Forum Moderators: buckworks
We are an apparel company and often receive returns that smell like smoke or body odor. How can we tactfully tell the customer that we are unable to issue a refund? The item is in good condition, it's just the smell that is overwhelming. Usually we just take the hit and issue a refund, but it has been happening more frequently.
Help!
welcome to webmasterworld.
point 1, arent used items never accepted as a substitute/swop/exchange, only new items in packaging.
point 2, I am sure there is a market for clothes that have been worn and have genuine body odour smells to them (being serios here)
point 3, just swallow it (imo)
Shak
Write a policy and try to prevent more of this in the future. Good luck.
And welcome to WebmasterWorld. :)
<edit to add: My wife worked in retail clothing management for many years and found that many customers would buy an item for a special occasion, wear it, and return it the next day ... often smelling like the water (if it was an event on a boat or near water), or smoke, or whatever. The Big Company she worked for accepted all these returns, but they could afford to in the name of keeping people happy. If you can't, write up a preventative policy.>
[edited by: pleeker at 7:05 pm (utc) on Mar. 30, 2004]
How about along the lines "not resaleable, or not in pristine condition in which they left distribution centre"
something along those lines methinks
shak
I personally would just swallow the cost and issue a refund. You don't know how to got to be smelly, especially if they have tags. For all you know it left you warehouse smelling like that. Having worked in a clothing warehouse, I know that this occationally does happen. Or maybe some jerk at the shipping company spilled something on it. You just don't know.
If I let the customer know we can't issue a refund, they will ask why - will I have to say "because it smells"?
"Regardless of the presence of original tags and whether the item was worn or not, refunds will not be issued for items that we determine cannot be resold. We may make such a determination based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the appearance, smell, and/or general condition of the item when it is returned to us."
Howzat?
or
"We reserve the right to limit refunds to in-store credit, if item is not in pristine condition upon arrival at our facility."
I'd use the first one, since you don't actually have to give a reason in that case, and it covers absolutely every eventuality... but #2 would cover almost anything, even if they tried to blame the item's condition on the postal system.
I would recommend that estimate the amount of money pr. Year this will cost and if you find it acceptable, you simply refund as a rule no questions asked.
Of course you need to watch the development in this area, and you might consider writing a polite letter to the customer explaining that you do refund the money no questions asked, but that you will refuse refunding used items in the future. This way the customer cannot complain, hi or she has got his or her money back and you have prevented most people form trying this trick again
Combine that with Shak's slightly more risque suggestion and you have a solution :)
<added>wow, mine would have been third post when I was typing it, this one obviously struck a chord :)</added>
Real life stores won't take back smoked up clothes
Oh, yes they would. I am willing to bet that 9 out of 10 brick and mortars would take it back, no questions asked and the other one might just look at you funny before they rung the return. Especially if it still has the tags. They might issue a store credit, but they would take it back. Heck, I've heard stories of them taking things back that were bought over 20 years ago.
They do it for the PR, as someone mentioned before. If you don't take it back, you have lost a customer and worse, that customer will tell ten of their friends, who will not be your customers either. Do that enough times, and you have a problem.
