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Consumer law in Belgium
Question
I bought a dress from a high end designer on Ave. Louise on Saturday. When I got it home, I decided I wanted it in a different color. I called this morning and asked if they had that color in stock and that I wanted to exchange the dress. (Only worn to try on, still has tags and I have receipt). Was told - rudely, of course - "No exchanges, no returns, no refunds". Needless to say, am waiting for New York corporate office to open so I can call them, but am aghast. I lodged a complaint with the ECC, but just wondered if anyone knew what the deal is, because I could only find articles that applied to ONLINE purchases.
thanks!
Wow, this thread gathered all the trolls and sheepish personalities at one place trying to bully the original poster and celebrate bad customer service.
I am super surprised that a high-end store refuses exchange. I recently returned (not exchanged) an item in a men's store and got cash back (not store credit). In another shop when buying a wallet for a present I was told that the it could be exchanged up to one month after the purchase.
I would say that the place you bought the dress is an exception not the rule.
Then how come everything is SO MUCH CHEAPER in the US? I rarely buy anything in Belgium because I look at the price and think, I can get that way cheaper in the US next time I am there. And, I can probably get it on sale with an additional special that day--to the point the shop is practically throwing merchandise into my shopping bag.
Seriously SPARKLES you do not realize why things are cheaper in the US?
open your eyes....
> SO MUCH CHEAPER in the US
Land is cheaper
Labour is cheaper (exploited)
You think an average income of 2000 Euros a month is not exploitation? Fools
My god, people can be so unpleasant. Would you speak to someone like that to their face? There are more civil ways of responding to someone. Have all of you piling on the poster really never purchased something in a store and gotten home to find it doesn't go with the things you thought, or doesn't fit the way it did while you were standing in a tiny dressing room? My two cents would be that the ideal is probably somewhere between the extremes of the two systems.
Just an aside. I think Zara was mentioned in one of the exchanges. Last year I picked up a boot in Zara in Woluwe S.C. and judging by the state of the soles, it had clearly been worn outside and put back on sale. Similarly, I once picked up a jacket in Massimo Dutti (owned by same group as Zara I think), all tags missing, and the creases in the elbows were consistent with it having been worn (not just tried on) and then put back on sale at full price! Who knows whether is was the staff wearing the items or if they were return items. Either way, a bit of a cheek. Good for you R3!
"never purchased something in a store and gotten home to find it doesn't go with the things you thought, or doesn't fit the way it did while you were standing in a tiny dressing room"
No. Never.
"in the UK Consumer rights are far better"
NO THEY ARE NOT. However the practice of accepting returns, WHICH DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS is far more widespread. It was Marks & Spencers that initiated the no-quibble returns/refund policy. It only spread wider because it was a seen as a competitive advantage. But it is a policy of the individual retailer - not a right.
Marks & Spencer initiated the policy but lived to regret it (and it is now significantly more restricted than it was).
If you carefully examined ladies' party wear in an M&S store in, say, mid-December, an almost surprisingly large number of items showed signs of having been worn and subsequently "sponged off" - and I am not talking about items with a "reduced" label. The store effectively became known as the cheapest "hirer" of ladies' party wear - buy on a Friday, party on a Saturday, sponge off and reattach labels on Sunday, get a refund on Monday.
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