How I Love MoneySavingExpert.com!
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
December 13, 2012 10:42am CST
I receive emails from this site on a weekly basis and it gives advice on how to save money on utility bills and - more importantly - what our rights are as customers whenever we buy anything.
Now, a few days ago I ordered some jeggings online from the Marks and Spencer website. Me being a lazy cow I opted for the next day delivery charge of £4.95 instead of arranging to pick them up from the Carlisle store free of charge!
Upon trying the jeggings on they didn't look right so I decided to take them back the following day.
From the Marks and Spencer Customer Services desk I received a £9 refund for the sale item (jeggings) but I was 'advised' that I would not receive the £4.95 delivery charge back.
I did not query it at the time but it has been bothering me ever since with it being a fair amount of money for a start.
So, imagine my surprise at my recent MoneySavingExpert.com email when it was explaining what my rights were in this regard..something to do with Distance Selling Regulations and making sure that an item is returned within 7 days, which I did of course.
Armed with this information I sent M&S an email attaching the information from MoneySavingExpert as backup.
Well, within 24 hours of sending the email M&S are about to refund me the £4.95! Apparently, because I did not 'cancel the contract regarding Distance Selling Regulations' the money was not reimbursed at the time.
I do not blame the member of staff who served me when I took the jeggings back as she was very nice and delivery charges are probably a 'grey area' that needs looking at within the industry itself.
However, that does not change the fact that I am a very Happy Bunny indeed!
3 people like this
13 responses
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
13 Dec 12
That is great that you could get the money back.
The website sounds very useful. I had not heard of it before, but I think that I will have to take a closer look at it. I know that it is a British site, but I suspect that some of the information on it may be useful this side of the Atlantic as well. Plus, it seems a good one to know in case we actually do manage to make the shift from here to thereabouts. 
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Dec 12
To be honest, I don't think the site helps people from other countries. It's an uphill task keeping us Brits happy lol.
2 people like this
@francesca5 (1344)
•
13 Dec 12
well done, janey.
your tenacity paid off on this one.
though its quite funny, in a way, as the lesson you orignally learnt, that it was better to order them and have them delivered to the shop for free, has now been changed, in the light of this success.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Dec 12
Funnily enough, the cord leggings I ordered from the NEXT website a while back..I made sure I could pick them up in-store once they came in..and I wasn't charged.
Why I didn't do this with M&S I've no idea!
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
13 Dec 12
Knowledge is power! Mind you Marks and Spencers are usually pretty good mainly because they have their name and reputation at stake. I am glad you persisted, most wouldn't have bothered and shops, not just Marks and Spencers rely on the fact that customers won't pursue charges or question their decision not to refund etc... It's only when you are armed with the facts, become persistent and assertive that they will give in!
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Dec 12
I've always been good at getting my point across in the written word too and the fact I had facts to back my argument up has worked wonders.
You're right, knowledge IS power!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
13 Dec 12
It sounds as if they helped you out quite a bit. Is this a UK only site?
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Dec 12
I think so. The guy who ran it sold it on for about £87 million as he couldn't run it all by himself. He does contribute occasionally though and it's a site that has has helped literally millions of people to save cash. I'm quite sure I found a code on its forum once as well.
1 person likes this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
13 Dec 12
I think that it is a fantastic site. They put me on to cashback sites and now virtually everything that I buy online I get money back on. Sometimes a little and sometimes quite a lot. I bought membership of the RAC Last year for £27 and got £22 back. A Years worth of road cover for a fiver. This year I did the same with the AA. I am pleased to see that you've got all your money back. I think that consumers in this country do pretty well compared to many other places, North America in particular.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Dec 12
I am so pleased that you have been saving money and I agree, it's such a great site. A wealth of information primarily designed to help us out. Marvellous stuff. I found a voucher code on there once; can't remember what for but I found one lol.
Is it an uphill struggle getting money back in the US then? No-one fighting their corner?
Is it an uphill struggle getting money back in the US then? No-one fighting their corner?1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
13 Dec 12
There is so much one has to remember and learn about different policies even within the same company. Couple that with the fact that things are always changing, I can imagine it's very difficult to keep up with every new policy or old policy that comes along.
I would not want to be a customer service rep or manager whatsoever. I am glad that you were atleast treated fairly and that everything was done so prompt. Could you not have exchanged them instead?
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Dec 12
Well, it was a sale item on their website so I doubt there would've been a similar item in-store I could've exchanged, to be honest.
At least my cord leggings I got from NEXT the other day (picked them up from the store after ordering them about 5 weeks ago) are absolutely brilliant so I'm pleased I didn't have to take THOSE back as well, although there was no delivery charge in that case.
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
18 Dec 12
Jeggings are a cross between leggings and jeans. Some pairs look like a tight pair of jeans (with pockets and a zip fastening, etc) and others are called jeggings as they look like blue jeans but are, in fact, leggings!
Got that?
Good.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Dec 12
Well, good for you, and no more being a "lazy cow", ok?
3:-o
3:-o
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
14 Dec 12
In case you're wondering, 3:-o is supposed to be a cow face...
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Dec 12
It was very tongue in cheek - not to be taken seriously. I wasn't a lazy cow anyway 'cos I managed to force myself to take the item back lol.
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
6 Jan 13
I really like the Money Saving Expert internet site. I get the weekly email and find it useful. In September I got a half price Sky deal and I am enjoying Sky TV. I like it for the lifestyle and documentaries. I find interesting programs like Globe Trekker on it.
I have made decisions on current bank accounts and credit cards by using that excellent internet site. I have gone into a cheaper electricity and gas deal. I have got cheaper phone and Internet deal as well.
Customer rights are important. I am pleased the writing by Martin Lewis helped you get a refund for the goods you sent back to Marks and Spencer. Well done.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
6 Jan 13
Thanks very much and I'm glad you have found the site useful too.
I also use HotUKDeals for codes as well. I found one yesterday and got a further 10% off a light I bought from the BHS website..and it had already been sold at half price!
@changjiangzhibin89 (16534)
• China
14 Dec 12
It was a good job you took moneysavingexpert.com advice and maintained your right,or else you lost £4.95.Maybe the Marks and Spencer website pretended to be ignorant of the regulation about being returned within 7 days,rather than being grey area.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
14 Dec 12
There is information on Distance Selling Regulations on the M&S website but it's not exactly clear what it all means! The beauty with MoneySavingExpert.com is it explains things more clearly, which is why I was able to claim back the £4.95, knowing full well I was entitled to it.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16534)
• China
23 Dec 12
Maybe MoneySavingExpert.com can reduce that regulation to simple thing easy to understand.It pays to know a little more.
@Orson_Kart (6114)
• United Kingdom
14 Dec 12
No wonder companies are going to the wall when they have customers like you. 
@rehanashraf (350)
• India
14 Dec 12
hello buddies first of all cheers with you refund your hard earning money.Its just matter of knowledge and little bit effort.Internet has also legt websites and right people which helps the people.You are lucky because you can received that money and MoneySavingExpert.com was sport you in that matter....................
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
15 Dec 12
I haven't heard of this site, so I'm definitely going to check it out. If someone can provide me with some tips and hints on saving money I am all for it. My daughter wants jeggings for Christmas, but I just haven't been able to find any. Are jeggings what leg warmers use to be?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
16 Dec 12
Jeggings are a cross between jeans and leggings. However, they do vary in style. For example, my Mum's jeggings look more like leggings but the ones I tried on had the pockets and fastenings, like conventional jeans do. So, it depends on what you want really. I don't suit trousers with fastenings on unless they have a deep waistband, other than that it's the pull-on style for me.
Hope this helps.
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
16 Dec 12
Thank you for the explanation, that's kind of what I though they were, but I thought I might be wrong. Now, they really remind me of pajama jeans. I looked for some Jeggings at Walmart, because my daughter asked me to get them but I couldn't find any.
I might like something like this as well. I love jeans and the way they look, but most jeans are now low cut and they cut into my legs which I don't like, so I prefer to wear sweat pants or workout clothes. I find myself more comfortable in them.
