How to return underwear under consumer protection law

Let's turn to the law

Based on the law on the protection of consumer rights, underwear in the Russian Federation is not subject to exchange or return. There are currently no special government regulations on this issue, but there are general rules that cannot make any product completely irretrievable.
Even food or dishes ordered at a restaurant and partially consumed, if found to be of poor quality, can be returned for a full or partial refund.

Returning underwear is still allowed, subject to a number of mandatory circumstances. This can be done voluntarily (by contacting the seller), through the consumer rights protection service (by contacting this body for help and receiving the necessary expert opinions from them) or through the court. In the third case, the seller is required to recover not only the cost, but also compensation for all associated expenses (for examinations, a lawyer, court fees, etc.).

If the money for the goods was returned to the seller without him writing a statement, this means that no penalties will follow for the store and sellers, since the fact of the return was not recorded. When a client wants to punish a dishonest supplier of goods, he needs to file a written complaint.

If the product was purchased in an online store

To regulate this option, there are special “Rules for the sale of goods remotely”, introduced by Government Decree No. 612. Underwear purchased from a catalog in an online store can be returned to the seller.

Return conditions:

• purchased has not been used, no more than 7 days have passed;
• the period can be extended to three months if you were not notified of the conditions under which the return exchange is made (online stores have included this information in the documents that you sign upon delivery);
• underwear, accessories, stockings should not be made specifically for you; this cannot be returned.

Refund period: 10 days.

Return instructions:

1. Collect purchase documents (invoices, checks, delivery documents, order printout, money transfer data), make copies.
2. Write a request for a refund within 10 days, do not forget to indicate bank details, return address and telephone number.
3. At the same time, fill out the return form on the seller’s website - often at this stage everything is decided.
4. Send the claim with copies of documents to the seller.
5. Wait: letter delivery time + 10 days (about a month). If there is no result, go to court.

Important: shipping costs will not be reimbursed. Therefore, when choosing, you need to carefully look at the ratio “purchase price - delivery cost”.

What is considered "underwear"

The law does not establish a list of “underwear,” but a similar classification exists among manufacturers. This category includes not only bras and panties, but also any other clothing that is worn for hygienic purposes. For example, the category of underwear includes: headbands, dressing gowns, negligees, shorts, swimsuits, corsets, negligees, nightgowns, T-shirts and tights, socks, stockings. All these goods will be protected by consumer protection law as items that are considered underwear and, accordingly, have a special procedure for exchange and return.

Read about how you can return the medicine to the pharmacy if you have a receipt.

And here are instructions for writing a claim to MTS.

You need to know this - what is considered a significant defect of the product.

Return Policy

Whether your underwear is legally subject to return can be determined by a number of mandatory conditions. Each of them must be met in order to insist on the store accepting the goods back:

1. As a general rule, it is possible to return goods only in the first two calendar weeks from the date of purchase, inclusive.
2. The product must be complete. This applies to everything: from the details of one set to decorations on linen. If the bra was decorated with a bead that you cut off, then without it the store may not accept the product back, and according to the law it will be absolutely right.
3. For a hassle-free return, it is necessary to fully preserve the presentation of the linen. This applies to entire packaging, uncut labels, and the integrity of the product itself (defects that were discovered after purchase are not considered, but the fact that they were not the result of the buyer’s negligence may need to be proven). Some sellers began to play it safe and cut off tags right in front of the buyer, supposedly for his convenience, but in fact such actions can be tantamount to fraud. You cannot buy goods with cut off tags. The purchase must also be packaged in front of the buyer in order to avoid fraud.
4. When purchasing any product, two receipts must be issued. One seller keeps it for himself, and the other gives it to the buyer. If a customer's receipt is lost, they can still request an exchange or return of the item if they remember the date and time of purchase and have witnesses to prove it. In this case, a written statement is drawn up and the store checks its receipts. If the information received from the buyer matches the data remaining with the seller, he is obliged to begin the refund procedure.
5. You can return underwear only if there are visible manufacturing defects or if the product harms the buyer’s health (for example, toxic paint was used).

It must be remembered that any promotional items, be it lingerie or any other product, cannot be exchanged under any circumstances. Even if significant defects were discovered after the purchase, no return or exchange will be issued, since the client, by agreeing to the promotion and the reduced price, assumed the associated risks.
This is why many stores like to hold constant promotions with meager discounts.

Items that cannot be returned

Non-food products that are not subject to return are presented in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 19, 1998. The list of these includes electrical household appliances intended for computing, for example, computers and their components.

Below is statistical information that shows the percentage of a product of a certain item over a period of time, in this case one month.

Computer parts return rate:

The table shows that every 20th consumer out of 100 wants to return a purchase from the elite price category, and every 13th - from the economical one. These figures confirm the relevance of this problem.

In addition to household appliances, the list of such goods includes medicines for home use, personal hygiene items, household furniture, cars and motorcycle and bicycle products and their components, civilian weapons, animals and plants, non-periodical publications, household chemicals, textiles, clothing, knitwear, polymeric, in contact with food, products made of precious metals, perfumery and cosmetics and technically complex ones.

Kindergarten is a place where the smallest inhabitants of the earth are. Previously, children were sent to preschool institutions so that parents could go to work, but now, even housewives understand that every child needs communication with children of his age, this increases the level of development of the child. Read about the return of Russian Railways tickets here.

It is clear that the list of non-food items that cannot be returned was compiled to protect trade relations from fraud and other criminal activities of unauthorized citizens. But what to do if a product is purchased, but the need for it has disappeared or you need to exchange it for another similar one?

Is it possible to circumvent the law and what are the consequences?

It is almost impossible to circumvent the law due to the practice that developed in the early 2000s.
Goods of proper quality were purchased for one event, and then returned to the seller as soon as possible, citing the unsuitable color or style. Intimidated by the consumer protection service, retailers made concessions and accepted items back.

Attempts to deceive the seller may result in an administrative or even criminal claim and a case under the article “Scam”. Jurisdiction depends on the nature of the offender’s actions and the amount of damage that his actions caused to the store.

Exceptions to the rules

The Consumer Protection Law provides for the return of underwear in several exceptional cases:

1. Any linen within two weeks, provided that actual defects are found (broken fastener, tears, stains, etc.).
2. Outerwear (tops, T-shirts) during the first two weeks, if the style, color or size of the product does not suit the buyer. This rule does not apply to swimsuits.
3. There is also a special feature in the exchange/return of swimsuits. If, after getting wet, its fabric begins to show through, then you can return such a product without tags and packaging.
4. If the size on the tag and the actual size are different, the item can also be returned in any condition.

Return of bed linen and underwear

It is quite common to purchase bed linen that ultimately does not fit the size of the bed, pillows or blanket. Can bed linen be returned?

The answer is negative. According to the decree of the Russian Federation, the list of non-food products that cannot be returned includes sewing products, including bed linen. In this case, as with products made of precious metals, one can only hope for the kindness of the seller. There is no other way to return the purchased product.

Unfortunately, a similar answer awaits the consumer to the question: “Can underwear be returned?”

This group of non-food products can be classified as personal hygiene items, since both bed linen and underwear come into contact with the consumer’s naked body.

The only thing that can be advised in this case is that the consumer should approach the purchase of goods from the specified list with full responsibility. Be sure to remove all sizes of pillows, blankets, bedroom furniture, and of course, everyone should decide on the choice of underwear in advance.

A similar procedure awaits the consumer in case of purchasing a product of poor quality. It can be returned or exchanged upon presentation of a receipt. If the seller refuses to do this, you can safely contact a lawyer and file a claim in court. In this case, the consumer will expect a positive result, and the seller will have to reimburse all expenses.

Return or exchange

Regardless of whether underwear can be returned to the store, a citizen has the right to offer the seller an equivalent exchange.
In practice, getting your money back is much more difficult than receiving the same product. No seller is interested in the buyer contacting the consumer protection service, therefore, most often, if there are obvious defects, the selling party tries to smooth out the corners and replace the damaged product with a new one.

This method is good for those who do not want to waste time arguing and searching for a similar product. At the same time, the buyer should remember that a defective unit is not always written off. Very often, such goods are sold at a discount, or are fraudulently handed over to a more gullible buyer who will not defend their rights.

Find out if you can get your money back from AliExpress.

Follow the link for information on how to return food products of proper and inadequate quality.