Returns and `The letter`

[Caroleanne]

Could I just please ask if anyone who has had that warning letter about returning too many items, when you have returned them did you claim back your P&P under the Distance Selling Regulations. I used it for the first time recently and have just requested it again ..the response I got was quite curt and I just wondered if you used it too often is that really why the threat is sent ...just a thought

 

[gourangaoo]

Yes, I have had the 'letter' twice now, and it does seem to come after I have sent a few things back under DSRs. I was beginning to wonder the same thing myself. Will be interesting to see responces to this one.

 

[unsure]

I have done 3 DSRs recently. Will keep an eye out. The first email reply was fine, the second one very formal. Waiting for a reply to third.

 

[miss molly]

Take no notice you are within your rights to claim DSR.

 

[Tashasaw]

This is totally disgusting. Dosen't sound right that QVC send you a letter for returning stuff as one of their selling points is that you can always return the items if you are not satisfied for any reason. The presteners keep going on about 30day money back guarantee. Never heard them mention this on air.

 

[Snarly]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I have been sending things back under DSR recently. And was wondering if I was gonna get That Letter. I would remind them that I returned some items because said items contained ingredients known as irritants and had they a published ingredients listing, I would not have ordered in the first place. I would remind them about the used-top-sold-as-new received with the size label cut out. Discussion would then follow about the pierced earrings with hair tangled amidst the wire I received. And then to round off the chat, I'd remind them about the light which exploded, luckily while I was on the other side of the room; shards and light returned pronto. Dearie me!

 

[minim]

I'm sure I read on a previous 'The Letter' thread that they do not take into account WHY you returned the goods, just that it was a return, which is extremely unfair in my view.

 

[Snarly]

No! minim, noooOOO! Say it ain't so! I was a-gettin'-snarled up! I was a-gettin'-riled-up! I was a-gettin'-ornery! A-huffin' and a-puffin'! (sob) You knocked all the wind outa me. PPPfffttt! but I still luvs ya ;-) teehee

 

[BurlyBeaR]

They don't like it up 'em.

 

[Akimbo]

If you get The Letter...don't speak to them on the phone...

...communicate only in writing

If you get the letter ask them to supply you with a detailed print out of all your returns and the reasons given on your return slip and a separate list of orders cancelled under the DSR.

Ask what time period was used in the calculation of the percentage of returns.

Ask them the total value of the items you've kept and the items returned (not including the DSR cancelled orders).

If they ever get back to you with this, point out that the cancelled are not returned items, they are items intact and unused and could be immediately resold.

Do as much negotiating as you can in writing by email, but not using their email template which doesn't allow you to keep a copy of your emails.

End every email with a request they respond to the points you raise within N days (your choice) and that if you hear nothing within that period you'll treat the matter as closed.

Once you get to the point of speaking to someone on the phone (their job being to slap your wrists and get you to agree to return less in future) it's all over because the person will ask you to limit your returns and will tell you they will write to summarise their conversation*. Tell them that your calls are recorded for training purposes. Remind them that the vendors not QVC stand the cost of returned items that cannot be resold. Remind them that they claim not to resell returned items but know this happens. Cite a couple of examples of exaggerated sales pitch by the presenters (there's always a few recent ones on here you can jot down before the call).

I have the dubious honour of being the first forum member to report receiving "the letter" (Yay Me!). Since then the Letter seems to crop up more every year which possibly means they're selling more stuff that doesn't meet our expectations, more exaggerated claims, more reliance by presenters on the "No Quibble" mbg, or we're all just getting more discerning about what we spend our money on.



*This letter will read like an act of contrition one your part and that you've accepted that you're guilty as charged. So make them work a littler for it.

Jude xx

 

[reflexgirl]

About 3 years ago I had The Letter warning that I was making too many returns. I was incensed and wrote back that many of my returns were due to poor quality etc. 6 months later I had another letter and they closed my account! I felt it was really unfair as I didn't feel that I had overdone the returns. I have never returned anything under the DSR so not sure this has anything to do with it or not, who knows. I had to write a grovelling type letter some months later (after I had calmed down) before they would reinstate my account. The last 3 years I have been letter free.

Note to Snarly - you mention a light exploding, was it a tiffany light. I have one and one day out of the blue one of the light bulbs that are fixed horizontally under the shade shot out at great speed narrowly missing my cockatiel who was sitting on the table! The bayonet fitting was still in the lamp, but the bulb just exploded out. Was just wondering if we had the same lamp:wonder:

 

[Akimbo]

Forgot to add my Letter came years before I knew about the Distance Selling Regs...so they hadn't even lost money on the postage because their inflated postal charges were never refunded to me.

Jude xx

 

[minim]

If you get The Letter...don't speak to them on the phone...

...communicate only in writing

Well ... I tell you what Akimbo, that's a pretty brilliant comprehensive post!

 

[Akimbo]

meds haven't kicked in yet!

J xx

 

[Tinkerbelle]

IF I ever get the letter I shall close my account and take my custom elsewhere. I won't negotiate, explain myself or plead nicely to be allowed to stay. I shall bugger off into sunset.

 

[fwend]

I'm a bit worried, I never send back make-up, creams, gels and such like, but If I order jewellery and it's not, ie ..... suitable or more usually not worth the money I always send it back under the DSR rules they've not said anything thus far. Recently I've ordered quite a few bits and have had to send three items back all slightly damaged so not even me changing my mind. Have stopped having things on wait-list because after the 90 days it just says cancelled although not by me so it looks bad when you see you account history and probably goes against you . If I do get a letter about returning and using the DSR I wont bother ordering I think the P&P has got to be looked at, as surly if you order so many times especially in one day there should be a cap on the price of P&P, but then that would help the customer and that would never do!!!!!

 

[Snarly]

Akimbo, I am SO glad you are on this forum and shared that post. I've got my Oomph back. That post should, IMO, be permanent. I am SO glad to have found this forum and gained this knowledge from you lovelies! @ReflexGirl That was scary for you, not to mention the bewildered birdie. Mine was a Thomas Kincade nightlight on for two hours then ka-boom. Tripped fusebox and I went into handywoman mode. Rang CS at 4am to inform them of incident and advise recall. Had initially placed nightlight a foot from my pillow, then put it across the room, Thank You, God. Could have been blinded or shards imbedded in my head. Phew! Uh, never saw any TK items aired since.

 

[Weathergirl]

IF I ever get the letter I shall close my account and take my custom elsewhere. I won't negotiate, explain myself or plead nicely to be allowed to stay. I shall bugger off into sunset.

Me too, Tinkerbelle.

 

[Akimbo]

I'm a bit worried, I never send back make-up, creams, gels and such like, but If I order jewellery and it's not, ie ..... suitable or more usually not worth the money I always send it back under the DSR rules they've not said anything thus far. Recently I've ordered quite a few bits and have had to send three items back all slightly damaged so not even me changing my mind. Have stopped having things on wait-list because after the 90 days it just says cancelled although not by me so it looks bad when you see you account history and probably goes against you . If I do get a letter about returning and using the DSR I wont bother ordering I think the P&P has got to be looked at, as surly if you order so many times especially in one day there should be a cap on the price of P&P, but then that would help the customer and that would never do!!!!!

I should add this to my list of annoying questions you should ask in your email asking for a complete breakdown of your return history; ask for the number of items returned faulty or damaged and items returned by couriers as "not delivered" and also those orders cancelled by them. There were a couple of £0.00 items a while ago but most of those who ordered had their orders cancelled without notification; as well as cancelled by them waitlist orders...oh and those who get a letter with the fib about " a quality problem with some of the shipment so they can't fulfil the order". How about website faults resulting in duplicate orders that cannot be cancelled even within minutes of spotting their faulty ordering software. Their not entirely blameless are they when you break it down. I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask them to recalculate their percentage of returns excluding these situations which aren't the buyer's fault. And if they cannot identify these different categories of return the they can't accurately charge you with >50% returns, can they?

I'm not a facebooker or a twit but it's always good to ask similar Qs on a public forum and watch them squirm, though you risk being lambasted by the QVC Harpies for dissing their beloved Q.

PMT brings out the bolshie in me!

Tin hats all round at Akimbo Towers!

Jude xx

 

[Moth]

We've had the letter and we took it right to the top at the time, even complained to the ASA and someone else who I forget now. The result was that QVC stopped using "no quibble" to describe their 30 day MBG but nothing changed. Apparently the ASA didn't seem to see why QVC not telling customers about terms and conditions in advance of ordering was a bad thing. From my old legal training, as far as I'm concerned, T&Cs form part of a contract and you cannot enforce contract terms if you didn't know about them at the time of forming the contract. Somewhere on screen should be the message "all orders are subject to QVC terms and conditions."

I'm expecting the letter again soon. I've been sending a few things back but mostly because they've been faulty or rubbish. The most recent was the one I mentioned in another thread, which was a coat that turned up with Kipling handbag labels tied into it. I told CS that it was clearly someone else's return that hadn't been quality checked and thus I didn't want to keep it. (to be fair to QVC though, they have been fine about issuing a refund and had sent a paid label too. I only returned it myself as I didn't want to have to wait the extra time to get my refund under DSR as I suspect they may not have agreed that this was a fault and kept my P&P).

If they do send the letter I'm likely to just ignore it. I think is totally stinks that QVC behave like this to customers. They go on and on about how wonderful they are, how good their customer service is and how quality minded they are. It's all crap. I am bemused as how they get away with it. I can't imagine any other company would have done so for so long.