty and has various small scratches over it including the display which has lots of swirls. The USB charge lead has also been unwound.
Quite clearly this radio has been used for a reasonable amount of time.
I thought it was illegal to sell returned goods?
That's quite a few times recently I've purchased items from the same shop that have turned out to be used.
The thing seems useless anyway. The reception is very hit or miss. You can't be active with it as you need to find the sweet spot for it to work, move about and it cracks up.
It'll be going back on both accounts.
Opened the thing up and it was all dusty and has various small scratches over it including the display which has lots of swirls. The USB charge lead has also been unwound.
Quite clearly this radio has been used for a reasonable amount of time.
I thought it was illegal to sell returned goods?
That's quite a few times recently I've purchased items from the same shop that have turned out to be used.
The thing seems useless anyway. The reception is very hit or miss. You can't be active with it as you need to find the sweet spot for it to work, move about and it cracks up.
It'll be going back on both accounts.
Edited by Driver101 on Monday 2nd February 15:31
No idea on the proper legal position but I would have thought that it should have been sold as recon or as a return.
As for selling returns, it's certainly not a problem if they are sold as such - I recently bought a SG Tab S from John Lewis for about £120 off RRP because it was a return. Close inspection of it before purchase suggested that the first buyer didn't even take it out the protective sleeve they are shipped in it was so indistinguishable from a box fresh one.
As for selling returns, it's certainly not a problem if they are sold as such - I recently bought a SG Tab S from John Lewis for about £120 off RRP because it was a return. Close inspection of it before purchase suggested that the first buyer didn't even take it out the protective sleeve they are shipped in it was so indistinguishable from a box fresh one.
Driver101 said:
I thought it was illegal to sell returned goods?
So when you return something, what do you want them to do with it? Bin it? That's precisely why returns policies state that goods have to be returned in resellable condition. Clearly, this one wasn't, so they shouldn't have accepted it back. When you return something, how anal do you want them to be about inspecting it and demanding it be EXACTLY as originally packaged before they accept it as a return? How much extra are you prepared to pay to cover the extra costs to them of rejecting products?Driver101 said:
That's quite a few times recently I've purchased items from the same shop that have turned out to be used.
Don't buy stuff from there, then.Driver101 said:
The thing seems useless anyway. The reception is very hit or miss. You can't be active with it as you need to find the sweet spot for it to work, move about and it cracks up.
I wonder if that's why it was returned...? Are you sure it's the radio, rather than reception where you are?
Edited by TooMany2cvs on Monday 2nd February 16:07
TroubledSoul said:
We were bought a lovely set of glasses from a large department store that could be run by a relative of Inspector Morse's sidekick.
Inside the box was a note about the chip in one of them being the reason for them being returned.
I was not impressed.
Out of interest I wonder if it was someone being economical with the cost of the gift. The item I bought was very clearly labelled as a return. Other than the broken seal on the one end and the test sticker on the charger I would have been hard pressed to tell the difference between it and a brand spanker. Snd trust me I spent a good 10 minutes examining it in detail as whilst I wasn't going to pass on that sort of discount lightly I also wasn't about to take it and 'live' with a scratch on the case or screen that existed before I bought it!Inside the box was a note about the chip in one of them being the reason for them being returned.
I was not impressed.
Mr GrimNasty said:
It is of course illegal to sell returned goods as new and you should report it to trading standards - the firm you didn't mention and other high street electronics retailers have been repeatedly prosecuted and fined for this.
I must say I am amazed to hear that they do this. The goods supply contracts I have seen for most of the bigger places are so one sided it is untrue. Okay so there might be the odd big brand who has the power to dictate terms but those handed to SMEs that I have seen make you wonder why they didn't also just pop in a 'first born son' clause as well.TooMany2cvs said:
So when you return something, what do you want them to do with it? Bin it? That's precisely why returns policies state that goods have to be returned in resellable condition. Clearly, this one wasn't, so they shouldn't have accepted it back. When you return something, how anal do you want them to be about inspecting it and demanding it be EXACTLY as originally packaged before they accept it as a return? How much extra are you prepared to pay to cover the extra costs to them of rejecting products?
Don't buy stuff from there, then.
I wonder if that's why it was returned...?
Are you sure it's the radio, rather than reception where you are?
The return policy does state that items have to be returned in original condition. Being dirty and scratched isn't original. Don't buy stuff from there, then.
I wonder if that's why it was returned...?
Are you sure it's the radio, rather than reception where you are?
Edited by TooMany2cvs on Monday 2nd February 16:07
I don't think expecting a new product to be clean and free of scratches is in any way setting my standards to a high level. It took me seconds to notice the obvious defects, so I'd expect a shop knowing it was a returned item would have given it a better check over.
The shop had put the radio itself back in a little bag and taped it back up. They also put a different coloured tie band around the charge lead. They've also put new little sticky tabs on the box to make it appear factory sealed when quite clearly it isn't. They've obviously spent time to get it back to near original packaging but not paid enough attention to the product.
Lots of shops sell off soiled goods and make their customers aware of what they are buying. The shop in question has their own shop on an auction site where they sell refurbished, returned and soiled good.
I think there is a big difference between buying a product and having a change of heart or quickly finding that it doesn't meet their needs rather than using it for clearly a reasonable length of time then returning it.
Shops don't need to accept goods back if there isn't anything wrong with them. Obviously they have to appease customers, however I see no point keeping one happy if you're going to upset another.
The DAB checker website shows more channels than the thing will pick up for my postcode. My DAB hifi at home is fine and picks up more station than the personal device.
If it doesn't pick up stations and can't hold the station for lengthy periods, it isn't fit for purpose.
It does make me think twice about shopping at the shop again. It's just very convenient as it is local and offers far more goods than other local shops.
Rude-boy said:
Out of interest I wonder if it was someone being economical with the cost of the gift. The item I bought was very clearly labelled as a return. Other than the broken seal on the one end and the test sticker on the charger I would have been hard pressed to tell the difference between it and a brand spanker. Snd trust me I spent a good 10 minutes examining it in detail as whilst I wasn't going to pass on that sort of discount lightly I also wasn't about to take it and 'live' with a scratch on the case or screen that existed before I bought it!
I don't think so, purely because it was bought from our wedding list and delivered to us direct by the retailer!I took the radio back to the shop and have hit another snag.
I paid for the radio with bond vouchers I had. They will only offer me a refund back onto one of their store cards.
As I said to the guy I don't want store credit as the goods are soiled and it isn't my fault or me having a change of heart.
He got all snappy with me. I'll send a little email off to their customer services and see where it goes.
I paid for the radio with bond vouchers I had. They will only offer me a refund back onto one of their store cards.
As I said to the guy I don't want store credit as the goods are soiled and it isn't my fault or me having a change of heart.
He got all snappy with me. I'll send a little email off to their customer services and see where it goes.
That store do it all the time, I had a few occasions when I got something home and opened it up to find it was used and bits were missing or damaged. I dont buy much there but when I do if the box looks like its been opened or is in any way not 100% pristine I open it on the spot and check then get them to change it if its not brand new.
Driver101 said:
I took the radio back to the shop and have hit another snag.
I paid for the radio with bond vouchers I had. They will only offer me a refund back onto one of their store cards.
As I said to the guy I don't want store credit as the goods are soiled and it isn't my fault or me having a change of heart.
He got all snappy with me. I'll send a little email off to their customer services and see where it goes.
Shops will only refund back onto the original payment method, it's to prevent fraud. If they can't give you vouchers then their own store card (ie. anything other than cash) is the next best thing. Deal with it, every shop operates the same way.I paid for the radio with bond vouchers I had. They will only offer me a refund back onto one of their store cards.
As I said to the guy I don't want store credit as the goods are soiled and it isn't my fault or me having a change of heart.
He got all snappy with me. I'll send a little email off to their customer services and see where it goes.
You've just said in an earlier post that you spend a lot with them as they're local and have more than other shops, so what's your problem?
All that jazz said:
Shops will only refund back onto the original payment method, it's to prevent fraud. If they can't give you vouchers then their own store card (ie. anything other than cash) is the next best thing. Deal with it, every shop operates the same way.
You've just said in an earlier post that you spend a lot with them as they're local and have more than other shops, so what's your problem?
I didn't say anything about spending a lot of money with them. You've just said in an earlier post that you spend a lot with them as they're local and have more than other shops, so what's your problem?
As per TooMany2cvs, why keep giving them custom when they keep selling me used goods?
Would you wish to return to a shop that keeps selling substandard goods and the manager is rude to you?
It's not a shop I would use that much. A lot of their stuff in not to my liking or available cheaper elsewhere. I just had some vouchers to spend and made an impulse buy and chose that shop as it was nearby. It's not my go to shop by any means.
I wouldn't class a store card is the same as open bonds that can be spent anywhere. Like a say this is also purely the shop's fault and hardly like if it is me who has had a change or heart. The goods are substandard.
Edited by Driver101 on Monday 2nd February 22:05
Is it possible that someone bought a new one, carefully replaced their crappy knackered one for the new one and took it back for a refund?
I once bought a new kettle only to get home to find that a) there was some water in it b) it looked like it had been used for months and c) it didn't even work
I once bought a new kettle only to get home to find that a) there was some water in it b) it looked like it had been used for months and c) it didn't even work
Edited by Oakey on Monday 2nd February 21:44
My wife worked for a short contract at a leading seller of home computers (at the time) and the number of UNOPENED returns they got was phenomenal. It seems peeps would order the same item from 2 different catalogues - whichever one got to the customer first was opened, the other was returned. They all went into the 'not for retail sale' area even if they clearly hadn't been opened. We all pay for this in the long run of course.
Oakey said:
Is it possible that someone nought a new one, carefully replaced their crappy knackered one for the new one and took it back for a refund?
I once bought a new kettle only to get home to find that a) there was some water in it b) it looked like it had been used for months and c) it didn't even work
I obviously can't be 100% sure, but I do think they have re-wrapped it.I once bought a new kettle only to get home to find that a) there was some water in it b) it looked like it had been used for months and c) it didn't even work
The box was inside a plastic bag that just looked out of place and not original packaging, also the circular sticky pads are identical both ends of the box. Who would have them ready to stick back on?
The actual radio was sealed back properly in its own bag, who would have access to the correct sized bags?
Strange they made sure the radio was sealed correctly but the charge lead wasn't. The bag was ripped, the lead wasn't wound back correctly and wire used to tie them together was different a different colour.
When I took it back the girl on the till looked at it and agreed. The manager then made excuses that items often have to be demonstrated to customers and they do reseal items. Like I pointed out to him, the damage is way in excess of people handling it and the charger had been used. Although he questioned my opinion that it was used, he refused to even look at it whilst sticking to his original story.
Like I say if it happened once, I'd give the shop the benefit of the doubt. However that is three times over the last year I've received goods that have been used. Reading other sites this is a very common issue.
All that jazz said:
Driver101 said:
It's not a shop I would use that much. A lot of their stuff in not to my liking or available cheaper elsewhere.
Don't use them then! Problem over.I simply asked for advice on this matter. I've asked nicely and not in a way to offend anyone except you clearly.
Firstly you came steaming in and read things I didn't say, now you are getting all snappy with me for absolutely no reason.
I've already explained above why I did buy from them, so let's not drag this down to this petty level.
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