So I bought a Blackstar ID 15 and whilst I'm sure it's a brilliant amp it's far too loud for my needs! So I popped the music store an email the day after it arrived saying I'd like to swap it for a THR10C which is £67 more than the Blackstar. I was happy to pay the diff. of course but then they said there was a £20 delivery charge to swap the items over.
I said I felt that was steep and arranged my own collection via UPS/Interparcel and for insured delivery it cost me £15. Now I work for a courier company and I don't work in the ops side, I work in invoicing so I know what kind of rates regular shippers get and for a music store this large you're talking about £6 per delivery/collection.
Am I being unreasonable in thinking a £20 "delivery charge" is excessive and it feels more like a restocking fee? Which they don't advertise on their website.
Comments
So what. A couple of quid here and there and you have had the luxury of trying something that they will probably have to sell as ex-demo and take a hit on.
Move on.
:-O (Distance selling regs)
It was on BBC Radio 4 Money Box yesterday.
From memory......you can examine the item but you cannot use it. If you use it the shop will point out that it is now used and knock something off the refund amount.
I can't check iplayer right now but will have a look later if nobody knows anything about this. Or have we had a thread already??
Just felt a little gipped is all!
I guess my thoughts are still the same but dress it up with a smiley or two and overall less surly approach!
I don't think legally they can charge a restocking fee.
However they might absorb some of the shipping cost on a sale and in their T&C's returns/exchanges are at actual cost.
There's new regs coming in soon about all this. Here's a link:
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations
I hope this post is more constructive than my last!
Would they be obliged to sell it as ex-demo then? I guess so.
It is a European directive. ( would include Thomann then) From next Friday.
Viewing the item means you can do whatever you would do if you were in a shop. You can examine the goods but you cannot use the goods. That is a change from the current law.
The current law says you must take reasonable care of the item.
If there is any change in the condition of the item the trader will make a deduction.
From 14.20 if you are interested.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045xntk
If you can do what you can do in a shop... like most of these laws it's kind of a grey area. I mean, I can try a guitar in a shop. I presume that means I can try a guitar at home as well?
EDIT: In that radio program the Trading Standards Institute person's surname is "Rook". )
Thanks for the link and pointing out the exact part of the program to check.
To negate any loss, I wonder how many retailers will claim an item as been handled more than necessary ?
quite a few i would imagine. The wording of that seems woolly to me. Also, you are allowed to "assess the goods as much as you would in a shop". But that varies from item to item. With some it's more than a physical examination. With an fx pedal you'd want to hear it, probably, rather than just examine it. Same with an amp, obviously. Not like if you're buying a kettle. I can see myriad disputes with retailers
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
A restocking fee? You might want to check the legal position but if you are outside of the DSR limits, then I don't believe the store has any obligation to accept a non-faulty return, so in fact they are doing you a favour.
This could be the change that is needed to save the music retail industry. Following MI Pro and seeing retailers going bust every other day due to online, it's about time something changed. I don't think it would happen overnight but as soon as someone understands they can't take the piss like before, there will be customers back in shops. You know, like the good old days!