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Merseyside retailers handing out £3.3 million a week in refunds
SHOPPERS in Merseyside are
putting over £3.3 million a week, or £174 million a year back into
their pockets by demanding refunds, according to a report published
about the nation’s spending habits. 8 out of 10 shoppers admit to
returning products in pursuit of a refund and nearly 700,000 would
bend the truth to get their cash back.
The research, conducted by TOTAL UK, found that over 400,000
shoppers in Merseyside have engaged in mischievous refund behaviour,
going as far as telling blatant lies, to secure a refund. Female
shoppers far outgun their male counterparts in their willingness to
use a variety of shopping tactics to ensure they get exactly what
they want.
TOP 5 REFUND LIES
1 Pretending an item was a gift
2 Buying something at full price, then
returning it to buy the same item at a discount
3 Buying 2 sets of clothing (eg. bikinis) or footwear and then
returning one item of each size, pretending they were mismatched at
purchase
4 Deliberately damaging an item
5 Altering an item of clothing to fit, then returning it (eg.
Shortening trousers)
The survey also reveals that British shoppers will go to great
lengths to secure a refund, with 35% asking to speak to a store
manager and over 1 in 4 making the time to sit down and write a
letter of complaint. Men are the most aggressive in vocalising their
displeasure, being far more likely to pursue all avenues available
to get the money re-credited.
TOP THINGS BRITS DO TO GET A REFUND
|
Avenue of complaint |
% of Brits |
|
1 |
Complained to a member of
staff |
61% |
|
2 |
Asked to speak to the store
manager |
35% |
|
3 |
Wrote a letter to head
office |
26% |
|
4 |
Phoned the complaints line |
22% |
Despite the keenness
of British shoppers to chase down refunds, three out of ten Brits
admit they simply ‘can’t be bothered’ to return genuinely
faulty items. Younger shoppers are the major culprits with 53% of
Brits under the age of 34 not returning a faulty item at some point.
In contrast, only 11% of 45 to 54 year olds cited laziness or apathy as
the reason for not returning an item.
Dr Tim Denison, a leading retail psychologist for SPSL, echoed the
findings of the research:- “We are living in times of
unprecedented consumer-power and knowledge, where retailers work
tirelessly to make the decision-making process as easy and painless
as they can for shoppers in the quest for extra sales. Offering
refunds is just one example of this, one which is quickly becoming
lodged as an expected customer “right” among Brits.”
Other findings:-
- Female shoppers don’t like trying on clothes in the shop, with 2
out of 5 saying that this was the primary reason they took items
back for refunds
- Women are more likely than men to change their mind about liking
an item, with 25% of all female shoppers seeking refunds because
they decided they didn’t like an item after buying it
- 2.4 million Brits returned at least 1 unwanted Christmas gift in
January 2008
- 255,845 Scots took all of their Christmas presents back to the
store for refunds
- 2.9 million shoppers cannot afford to shop, but enjoy it so much
they often buy an item only to get it refunded later
- Despite typically fickle refund attitudes, 83% of all Brits did
not return a single Christmas
Neil Robinson, Marketing Executive, TOTAL UK said:- “The
research was done as a light-hearted look into the shopping habits
of Brits. The findings indicate that the UK is a RefundNation, where
British shoppers are open to trying new things, but enjoy the
freedom of returning purchases if there is a change of mind.”
TOTAL UK is making it easier for British shoppers to comfortably
indulge in trying new things, by inviting drivers to test TOTAL’s
Excellium range of advanced fuels with a guarantee that they will
not pay the additional cost if they don’t see the difference. Now
every driver can confidently fill up their tanks with Excellium fuel
and see for themselves that Excellium can take them up to 30 miles
extra per tank full (compared to TOTAL’s standard fuels).
If
customers can’t see the difference, then TOTAL will refund the
difference in price between the cost of standard TOTAL fuel and Excellium.
The Search for Benny
and Nell
THE producers behind the smash
hit musical ‘Her Benny’ are staging a series of
special ‘open’ auditions to find child stars who’ll
appear alongside Bernie Nolan and a professional adult cast at The
Liverpool Empire this 12 November 2008 to 22 November 2008.
The much loved musical, set on the docks in Liverpool, has been
specially re-worked to coincide with 2008 and the city’s status as
European Capital of Culture.
Now titled ‘Our Benny’ it features brand new
orchestral arrangements, authentic costumes, world class set design
and the very latest in sound and lighting technology.
The show’s writer Anne Dalton explained to us that:- "We
know that Merseyside and the North West as a whole is a hot bed for
talent. In the past we’ve unearthed children who’ve gone on to great
things and become stars in their own right.. As Benny’s a period
musical I’m looking for a certain type of appearance, facial
expressions are crucial. It’s going to be hard work but a lot of fun
for the right people … I’m sure we’ll be inundated!"
The company are also looking for a number of talented supporting
young actors who can dance, sing and act. If you think you’ve got
what it takes and would like to audition, we’ll be visiting a venue
near you soon!
Monday, 11 February 2008:- The Communiversity, Altcross Road,
Croxteth.
www.communiverity.co.uk
Sunday, 2 March 2008:- Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St Helens.
www.sthelenstheatreroyal.co.uk
Saturday, 22 March 2008:- Arts Centre, Lord Street, Southport.
www.seftonarts.co.uk
Saturday, 29 March 2008:- The Civic Centre, Bromborough, Wirral.
All auditions start at 10am. Please be prepared to wait as this will
be a long process. Those who are re-called will attend the Liverpool
Empire on 5 April 2008. |
Retired couple wave goodbye to energy-guzzler
THIS is not the normal thing you
would expect to find as a competition, but www.t2c.org.uk ran an
online competition to find Britain’s Oldest Working Fridge!
The search for the oldest fridge brought them to Merseyside and to
the home of Betty and Graham Guntrip, a retired Heswall couple, both
in their eighties.
When judges heard about the couple's
fridge after it was entered into the nationwide competition, they
where shocked, but why?
This shock was down to the fact that the
couple had a 54 year old Bosch Fridge and it was the most ancient
entry in the competition, winning hands down... The
biggest shock was still to come...
Judges on closer investigation where
amazed to find that it that was still working and being used!
Yes you read that correctly... a fridge working after 54
years!
On 1 February 2008 AMDEA’s (Association of Manufacturers of Domestic
Appliances) who ran the competition sent their Chief Executive,
Douglas Herbison, to visit the couple at their home and formally
present them with a brand new A+ Bosch model.
Sadly, for the old fridge, the couple
waved goodbye to it, as it was taken away for recycling after 54
years of service.
Mr and Mrs Guntrip bought their old
Bosch model in 1953, from their uncle’s shop in Hull, when they were
living in their first home in Preston. They brought it with them
when they moved to Heswall in 1959, where they have lived ever
since.
Betty Guntrip, who entered the competition on the web, says of the
old fridge:- “It’s older than my son and was running
beautifully but I knew it was guzzling huge amounts of electricity
and the new one can run at a fraction of the cost.”
The competition illustrates the aims of Association of Manufacturers
of Domestic Appliances’ (AMDEA) Time to Change campaign which is
encouraging the public to replace the 15.4 million old appliances
still in use in the UK, saving significant amounts on energy bills
and reducing domestic carbon emissions.
Davenport to realise
goal of competing at WRC level
Report written by Joanna Boyes,
Jardine International
DAVENPORT to realise goal of
competing at World Rally Championship level Castrol / Daily
Telegraph team to compete in Swedish Rally Nearly three months after
competing in her last rally, top freelance motoring and travel
journalist Franca Davenport will be realising her goal of competing
in a World Rally Championship (WRC) event. Franca will be co-driving
for Liverpool born Tony Jardine with the Castrol / Daily Telegraph
team, in the Uddeholm Swedish Rally from 7 February 2008 to 10
February 2008.
Last year Davenport, from Chippenham in
Wiltshire, was set the task by Jardine of gaining her international
rally licence in just 42 days. She achieved her aim by completing
four national rallies and two courses in rallying and navigation,
including a master class from Robert Reid, world champion co-driver
to the late Richard Burns. Davenport gained her final upgrade
signature, taking her up to international co-driver status, at the
Tempest Rally last November (2007). The Castrol / Daily Telegraph
team was due to compete in Rally Ireland just three days after
Davenport received her final licence signature. Sadly the team
was forced to pull out on the eve of the event as Jardine’s wife had
been involved in a serious car accident.
Davenport, commenting on the challenge ahead of her in Sweden,
said:- “Although I was nervous about competing against the
world’s best in Ireland last year, the mixed emotions of Jeanette’s
dreadful accident and not starting the rally left the whole team
feeling low. But we now have the chance to complete my task at WRC
level in Sweden and with Tony’s wife making great progress I’m
looking forward to working with him and the Castrol ProSpeed team
again’.” This will not only be Davenport’s first
attempt at a WRC event but also the first time that Jardine has
competed in the Swedish Rally.
The motorsport pundit did compete in
Rally Norway in 2007 but since then has not driven in the type of
snowy, icy environment expected in Sweden. To re-fresh his skills
and give Davenport an opportunity to experience the harsh
Scandinavian conditions the media duo will be attending John
Haugland’s Winter Rally School in Norway prior to the Swedish Rally.
This will also give them the opportunity to test out the Kumho
spiked tyres for the main event.
Driver Jardine said:- “I am relieved Franca will finally get
the opportunity to fulfil her goal of competing at WRC level after
the dramas of Ireland, although this challenge is even greater when
you factor in the problems of visibility and the disorienting
experience of ‘white out’. However I am confident in Franca’s
ability as a co-driver; she learnt quickly last year and obtained
her international licence in record time.”
Jardine and Davenport will be competing
in a Ford Fiesta ST150 which is prepared and run by York-based
ProSpeed Motorsport. It will be the only Fiesta entered in the
Swedish rally and will be running in the standard production class.
Olly Marshall, Team Principal of ProSpeed Motorsport, commented:-
“The conditions in Sweden will create a completely different
challenge to what Franca would have been expecting from Rally
Ireland.
However attending John Haugland’s
Winter Rally School should give Franca a good idea of what is to
come and help prepare her for the three days of snow and ice,
including survival technique for the sub zero temperatures.”
The team will also be supported by McLaren SLR technician and test
driver Andy Beale from Lightwater near Camberley, who has worked
alongside Jardine and the ProSpeed team since 2006. “Although
I have supported Tony at international level before, at Wales Rally
GB and Rally Norway, I think that this is going to be a tough test
for the team.
I am looking forward to the
challenge of keeping the car running in the demanding conditions of
the Swedish Rally”, said Beale. |
