Fashion brand fronted by Fearne Cotton and sold in M&S makes big change to return rules
A FASHION brand fronted by Fearne Cotton and sold in M&S has made a big change to return rules.
Bohemian clothing brand Nobody’s Child has said it will start charging £3 for customers to return online orders, making it the latest in a string of retailers to clamp down on the process.
The brand, famed for its flowing dresses and collaborations with presenter-turned-podcaster Fearne Cotton, said the money would be automatically deducted from the amount shoppers receive after they process a return.
Customers will also be charged per item they return, meaning they cannot send back multiple items in one go in an attempt to reduce the fee.
However, shoppers can exchange a garment for a different size or style without the return fee and free standard delivery.
They will also be able to make changes to their order after making a purchase, including adding a discount code and changing the delivery address.
Nobody’s Child said it was trying to make “purposeful change” and break the “buy, return, repeat cycle.”
It added: “Whilst we will continue to cover the majority cost of returns this £3 contribution will ensure we can continue offering quality products at fair prices.”
The pricey retailer, which also has a number of concessions in M&S, joins a barrage of shops that now charge for returns.
This includes ASOS who now deducts £3.95 from shoppers’ refund if they keep less than £40 worth of items.
This fee applies to customers who are considered to be “regular” returners.
PrettyLittleThing (PLT) started charging all customers for returns in June.
The fashion brand, owned by Boohoo, introduced a £1.99 fee on June 3.
The charge is deducted from a shopper’s full refund amount.
PrettyLittleThing fans who are members of its PLT Royalty programme can’t avoid the charge either.
Zara, New Look, Uniqlo, Next and Debenhams have also bought in similar charges after hikes in the cost of delivering and processing returned items, as well as increased use of the service.
H&M brought in a £1.99 fee in September last year and Boohoo also charges the same amount.
The move has upset many shoppers who in the past have said they feel “cheated” by the process.
Customers as went as far as to say they would boycott Boohoo after it rolled out its return process.
One said: “Well, that settles it. No more shopping from @boohoo now they’ve started charging £1.99 for refunds.”
Following the news that Debenhams would charge for returns, one shopper said: “I have ordered leggings, you have sent something that looks completely different and I am charged for the privilege £1.99 – never again.”
YOUR RETURN RIGHTS EXPLAINED
THE SUN’S Head of Consumer, Tara Evans, explains your return rights:
YOUR right to return items depends on where you purchased it and why you want to return it.
If you bought an item online then you are covered by the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which means you can cancel an item 14 days from when you receive it.
You then have a further 14 days to return the item, once you’ve notified the retailer that you want to return it.
If an item is faulty – regardless of how you bought it – you are legally able to return it and get a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
Most retailers have their own returns policies, offering an exchange, refund or credit.
Shops don’t have to have these policies by law, but if they do have one then they should stick to it.