A local resident is outraged following Woolworth’s refusal to accept a return on a pair of underpants.
A local resident is outraged following Woolworth’s refusal to accept a return on a pair of underpants.
He said he was shocked that the shop would not accept the return. "Woolworths is known to have a return policy and in the past I was told that, if I am unhappy with something I have bought, I can return it for exchange. It only follows that this should apply to underwear," he said.
He added that the underwear items were given to him as a gift, but that he had wanted to return them primarily because of the colour. Upon trying to return them he was informed of the non-return policy on the item.
He says this is unfair as the product was still sealed in its original packaging.
He said he understood that the non-return policy on underwear was in the interest of hygiene, but he thought it was a pity that they did not have a uniform policy that applied across their whole range of products.
Patrons are also not allowed to try swimwear and underwear on in the shop.
Although he was upset about the incident he had not taken it up with management: “I’m not going to argue on the losing side for such a pittance,” he says. “I just want to make it known so someone else isn’t confronted with the same dilemma.”
Store manager, Elmarie Vos, said she was aware of the incident and had "even offered to buy him a new pair to solve the problem".
She said it was not the first complaint the store had received from this customer.
She said that Woolworths has had a no-return policy on all underwear, excluding bras, for years. Furthermore this policy is written on the back of all till slips and upon any underwear purchase the slip receives a bright red stamp stating the policy. "You would expect the customer to know by now," she said.
She added that Woolworths has a duty to ensure such policies are followed rigorously for health reasons.
