From John Lewis to Sports Direct, the best and worst UK retailers for refunds revealed – how to get your money back

IF YOU’VE ever ordered anything online then you know that returning products can be a chore and leave you out of pocket. But which retailers are the worst when it comes to returning an item and trying to get your money back? Which? sent its team of 12 mystery shoppers to check how the biggest online shops compare. Each placed an order at 17 of the UK’s biggest online retailers in June and July – which totalled more than 200 items including socks, water bottles and computer accessories. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! The items were returned by post as this is the most common returns method. They then made notes of whether they were refunded correctly, how much the return cost and when the money landed in their account. Which? found several big-name retailers failed to refund customers, others broke the law by failing to reimburse delivery fees and there were discrepancies in how long it took to get money back. John Lewis and Amazon came out top, with both offering free returns and consistently refunding the purchase cost and delivery fee. Meanwhile, their terms and conditions were easy to understand and were stuck to. John Lewis kept customers notified of their return at every stage, so Which? named it the first recommended provider for returns. Most read in Money But the shoppers also liked Amazon’s efficiency, with one saying “I’d received my package, returned it and had my refund before many retailers even sent their package.” At the bottom of the table was Matalan as it doesn’t offer free returns. It only refunded seven out of 12 mystery shoppers for the products they bought and didn’t reimburse any of their delivery fees. The shoppers all bought an item worth £3.99 and paid £3 for delivery and £2.99 for the return. But almost half of those who sent the item back didn’t get any of their money back, leaving them £9.98 out of pocket, instead of just £2.99 down. Pets at Home also only refunded six of the 12 shoppers for the products they returned. How did the retailers compare? Here's how Which? ranked each retailer. Amazon – 98% John Lewis – 98% Currys – 88% Holland & Barrett – 86% Asos – 81% Superdrug – 70% JD Sports – 66% Boots – 64% Next – 64% Pets at Home – 59% House of Fraser – 52% Sports Direct – 50% Halfords – 43% River Island – 43% Matalan – 28% It directed shoppers to use the live chat to arrange a return, which could prove difficult for some shoppers. Halfords failed to refund shoppers on two occasions, while Next and Superdrug did this once each. Next returns were inconsistent, with some shoppers refunded the return fee (£2.50) while keeping the delivery cost, meaning some shoppers were shortchanged by £2.45. In comparison, Halfords shoppers had to arrange their own postal return, which cost shoppers between £3.29 and £5.70. None of the shoppers received a refund for the delivery fees. Meanwhile, River Island and Sports Direct didn’t refund any of the mystery shoppers’ delivery fees, which is required by law. They also both charged for returns, which meant shoppers were left out of pocket every time they sent an item back. For example, a £4 item bought from River Island also cost £4 for delivery and £2.95 was deducted for the return, so the shopper received £1.05 back from an £8 spend. They should have got £5.05 back. Boots, Halfords, House of Fraser, Pets at Home and Superdrug all also failed to refund the delivery fees in all or almost all the cases. Many of the retailers had good terms and conditions but they did not hold up when tested. Sports Direct and House of Fraser had good terms and conditions but failed to comply with the law in practice by failing to return shoppers’ delivery fees. Meanwhile, Which? said: “Halfords was similar, also appearing to pay little more than lip service to consumers’ rights, with a much better score for its policies than its actual practices.” In comparison, Asos and Holland & Barrett had poor returns information on their websites but performed in practice. At Curry’s shoppers had to request a return then wait for approval. Which? contacted all the retailers mentioned for comment. Holland & Barrett said: “We continuously review the information on our website to ensure our policies are as clear and transparent as possible for customers, and that they accurately reflect the service and support we provide.” Superdrug said: “We welcome Which?’s findings and are reviewing our returns page information. “While returns affect only 2.5% of orders, we’re committed to making delivery simple and affordable. Today, around 80% of deliveries are free, and we’re working to make free delivery available to even more customers.” Boots said: “Boots is fully compliant with the law and offers an extensive returns policy to ensure customers can shop with confidence. “This includes going beyond our legal obligations by offering a 35-day returns policy for unwanted items, as well as refunding standard delivery charges on online orders in accordance with the law. “Without the specific transaction details from Which? we are unable to verify or investigate the mystery shopper claims.” Pets at Home said: “We regularly review our policies and the information available on our website to ensure customers have access to clear and accessible guidance on our terms and conditions. As always, if customers have any questions or concerns, we would encourage them to contact us directly.” A spokesman for Sports Direct and House of Fraser said: “Unfortunately, we are not able to provide any meaningful comment on the “mystery shopper” claims. “Despite requesting the basic details of the orders from Which? to be able to understand what has or has not happened with the specific transactions, they have refused to supply the necessary information. We of course seek to address genuine customer concerns.” Argos said: “We want shopping with Argos to be as easy and convenient as possible for our customers, and if they do need to make a return, we offer a range of options. “Customers can return items to Argos stores, including our stores within Sainsbury’s supermarkets, or arrange a collection for home-delivered items. This gives customers the flexibility to choose the option that works best for them.” Currys and JD Sports declined to comment. The rest did not reply by the time of publication. Comment now