Designer Dog Clothes Are So Cute. But Can You Return Them If You Change Your Mind?

When pet lovers know they can return goods purchased online, like high-fashion dog boutique products, even if they simply change their minds about the purchase, it makes for a far more relaxing, pleasurable and exciting browse right from the start.

That's what makes this form of "retail therapy" so worthwhile. And such great news.

Here's The Bad News

The one thing that is very off-putting when shopping online, is finding that "very special something" for your little one and by the time you receive it, you've discovered you've changed your mind completely. And now want to return it, but can't, because the supplier doesn't accept such returns.

Yes, it's surprising to find that in these days of enlightened retailing, there are still retailers on the Net who will not condone the return of goods whatever the reason, except where the law says they must - as in wrong deliveries or otherwise defective items.

More Bad News. No Exchanges, No Store Credits, No Cash-Refunds

For them, there are no exchanges, no store credits and certainly no cash-refunds just because customers change their minds.

This made me wonder. In this day and age, what was the Online Pet Industry's take on the vexed subject of cash-refunds? Would you believe this?

I did a quick survey on Google and here's what I found. Of all the online dog boutiques, it seems that just 25% offer cash-refunds of some kind on their web sites. So 75% offer none at all. Mmmm.

But How's This For A Surprise?

Of all these boutiques:

30% offer full cash-refunds within 30 days of original receipt. Not too bad. But there are better.

A full cash-refund is offered by 10% of them within 21 days. Less acceptable than 30.

A full cash-refund is offered by 10% of them within 15 days. Less acceptable than 21 and 30..

Within 7 days of receipt of original goods, 20% offer full Refund. 15, 21 and 30 days are better.

20% of boutiques offer full Refund less 10% Restocking Fee. What do you get for this additional fee?

10% offer cash-refunds less 20% deducted as Restocking Fee. I ask again, what's a Restocking Fee for?

One more factor in the Returns Procedures insisted on by all dog boutiques is that returned goods should be in their original packing, with original labels. And in a condition that allows them to be sold as brand new to new customers. Anything less is unacceptable. Fair enough, I hear you say.

But Be On Guard For The "Aggressive" Boutique

I have to tell you that not so long ago, a friend of mine ordered and returned a dog coat to a supplier (She unfortunately got the sizing wrong) which the supplier subsequently refused to accept because "he had found a dog hair on the coat," when my friend knew very well that this simply wasn't true. It was certainly non-existent when she received the coat back. It happens.

May We Suggest An Ideal Answer

How about this? As soon as you land on a webpage containing products that are immediately attractive to you, check out the site's "Shipping and Returns Policy." You need to know right away what is and what isn't on offer by way of returns of unwanted goods. And don't be put off, if you can't immediately find the rules governing returns. T hey are there somewhere. So just persist.

As always, you'll want a full, 100% refund if at all possible.

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