An investigation by Which? has revealed that several major online retailers are reportedly failing to comply with consumer law regarding returns. Mystery shoppers found that some companies did not refund delivery fees, and in some instances, did not refund the cost of the product itself.
Matalan was highlighted at the bottom of the Which? table, reportedly refunding only seven out of 12 mystery shoppers for their product and none for delivery fees. Other retailers, including River Island and Sports Direct, also reportedly failed to refund delivery fees in any of the mystery shop cases.
Boots, Halfords, House of Fraser, Pets at Home, and Superdrug were also found to have failed to refund delivery fees in most or all cases. Pets at Home reportedly refunded only six of 12 mystery shoppers for the product returned, while Halfords failed on two occasions, and Next and Superdrug once each.
In contrast, Amazon and John Lewis were identified as top performers, consistently offering free returns and refunding both product and delivery fees. John Lewis has been named a Which? Recommended Provider for returns.