Q: I purchased a beach bag from a shop and when I returned home and opened it, I found a fiscal receipt from a different shop dated three weeks earlier.

This showed that the new bag I bought was used and upon inspecting it properly, I noticed that one of the seams was ripped.

I immediately took the bag back to the shop to change it. However, the model I bought was the last one and so I could not change it with a similar bag.

When I asked for a refund, I was told it was the shop’s policy not to give refunds. I then asked for a credit note, which I was also refused.

The only solution was choosing something else which I did not like. The following day I was walking past the shop when I noticed the same bag I returned on display in the shop window. It was still damaged and they had put it back for sale.

A: If the bag you bought was not new and was also damaged, then legally you were entitled to have the bag replaced with a new and undamaged one.

Since a replacement was not possible, then you should have been given your money back.

Any company policies regarding refunds cannot diminish or take away your legal rights.

If you have not yet used the bag imposed on you as a replacement by the seller and you still want your money back, you may file a complaint with the Office for Consumer Affairs so that we can assist you in this matter.

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