James Rowe: We've put online retailers to the test to find out which ones offer fast, easy, and free returns. These are the results.
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Today, I'm bringing you a piece that our retail expert, Ellie Simmonds, and consumer rights expert, Hannah Downes, wrote for the October issue of Which? magazine, all about returning products that have been bought online.
Now, shopping online has become the convenient way to shop for almost anything. But given there's no standardised way of returning unwanted items, the process can differ from one retailer to another.
So, to test some of the biggest online retailers, we asked mystery shoppers to help us find out how their processes compare, and whether or not they're all following the law.
Here is their piece, adapted for the podcast this week, read by me, James Rowe.
James Rowe: Anyone with an online shopping habit knows that returning products can be a breeze. Or it can be a chore if the retailer makes it one. Worst still, returns can go wrong, leaving you out of pocket.
We've heard many gripes over the years, from disappearing parcels to missing refunds and lengthy delays.
About half of us have returned at least one item in the past year, according to research by YouGov. So, we decided it was time to use our mystery shoppers to test just how the biggest online shops compare.
We uncovered some shocking practices, with several big-name retailers not refunding us at all. Others breaking the law by routinely failing to reimburse our delivery fees, and huge discrepancies in how long it took to get our money back.
Our 12 mystery shoppers based across Great Britain each placed an order at 17 of the UK's biggest online shops in June and July, totalling more than 200 items. They then returned the purchases by post, which we know is the most common return method.
They recorded everything from whether they were refunded correctly, to how much the return cost, and when the money landed back in their account. Then back at the office, we trolled the retailers' websites to assess just how consumer-friendly their returns policies were.
While we couldn't order exactly the same items across the different retailers, we tried to make them as similar as possible. All were under a tenner, smaller than a shoebox, and none were particularly fragile. Our shopping list included things like socks, water bottles, and computer accessories.
So then, which retailers were the best, and indeed, the worst?
Well, top of our table are Amazon and John Lewis, which both offer free returns, consistently refunded both the purchase cost and the delivery fee, as well as publishing clear and correct T&Cs online that our mystery shoppers found were adhered to in practice.
Our mystery shoppers liked the fact that they were kept notified of their John Lewis return at every stage. John Lewis did so well, in fact, we've made it our first Which? Recommended Provider for returns.
The shoppers also liked Amazon's efficiency, with one saying, "I'd received my package, returned it, and had my refund before many retailers even sent their package."
At the bottom of the table, meanwhile, is Matalan. It doesn't offer free returns. It only refunded 7 out of 12 of our mystery shoppers for the product they bought, and it didn't reimburse any of their delivery fees.
Our shoppers bought an item worth £3.99, paid £3 for delivery, and £2.99 for a return. Almost half of those who returned the item didn't get any of their money back, leaving them £9.98 out of pocket when they should have been down just £2.99.
One mystery shopper said, "There's a returns label in the bag, but it's so faded that I can't read the instructions." Another added, "I had to print a label, despite being sure I'd opted for the non-printer-needed option. The label says I need to send it back within seven days, which I don't think is right."
Matalan didn't respond to our request for a comment.
Shockingly, the bad practice didn't stop with Matalan. We also found real problems at other big-name retailers. Both River Island and Sports Direct didn't refund any of our mystery shoppers' delivery fees – something that's required by law.
They both also charge for returns, which retailers are entitled to do, but this meant shoppers were left significantly out of pocket each time they sent something back.
Boots, Halfords, House of Fraser, Pets at Home, and Superdrug also failed to refund the delivery fees in either all or almost all of the cases. Next also failed to do this in a few cases.
We also didn't get refunds for the actual product in some instances. Joining Matalan in this hall of infamy is Pets at Home, which refunded only 6 of our 12 mystery shoppers for the product they returned.
Halfords failed to do this on two occasions, and Next and Superdrug once each.
River Island didn't respond to us when we reached out, nor did Halfords.
Boots said it is fully compliant with the law, but without our specific transaction details, are unable to verify or investigate the mystery shopper claims.
Pets at Home told us it regularly reviews its policies and said if customers have any questions or concerns, they should contact the retailer directly.
Superdrug welcomed our findings and is reviewing its returns page information.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sports Direct and House of Fraser, both owned by the Frasers Group, said they were not able to provide any meaningful comment on our mystery shopper claims, but do seek to address genuine customer concerns.
We didn't just test what happens in practice; we also looked at the written policies and information about returns that online shoppers gave their customers.
Surprisingly, few retailers were good both on paper and in practice in our mystery shop. Only Amazon and John Lewis stood out from the crowd here.
Unfortunately, we found a lot of retailers had decent T&Cs, but were terrible when we put them to the test. These included Sports Direct and House of Fraser, which had great T&Cs, but repeatedly failed to comply with the law in practice by repeatedly failing to return shoppers' delivery fees.
Halfords was similar, also appearing to pay little more than lip service to consumers' rights, with a much better score for its policies than its actual practices.
On the other hand, some shops, such as ASOS and Holland & Barrett, had poorer returns information on their websites, but were much better in practice when our mystery shoppers put them to the test.
Holland & Barrett said it continuously reviews the information on its website to ensure its policies are as clear and as transparent as possible for customers, while ASOS didn't respond.
Complying with basic consumer rights law isn't the end of the story. Our investigation also revealed big differences in how easy retailers make returns.
Many are very smooth, with customers being able to arrange a return themselves online. But others add seemingly unnecessary layers of friction. For example, our mystery shoppers were directed to use live chat to arrange a return at Pets at Home, which might not be an issue for most people, but others could struggle.
And at Currys, we found we had to officially request a return and wait for approval. We asked Currys about this, but it declined to comment.
Returns at Next were a little inconsistent, and we found some confusion over the amount returned. It seems like it was sometimes refunding the £2.50 return fee, but keeping the original £4.95 delivery cost, which is the wrong way round and meant some shoppers were shortchanged by £2.45. Next didn't respond when we asked it for a comment.
Halfords stood out for being the one retailer where you had to arrange your own postal return rather than following a process arranged by the retailer. It recommended a tracked delivery. Our mystery shoppers paid between £3.29 and £5.70.
Halfords also didn't return the delivery fee for any of our shoppers, and didn't refund the product for two of them, meaning most were significantly out of pocket. Halfords didn't reply when we asked it about this.
Shoppers were also left counting the cost at House of Fraser, Matalan, River Island, and Sports Direct. None offered free returns, and generally, they didn't return the delivery fee when they should have.
For example, a £4 item bought from River Island also cost £4 for delivery, and £2.95 was deducted for the return, meaning our mystery shoppers received a refund of just £1.05 from a spend of 8 quid, when they should have got back £5.05.
But what about Argos and M&S? You might have noticed that these two big-name retailers are missing from our analysis.
M&S failed to qualify in our mystery shop because it didn't offer postal returns on items bought online under £10 if you checked out as a guest. Instead, you have to return in-store.
This meant we couldn't compare it fairly to the other retailers. We also don't think it's right that postal returns are not allowed. Many people would struggle to get to a store due to location, transport, or mobility issues.
Argos also didn't offer postal returns, so similarly couldn't be included in our investigation. It did offer free home pick-ups, which could suit some, but if you're regularly away from home, this may be inconvenient.
Earlier this year, Argos did change its return policy for Click & Collect items after criticism from Which? It had previously refused some returns, saying the usual cancellation rights for online orders didn't apply to these.
Now, you can't always shop at our Which? Recommended Provider, John Lewis, so here are some tips for successful returns:
First of all, keep tabs on what you're owed. You are entitled by law to get not only the cost of your product refunded, but also the standard delivery fee – though not any extra you may have paid for premium or next-day delivery. Keep track and get ready to chase your money.
Next, return in-store for faster refunds. Many retailers say you're likely to get a faster refund if you return in-store, so opt for this if it's just as easy as a postal return. It's also less likely your return will get lost, and you won't need to worry about wrapping it securely. Some retailers, such as Sports Direct, don't let you return online purchases in-store, though.
And finally, have a strategy for return fees. It's worth knowing if you'll need to pay for a return before you order. And if you're buying several items, you may find it's cheaper to order in one go and return them together, rather than in separate transactions. This isn't always the case, though, so do your research ahead of time to avoid any nasty surprises.
James Rowe: That brings to an end another podcast from Which? There's loads more for you to read about everything we discussed today, just head to the episode description for more useful everyday advice.
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Goodbye.
