Selecting the wrong flavour when shopping and then realising this when you got home falls into the change of mind. It is like buying a shirt and then realising when you got it home it was the wrong size or didn’t like the colour in the sunlight…these are also change in minds.
As the ACCC states: ‘Retailers don’t have to give you a refund or exchange if you simply change your mind. Always check the store’s returns policy.’
The Woolworths change of mind policy was amended mid-2020 when they started getting goods returned by hoarders…those buying up on toilet paper etc trying to make a quick buck by on-selling them at inflated prices. Woolworths new Change in Mind policy is legal and conforms to the information provided on the ACCC website.
When I bought the prawns on 22.12.2020, the person went to put them in a flimsy plastic bag so I asked her if they had the proper prawn bags as Coles have had for years.
She said that they had prawn bags but she thought that they were only for cooked prawns as that is what is printed on them.
Yesterday, I had to again ask for a prawn bag and the person grabbed 1 of abour 10 sealed cartons of them off the bottom shelf of a work bench and opened it.
Whilst Woollies employees don’t understand that the bags work for both cooked and raw prawns, they obviously expect that their regular customers are even dumber with the message on the back of the prawn bag.
While you may not agree, it is Change of Mind. It is change of mind as the retailer (in this case Woolworths) did not select the wrong flavour when shopping. The shopper did. There was nothing wrong with the product. If one gets home and makes a mistake, it isn’t the retailer’s fault. Even though you may have selected the wrong flavour instore, and you think you haven’t changed your mind in relation to the purchased flavour (as you bought the wrong one), it falls into the definition of change of mind.
It is similar to this case example where a shopper bought the wrong sized shoes (rather than flavour) and this is change of mind and comes under the store’s change in mind policy. In this example the shopper didn’t change their mind in relation to the shoe size, but selected the wrong size when ordering online. This example shows that making the wrong purchase decision or selection at the time of a purchase falls under the definition of a change in mind.
Woolworths are right to refuse a refund under their current, advertised Change of Mind Policy.
If for example the biscuits were labelled as Chicken Flavour but when you got home you found that they had been wrongly packed and were BBQ flavour, then this isn’t a change of mind but a faulty product (as it is different to what the label says). In such case, the purchase resolution would come under the ACL.
This returns policy - since Covid - is very annoying. I accidentally bought the wrong type of tinned cat food for my daughter’s cat (she’s fuzzy and prefers fish) but I wasn’t allow to exchange/get a refund of the two tins. How stupid is that? I can understand for perishables but tinned items?
Yes to both, though I was asking for a refund, as that is what was usually accepted in the past. I would have my digital receipt. Might try again with all this information. Though it’s past 30 days now.
They won’t give a refund with their new change of mind policy (which was changed through action of Covid ‘hoarders’ spoiling it for all). They should allow exhange to another cat food varieties or potentially (but less likely) against non-cat food items.
While policies seem to be relaxing we had issues at both Coles and Woolies where the stores were hard about return/exchanges. One was a mistaken product (wrong flavour in our basket) and the other was a terrible juice product - we wanted to exchange a second unopened one for a different brand.
The mistaken product was so sad too bad change of mind and the ‘exchange’ was simply refused. We did not pursue the former w/Woolies but went to Coles corporate for the latter as a satisfaction/quality issue and they approved the exchange; we took their email to the local and they honoured it.
In my experience in the usual way of things they are a mix of good people and good workers and some not so good, some who rarely make an error and others who are not so careful. There is plenty of evidence that Woolie’s policies and systems from time to time throw up anomalies and stupidities. When they work correctly of course it is unremarkable.
This range of outcomes can be found in any large organisation.
Also my experience. The staff, workers employees or however we like to put it of any business are just like the rest of us when at work.
When a business delivers a bad outcome, it is rarely the staff who are to blame. Even if they are, it’s an issue for the management who on complaint would hopefully resolve any consumer complaint in a constructive way.