RIVER Island has angered customers by introducing a £2 charge to return items ordered online.
The move comes amid fears shoppers have been abusing free returns by ordering items, wearing them briefly and then sending them back unfit for resale.
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The charge will be deducted from the total amount refunded, after the customer has posted back the items.
Angry customers have railed against the change, and even vowed to stop shopping there.
One said on the Trustpilot website: “Absolute joke that you’re now charging £2 to return something to you via us!
“Is it really worth losing customers that want to purchase from you by charging a £2 return fee if something just isn’t right for them?
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“In this day and age with everything being so pricey surely as a huge company you can not pass on unnecessary charges out of a bit of loyalty to your customers. What a joke!”
Another disgruntled woman complained about the charge after receiving a pair of trousers that didn’t fit.
She said on the same site: “Not happy that you will be deducting £2 now for returns and I know you can return in store for free but that is just a pain.
“I will definitely be rethinking my ordering now seeing as you can’t get orders correct or the sizes are all over the place. Charging for returns is disgusting.”
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And on X, a woman from Northern Ireland said: “@riverisland charging for returns now?! What’s next?? Anything to get extra money!!”
How to find the best bargains at the supermarket
Other big retailers including Debenhams, Zara, H&M and New Look have introduced similar changes over the past few years as online shopping has become more popular.
Charles Allen, a retail analyst of Bloomberg Intelligence, said: “There has been an assumption, encouraged by some digital-only retailers, that online retail is somehow lower cost than retailing in stores.
“This was never really so and is certainly not the case now. Online retail requires quite extensive capital investment in warehouses, especially with automation and also uses labour for delivery (and pick-up), work that is done by the shopper when items are purchased in store.
“The low margins of online-only retailers are probably not sustainable so it is likely that consumers are going to be charged the economic cost of remote shopping.”
Other ways to save on your online shop
WHILE it may not always be sale season, there are loads of ways to save on your clothes shopping.
Find secret sales – sometimes you’ll find there aren’t many sales going on when you enter your favourite retailer, but that’s because they’re probably shifted online.
You can also try price matching to make sure you’re getting a great deal, and sometimes that uncovers a hidden deal.
Always keep a look out for voucher codes and coupons too – they can also save you up to 25% off or even half price in certain stores.
You can find great sales and promotions with our checker.
You can also use cashback schemes which will, quite literally, pay you to shop.
The likes of Top Cashback and Quidco are great for that – if you want to buy something, rather than directly visiting the retailer’s website, you click the company via a cashback site, such as the two listed above, and you get paid for it.
And remember to never pay for postage and packaging if you can help it – a lot of retailers offer free shipping once you spend a specific amount.
Or if there’s going to be an extra shipping cost, decide whether you can go and pick your order up from a nearby store.
River Island says items must be returned within 28 days of delivery and should be clean, unworn and with tags still attached.
An update posted on its website last month said: “For UK orders placed on or after 17th January 2024, returns processed through our return portal back to the warehouse will be charged £2 per return.
” This charge will be automatically deducted from your refunded amount.”
“Returns to our stores will continue to be free of charge.
“International returns are charged for through the return portal.”
The Sun approached River Island for a comment.
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Asos and Marks & Spencer still offer free returns in an attempt to attract more customers.
Meanwhile, H&M last year followed in the footsteps of the likes of Boohoo, Zara and New Look to charge £1.99 per return.
