Buyer beware
Buyer beware: returns are not straightforward and may cost $30–$50 per item
My mother recently ordered several dresses from Wilson & Carter, London. Unfortunately, the items were unsuitable as they were of very poor quality and unlike the website pictures and she wanted to return them for a refund.
The major problem was that the website and company branding gave us the impression that we were buying from a UK/London-based retailer. It was only when we contacted the company about returning the items that we were told that returns would need to go to an international location and that return shipping would typically cost around $30–$50 USD per item, payable by the customer.
Had this been made clear to us before ordering, my mother would not have purchased the dresses.
When we contacted customer service, they initially tried to resolve the issue without a return, including offering store credit. We explained that this was of no use to my mother because, given our experience, she did not intend to shop with the company again. After multiple further correspondence, they offered a 30% refund while allowing her to keep the items, which she has accepted rather than incur the very substantial cost of an international return.
Customer service did respond to our emails, and I want to be fair about that. However, I remain extremely unhappy with the lack of transparency around the returns process. A customer buying from a business prominently presenting itself as “Wilson & Carter, London” could reasonably expect to understand before purchase that unwanted goods may have to be returned internationally at potentially very high cost.
My advice is to read the returns information extremely carefully before ordering. In our case, what appeared to be an ordinary online clothing purchase became a choice between paying a very significant amount to return the items or accepting only a partial refund.