Order the same jeans in two sizes and three colors, buy the dress in the shop without trying it on because the changing rooms were too full – classic shopping scenarios of our time. But if you think you have the right to simply return double or incorrectly purchased clothes, you are completely wrong: when you return clothing, you always have to rely on the convenience of the respective shop – there is a right to exchange or return with a money-back guarantee it is not or only in special cases. What you should know about your rights as a consumer and the manufacturer’s obligations and which exchange mistakes should never be made
The 8 biggest mistakes when changing clothes
You want to return underwear, swimwear and accessories For hygienic reasons, purchased underwear, bikinis, swimsuits and earrings are usually excluded from return or can only be exchanged by the buyer if the security seal in the panties (for underwear and swimwear) is still present.
You want to exchange made-to-measure items
Have you had a dress or blazer tailored to your body? Then a return is almost impossible because the item can no longer be sold to another person by the retailer.
You haven’t read the wash sheet
The newly purchased T-shirt is two sizes smaller than before after the first wash and the new dress has ugly marks from the iron after ironing? Make sure that you have followed all the care instructions for the wash slip correctly – otherwise it is impossible to return the item. If you shouldn’t have been able to iron the dress, for example, you were unlucky.
They make returns a habitEspecially with online orders, you shouldn’t overdo it when returning ordered items to one and the same shop – in the worst case, the goodwill of the retailer can be overused and your customer account can be blocked if you do not keep any of your orders. You have already removed the hanging straps While missing price labels are usually still accepted for newly purchased items, you have bad cards when returning the hanging tapes. Therefore, please only remove these if you are really sure that you want to keep the part.
You argue wrong
Small trick: If you, as a consumer, indicate that a purchased item does not suit you when you exchange or return it, you have a better chance, especially in retail, than if you say that you don’t like the garment so much.
You want to return clothing that has already been worn
The light sweater has a small blush or make-up stain on the collar, the shoes have scratches on the sole and the jacket smells of food or a pub? Don’t come up with the idea of exchanging or returning such clothing as unworn – every seller is trained in such scams and recognizes them immediately.
You overdo it with your explanations
You didn’t have your glasses on when you bought them and therefore accidentally bought the part in red instead of blue, which you only noticed at home – such and other adventurous designs make salesmen more suspicious and cause them to scrutinize exchange items to take. If you prefer to explain in a factual and brief manner (and of course politely) why you want to return an item, then nobody is annoyed by you.
It is not only in the case of clothing that has been purchased that it often happens that something does not please, does not fit, breaks after a short time or does not work at all. It is often not clear what right you have to exchange or replace. We explain the most important rules and tips regarding the right of exchange, right of return and right of withdrawal.
The customer is always king
As a customer, I always have the right to exchange or return, right ?
One of the biggest mistakes is the assumption that as a customer or buyer you can exchange or return goods that you simply don’t like. That is not the case, explains Stiftung Warentest. You are not legally entitled to a return just because the product does not appeal. The fact that most shops still offer an exchange or a return is based on goodwill towards the consumer. You should be aware of this when you go back to business with the unpopular knitted cardigan. Our tip therefore: stay calm and polite, even if the queue is long, and explain that the goods unfortunately do not correspond to your personal taste or do not fit properly. A must of course is that the goods are returned clean, unused and with a proof of purchase.
Shop with a money-back guarantee
As a consumer, do I generally get my money back?
Based on the fact that an exchange is generally based on goodwill, the customer or buyer has no legal right to receive the money that he has paid. Merchants often offer the choice between a voucher or a payment, but they don’t have to. If you are only offered a voucher, you must accept it or keep the goods.
Where’s the label?
The label has been lost. Can I exchange goods whose price label or price sticker is missing?
Most of the time yes. If you still have the receipt and the goods are unused, it is usually possible to use an article number to verify that you actually bought this product (applies to clothing as well as books or perfumes, for example). However, it is imperative that you do not remove the inner labels that are sewn onto a piece of clothing or do not cross out barcodes, such as on a book. Once this has been done, retailers can no longer track the purchase even with a receipt and an exchange is often no longer possible. Incidentally, the same applies here too: the seller can decide to only offer you a voucher and not to pay out in cash.
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