Should People Have to Pay for Return Labels and Packing at Drop off Points?
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I guess this is a general point about the time it takes to process some online returns at various drop off points. I always print my own labels either returns or prepaid labels for items I have sold. I go in, they scan the items, a receipt is generated and I leave. I can maybe do 5 items in less than 30 seconds perhaps 12 or more in a minute. It's quick and means other customers aren't left waiting. However I've been behind customers who may only have one parcel and yet we are talking multiple minutes to serve that customer. They have a return and first they have to show the bar code on their phone (this can often cause a delay sometimes a long delay), then there is a delay sometimes in printing the label or the first label needs to be redone, then they have to pack up the return often just a thin bag that the item is placed into which seems insufficient to protect the item too. It seems to be a very slow process. It is convenient for the customer being served not to do this work at home but slow and inconvenient for everyone waiting in the queue. Same issue with buying postage. Takes much longer than doing it yourself online so there should be some financial advantage to buying it online.
Do you think there should be a charge for this so people are more motivated to pack themselves and print out their own label? You are basically doing more of the work yourself and saving time for businesses when you do your own labels and packing. You are using your own power to power the printer and using your own packing tape. I think there should be a discount for buying postage online compared to instore.
I'd be curious to know how much more shops charge for labelling and packing items compared to prepacked labelled returns and shouldn't this be reflected in pricing for the customer. Extra convenience normally means higher pricing. This is a completely random guess but I would say it takes maybe 50 times as long to process a return without a label and needs packing than a prepacked labelled return.
No I don't think you should have to pay to return something but if you going to the post office get your stuff ready the amount of people who stand at the window messing about they could have had it all done in minutes but then again a lot of people expect it to be all done for them going off experience working in a post office
I agree with you it's annoying and time consuming at the counter for staff, especially the post office, and my local post office is chronic for long queues already. Unfortunately people don't always get a choice especially with Amazon, it's a code to take to the post office where they print the label , which incidentally I will print out the code to take with me anyway. I do see the logic as not everyone has a printer these days because, most people do everything on Phones. Given the choice I much prefer to print and pack my own and drop a parcel at a locker somewhere when it's convenient to me.
Mango4 It annoys me that Amazon don't give the option to simply print out the full label now. My mother had 2 items to return which were collected. It was the identical item in both boxes and didn't matter which label royal mail put on either box but because they couldn't tell the boxes apart they refused to take them. So after contacting Amazon services to get another return day the return tracking codes were printed and put on each box so they could tell them apart and then they collected them. Exactly the same items with the same type of damage possibly both were dropped from height to damage some of the plastic body.
I was returning something at a JD sports store last week, a bloke in front of me was taking forever to show his barcode for his return, thumbing around like he had no fingers, Why!! It took me 5 seconds
martinlufc5637 I've seen similar many, many times. If I'm returning something with a bar code I just screengrab the bar code so it is always available on my phone even without a signal. Same as I do for Greggs free coffee etc. I leave the bar code showing in the queue even before I enter the shop etc. Other people seem very relaxed about wasting time.
I don't think anyone should pay for return labels, I think the stores should have more dedicated staff to deal with returns.
pato It has been discussed before that many people are serial returners which is very bad for the environment and has to be subsidised by people who don't serial return. I personally think people should pay for returns in some situations but not obviously for items mis-sold or faulty but if you just change your mind then really you should pay as its not the retailers fault and shouldn't be subsidised by the rest of us.
BonzoBanana If it has been discussed before, why bring it up again? surely you can't expect genuine people to pay for returns because of the serial abusers to the system.
I don't think anyone should pay for returning items ,I wasn't pleased last year I had to pay to send a polo shirt back they sent the wrong one out because the the I picked sold out think it was £5 it's a disgrace they should be giving free return labels
kate1310 That sounds like one of Mike Ashley's companies like Sports Direct. I buy from them occasionally but customer service and the return's process is not great to say the least.
BonzoBanana it was cruise I had to pay delivery on it plus returning it for a different item I had ordered
I think you have a point, however i doubt online retailers will do it because having to pay for returns does put people off buying.
jms19 It may do but of course it could mean prices are lower across the site and it encourages you to buy more because you only pay postage once per order. A pair of jeans for £20 with free postage vs maybe a pair of jeans for £16 with £5 postage. If you buy one pair of jeans you pay £1 more but if you buy 2 pairs of jeans you pay £3 less etc. Free postage and free returns has a big impact on final prices. What if those jeans could be sold for £13 but you pay for postage to you and for return postage too? It is convenience vs value. The people that choose their purchases carefully and rarely return anything subsidise those currently who are serial returners.
We also need to restore the high street and provide more jobs here and reduce our trade deficit. Policies that make online retail more difficult or expensive than high street retailers would hugely benefit our economy. Buying clothes on the high street means people can see and feel the actual goods and try them on. It means so much less damage to the environment and our economy.
I think it depends on how much you were charged for delivery. If you’re paying £1.99, then you should pay for returns. But if you’re paying £5+, the company should pay for it
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