Have you ever thought about what happens to your discount voucher when you send anything back? This blog talks about UK consumer rights, store rules, and useful ideas to help you keep your money safe.
You have discovered the ideal winter coat online. You got an even better deal: 20% off with a special code. But when the shipment gets there, the coat doesn't fit well. You put it in a box, print up the return label, and mail it back. Then you start to wonder, "What happens to that great discount?" Do you get the voucher back so you may use it again?
It can be hard to figure out how UK stores deal with discounts that are returned. Shops have complicated restrictions to keep their revenues safe. But as a buyer, you have certain rights that say how your money and discounts should be handled.
When you return something, this article tells you exactly what happens to your gift cards, loyalty points, and promotional codes. We'll talk about the laws that protect you, how the best stores handle their return procedures, and what you can do to make sure you never miss a good deal.
We need to look at the laws for retail transactions in the UK first to see if you can receive your coupon back. Two primary laws keep huge stores and regular customers from having too much power over each other. They put returns into two groups: "right to a refund" if something is incorrect and "right to cancel" if you just changed your mind.
This is the major thing that protects you when something goes wrong with a purchase. This law says that everything you buy must meet certain legal standards. People frequently recall these by the amusing acronym "SAD FART":
Good enough quality
As described
Fit for purpose
And finally, a reasonable amount of time
If a product fails these tests, you have the right to refuse it within 30 days. In this case, the store has to provide you a complete refund to the same payment method you used to buy it. They have to put you back in the same financial situation you were in before you acquired the broken item. For more information on your rights to a refund, see MoneySavingExpert's guide on consumer rights.
What if the item is fine, but you just don't like the color? The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 protect you if you acquired it online, over the phone, or via mail order. You get a "cooling-off period" of 14 days because you couldn't see the item in person. You can cancel your order for any reason.
But since this is a "change of mind" return, the requirements for your promotional vouchers are not as rigorous as they would be if the item was broken.
There are differences between vouchers. The law sees money you spent up front in a very different way than a free marketing incentive the store gave you. Here is how different types of promotional tools are sorted and handled when you return them.
What they are: A payment made before receiving goods or services. You or a buddy spent actual money for them.
What happens when you come back: There is a good likelihood that it will be reinstated. The law stipulates that retailers can't just keep the value because it is actual money. Most of the time, your refund will be a new gift card or store credit.
What they are: A price break in a contract. The store provided you this code, like "SAVE20," to get you to shop.
What happens when you return: There is a little likelihood of getting your job back. These are normally only good for one use. You can't use the code again once you return the item because you changed your mind.
What they are: "Take £20 off when you spend £100" is an example of a conditional offer.
What happens when you come back: It depends. You can forfeit the whole discount if you return an item and your total goes below £100. Check out our guide to mastering minimum spend vouchers to learn more about how they function.
What they are: Rewards that aren't money that you acquired via shopping in the past.
What happens when you return: Your loyalty account will usually get back the points you spent to buy the item. But any points you got for buying the item will be taken off your balance.
Each store has its own way of handling returns and discount codes. Let's see how some big stores put these regulations into action.
Amazon divides its logic in half. When you return an item that you bought with an Amazon Gift Card, the exact amount gets returned to your account balance right away. But this does not change the gift card's original expiration date. On the other hand, Amazon's promotional codes for marketing campaigns can only be used once and can't be refunded or reactivated. Visit Amazon's official refund page for additional information about their rules.
ASOS has a very automated procedure for handling returns. If you use a simple percentage-off code, your refund will be the same as the price you paid after the discount. But minimum spend limits make things more complicated. If you use a ticket that says "£20 off a £100 spend" and then return an item for £30, you now only have £70 worth of stuff. ASOS can take away the whole £20 discount, which means your shirt refund will be significantly less than you thought it would be. You can find out more about ASOS's rules for promo codes on their customer service section.
Things are pretty simple at John Lewis. If you use a voucher to buy something in a store and then return it, they will give you a new physical gift card. If you return the item within 35 days, they will send you an e-gift card to your email address as a refund for online orders.
Tesco's return policy is closely tied to the Clubcard program. When you buy clothes online using Clubcard vouchers and then send them back, Tesco gives you the money back in points. You won't lose the money you saved. Just keep in mind that they will also take back any points you earned on that transaction to stop people from abusing the system. For further information, see Tesco's FAQ on refunds.
Returning one item from a big haul makes getting your money back more difficult. Most stores use one of three math models to figure out how much money you really get back.
This is the most usual and fair way to do it. Based on the price of each item in your cart, the total discount is split evenly among them. If you used a £10 voucher on a £100 order with two goods, one worth £60 and the other worth £40, the reduction would be £6 off the first item and £4 off the second. You will get £54 back if you send back the £60 item. You still get to keep the £4 discount on the item you kept.
ASOS likes this model the best. You can only get the discount if you spend a certain amount. If you return something and your total drops below that amount, the whole discount goes away. The store charges you full price for the things you opted to keep after the fact.
Some older retail systems use the whole value of the voucher on the first item you scan into your cart. You could lose the full amount of the voucher or keep it all, depending on what you send back.
If the item you bought is broken, damaged, or not what you expected, everything changes. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes it clear that a retailer's error should never cost a buyer money.
If you used a code for 20% off to buy a blender and it catches fire the first time you use it, the "one-time use" rule may not be legal. If the store just gives you back the cash price with the discount, you lose 20% of your buying power for no reason. Consumer advocacy groups say that in these situations, the store should provide you with a new code or an equivalent financial adjustment to fully restore your position.
If you keep actual gift cards and store credit, you could lose a lot of money if the firm goes out of business. According to UK insolvency law, a gift voucher is an unsecured debt.
If a big chain goes out of business, the people in charge can immediately cease taking any gift cards and vouchers. They do this to save money so they can pay back banks and suppliers. If you shop there often, you're at the very bottom of the list of priorities. That's why financial experts often tell people to use gift cards right away instead of saving them up.
If you have a voucher for a retailer that is going out of business, you can try to get your money back through the chargeback scheme with your bank or by filing a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if the voucher cost more than £100 and you used a credit card to buy it.
It's annoying to miss out on a wonderful deal, but there are things you can do to protect your wallet. Here are some things you can do to make sure you keep your savings:
Understand the difference: Keep in mind that gift cards are your money, but promo codes are just a tool for companies to get you to buy anything. Fight hard to save your gift card balances.
Do the numbers: Before you make a partial return on an order with a minimum spend requirement, evaluate if the return will truly pay you any money back. It's sometimes cheaper to keep something you don't want.
Talk to customer service: If you want to send something back because it's broken, don't just use the automatic online return gateway. Use the phone or web chat to talk to a real person. Tell them that the item didn't pass the SAD FART test and ask them to provide you a new promo code by hand.
Use gift cards quickly: Don't save store credit. Use it as quickly as you can so you don't lose it if the store goes out of business.
To handle retail returns, you need to be very observant and know your rights. You might not always get a marketing promo code back if you change your mind, but you are completely safe when you pay with actual money and get broken items. You can shop and return with full confidence if you know exactly where you stand.
Q: If I send something back, do I get my discount voucher back?
A: It depends on what kind of voucher it is. Most of the time, gift cards can be used again, however promotional codes are only good for one use and are not refundable.
Q: If I send anything back, what happens to my loyalty points?
A: Usually, points spent on the purchase are put back into your account, but points earned from the purchase may be taken away.
Q: If I send back half of my order, can I still get a minimum spend discount?
A: If the return brings your total below the minimum expenditure level, you may lose the whole discount.
Q: What should I do if I have to return a broken item that I bought with a coupon code?
A: Call customer support and tell them what's wrong. They might provide you a replacement code or some other form of compensation.
Q: What happens to my gift card if the store goes out of business?
A: Gift cards are not guaranteed to be honored because they are unsecured debt. To keep their value, use gift cards right away.
Subscribe to get latest news, notification and more information..
Congratulations! You’ll be the first to receive our latest Vouchers & Deals.
