Are retailers honouring COVID-19 returns policies?

Colin – I guess this is not because of a reluctance to part with money, but more as a result of a risk assessment on the safety of handling customer-returned goods during a virus epidemic.

I agree with you, Colin. It is not unknown for risk assessments to be used to justify expedient policies.

I couldn’t understand why Screwfix were only doing click-&-collect and withdrew the delivery option until recently; it seemed to me to be more risky to open their outlets than handle sales [and returns] under controlled conditions.

I have noticed a number of suppliers have given ‘overwhelming demand’ as a reason for ending on-line sales, which seems perverse to me. Surely they are not frightened of the implications of the Consumer Contract Regulations which provide more generous cancellation rights than for shop sales and allow rejection if the customer has merely changed their mind?

I have noticed products that are no longer available on-line and can only be bought in-store, John Lewis being one of them. That does mean they will not get my business for the foreseeable future.

Companies are mistaken if they think this will encourage people to come out of lockdown and into their stores as there are always on-line alternatives.

There apparently is a problem at John Lewis with only about a third of people visiting the store actually buying from there. The remainder are just going to browse and then go home and buy it online. This was actually the case even before lockdown.

Guilty as charged Beryl. I like to see and feel products before I buy especially if they are expensive purchases.

I rarely go into a John Lewis store as it’s a bit of a trek to get to one so look and choose in other stores, then either buy where I look or online from John Lewis. It rather depends on the product.

John Lewis usually gets my custom by price matching and extended warranties. Buying online gives you an electronic receipt less likely to get lost or fade and I don’t suffer aches and pains from lugging heavy shopping around.

Any company that stops you shopping from them on-line is going to lose out – big time.

Primark have resisted selling on-line and they are doing well. Their reasoning is that the tendency for people to order a number of items, try on the ones they like, and return the left-overs is too costly for their low-price operation.

I was very surprised that John Lewis had listed its new Birmingham store for closure because it is under-performing. The West Midlands economy must be going through tough times if they are having to close a flagship in our second city. Closing a number of stores is John Lewis’s answer to the competitive situation especially, as Beryl says, since they are being used as showrooms for customers buying elsewhere. They cannot extend their ‘never knowingly undersold’ policy to the on-line competition. For major purchases like furniture and appliances there is a lot to be said for buying from a reputable company if things go wrong – although that benefit is in the up-front price. But can you put a price on good service?

I just hope they don’t close their Norwich store which is just a ten minute walk away. They carried out a major refurb there recently and it is such a great place to shop that we rarely go anywhere else for domestic things, electricals and homewares.

I recently purchased a Panasonic bread maker online for my daughter from Curry’s. The same model at John Lewis, Amazon and Argos was £30 more expensive than from Curry’s, which I thought was worth pursuing, despite it’s dubious selling practices, already the subject of much debate on Convo. It was a click and collect arrangement that was quick and without hitch as my daughter lives a good distance away from me.

If you do your research before buying its not always necessary to visit a store, the exception being of course if you are shopping for clothing or shoes which you need to try on. The bread maker was the same model that I have so I knew beforehand it was a Which? Best Buy and worth buying.

I agree with John it would be great pity to lose our well established and reputable high street stores, especially those whose after sales are worth paying a little extra added to the price. I make a point of never shopping at Curry’s usually but on this occasion I decided to take a risk. So far the bread maker is churning out quite an interesting variation of loaves, much to the pleasure and delight of my daughter and her hubby.

Hi Ken – I suggest you make a polite but firm complaint and give the company two weeks to make a refund. If you paid by credit or debit card it may be possible to recover your money by following this advice from Which? https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/can-i-claim-on-my-credit-card-when-something-goes-wrong