Not trawled through all this but surely there would be records on the till transactions at the store? These would then match up with the statement printed that was brought in by the OPs wife? Its pretty piss poor for a large store like this to get so Anal over a Jersey!

I went in to the new Evans in glasgow city centre last month for a look round. Whilst I was there I thought I’d buy some embrocation, couldn’t find it so asked the bearded hipster behind the counter if they had any, he answered with ‘do you mean lubrication’ er no I mean embrocation, which was met with a very confused expression, I said forget it and walked out, I won’t be back. Surely someone working in a bike shop must know what embrocation is?

I wouldn’t berate a bike shop employee for not knowing what embrocation is.

I’ve worked in 6 shops in total, not one of which stocked it.

It’s a bit like asking for truffles in Sainsburys.

I expect someone in a bike shop to have knowledge of bike riding.

I’ll admit I just searched for ‘Embrocation’ on chainreaction and not one search result!
Had to google it. (cyclist for 15 years) 😳

embrocation

What?

Yep. Utterly niche.

I went into Evans once and was horrified to discover that one of the staff members didn’t know as much as me about a certain product I’d been researching extensively for months.
Its disgraceful that their staff aren’t experts on every single product in their 128,000 product range and I vow never to shop there ever again!
Lol

Yep. Utterly niche.

Which makes it even more strange a hipster wouldn’t know what it is.

You don’t need a receipt to exchange goods you only need a proof of purchase and a copy of a bank statement is valid. Go back and get them told. Take a copy of their T&C’s and a copy of the sales of goods act. To really make it complicated they don’t have to exchange anything is you are not the original purchaser hence why gift receipts should be sought.

I’ve been cycling for quite a while but only know about embrocation because of having to play Rugby when I was at school.
Had no idea that it could be related to bikes and haven’t heard the term for probably about 30 years, so I’m not surprised that the guy in the shop hadn’t heard of it.
He should, however, have been able to locate it on the shop website – assuming that @GaryM had spent a second or two explaining what it is.

This counts as a fail on the part of both people, I’m afraid.

Maybe @GaryM could tell us what his line of work is, so we can test his encyclopaedic knowledge on the subject 😉

Ok, so what is embrocation?

Gary?

Interesting posts and I have a new found desire to buy some embrocation. As some have said, this will get sorted and after an indeterminate amount of unnecessary aggravation I will get a jersey that fits. However, bottom line is that if someone buys you a gift at Evans and you need to exchange it it is not straightforward and you need to ask the giver for a recipt which takes the edge off the giving for both parties. It is small minded and petty of the store to operate such a policy and it is no way to treat customers. They will reap what they sow – in my case by me not buying my next bike off them. And in case my beloved reads this, that in no way is to imply that at any point I have any desire whatsoever to replace my Zesty (bought at Evans) with a mid travel FS 29er. Hypothetically.
😯

If you take in the sale of goods act as Philfive suggests they’ll kindly point out that they are under no obligation to exchange of the goods that are fit for purpose.
Just because something is the wrong size no shop is under legal obligation to exchange but it is good customer service to do so. As it is there own policy they are entitled to impose whatever conditions they like. I would guess reciept would be proof that it hasn’t been shoplifted.

Having said that if you give them your details they can access your purchase history but if it was someone just buying a gift they probably wouldn’t have done that.

On the receipt thing most high street stores offer gift receipt that doesn’t show the price but will allow easy exchanges. Not sure if Evans even have that as an option.

My, some of you have yet to experience Tiger Balm. Women are attracted by the scent.

It’s been my habit over the years to say something like ‘This will be a present. If it’s the wrong size, will you change it please?’ Never had anything other than a positive answer. Never shopped in that chain though.

I got a crash replacement helmet sent to me by the importer it was the wrong size. I had opened the box and discarded it at the post office. The importer refused a swop as I had not got the box. I went into Edingburgh cycles explained the situation they did a straight swop for the correct size without hesitation.

I can’t see why your Evans has had an issue the bank statement is clearly as good a proof of purchase as the receipt unless the receipt has a code that matches to the individual item .

Don’t rate Evans very highly personally. Online prices for clothes and parts can be very good though.

Stick with the LBS for servicing and advice!

When I was a kid my mum asked me and my Dad to take some clothes back for a refund after Christmas. Off we went with our British Home Stores bag and queued for an age. When we got to the desk, the woman immediately point blank refused to take them back. She went on to explain that although my mum had given us a BHS bag, the clothes were from Marks and Spencer…

Spent best part of 1/2hr in Debenhams yesterday with MrsT who was trying to get a refund on a jumper which had a faulty seam.
Long story short the girl on the till had 3 trips to the managers office because the issue was that MrsT had a new debit card(old one worn out!)and it would not allow the girl to do the refund because it was not the original card/I’d number/didn’t match the receipt!!
MrsT and daughter both worked in retail clothes shops and regularly had people who would return goods having worn them out at a function!! Theft “returns” we’re also common. A senior manager at my work was a serial culprit apparently 😳
Nick stuff from one shop, take it back to another is another ruse 🙄

I’ll admit I just searched for ‘Embrocation’ on chainreaction and not one search result!
Had to google it. (cyclist for 15 years)

Cyclist for 22 years also had to google it never rubbed any cream on my bits, also never bought anything in Evans
To me bike riding isn’t about rubbing cream on my body or shopping in over priced, poorly staffed (allegedly from what I read on here) chain shops (appreciate the OP family doing so though as they probably not aware of the friendly LBS round the corner)

Did however return a jumper and socks to Next last week with only a gift receipt for the jumper, not even sure socks where even from Next so was presently surprised when they took them back
(Mother in the unlikely event you read this, it was a minging jumper, and that’s 3 years on the trot now you have bought me pretty much the same style of woollen wear)

Fatmax – I’m blushing 😳

I know it might be a bit of a trek for you but I’m due to return to a bike retail soon, only in the Highlands.

As for the Evans thing – if it’s run anything like my current (Outdoor Retail) employer then it might be a bit unfair to point the finger of blame at any of the staff in your local store.

I don’t even know where to begin with this thread. I don’t have much time so I’ll just say that the OP is an idiot.

Don’t slate a company online because you can’t provide the necessary documentation to get a refund or exchange. This thread title is so misleading – you expect a company to do something they don’t offer and then get angry when they don’t do it?

People like you make me so angry.

Surely Gary, embrocation is the act if applying the cream for heat on the legs, what you were after was embrocation cream / gel / salve.

I think you asked the hipster for a massage. I’m surprised you only got a blank stare!

Oh, and I’ve rubbed deep jet into my legs to help prevent cramp while time trialling years ago. Didn’t know it was called that though. Not sure if it really worked, but you didn’t want to go for a per prior to starting after applying!

got a special limited edition dakine backpack from online stock much cheaper than anywhere else – no problems. Asked for a few little odds and ends instore – needed for the weekend – they didn’t have any in stock such as a few little bolts etc and the mechanic has given me some from his junk spares box for nowt.

increasingly irate

From the first post. Here is the problem.

I’ve returned items to stores (bike and non-bike) over the years with no receipt. The trick is a charm offensive. But then that’s a general approach for anything in life. Deal with a human being in a confrontational way and you will receive at best bare minimal help and at worst, heels being dug in. Be nice, be their mate, and I can almost always guarantee you will get the desired outcome because you appeal to the person not the employee.

Evans have done nothing wrong here.

Evans have done nothing wrong here.

Aye

… unless you count losing what seems like a fairly regular customer over a pretty much zero-cost exchange of an item ?

Aye
… unless you count losing what seems like a fairly regular customer over a pretty much zero-cost exchange of an item ?

Have you even read this thread?

You have no comprehension, clearly, of quite how easily large companies can lose large money by allowing a few ‘pretty much zero-cost’ items to slip through, genuine or not. Policies are in place to be adhered to, not just ignored.

Get your head out the sand.

1)

embrocation

(shakes head and wishes you bad karma if you actually made a fuss about it to the poor sod who like 99.9% of the country has no clue why you would be asking for that in a bike shop)

2)

Get your head out the sand.

Bit rude.
So long as the item is still tagged/bagged/saleable condition/even returned to the same store(!) I presume

large money

refers to the pence required to put it on the shelf and update the electronic stock tally?

… unless you count losing what seems like a fairly regular customer over a pretty much zero-cost exchange of an item ?

Nah – those are easy words… the reality is nobody shops in Evans because they are the friendliest shop, or the best informed, or even because of brand loyalty. Its like Tesco, they have relatively big shops with a broad range of product in locations which might be convenient and stuff that is OK priced. i.e. Convenience. The reality is the OP will find himself back in an Evans at some point in the future because he needs something on a Sunday when the non-chain-stores are closed, or because he wants to buy clothing and the LBS with its tiny shop has a very narrow range, and online purchases are not as convenient for stuff you want to try on.

Of course “the decision” also wont affect the actual customer here (his Brother / Mother) who will still use Evans but keep the receipt! They will use Evans for all the same reasons that anyone else does!

The smell of embrocation used to knock you out when you walked into a race strip, but that was a long time ago. One of the old myths of cycling, but all it does is create an illusion of warming by acting as an irritant and encouraging blood flow to the surface of your skin. There was no evidence that it improved performance, so most people just do a proper warm up these days.

should have asked the hipster for Belgian knee warmers instead.
oh and online at least, it seems that evans sell 5 or six different embrocaton creams. 😯

Gary has gone quiet,may he got went for a wee straight after rubbing in his embrocation.

Have you even read this thread?

Yes. I agree it could be taken in one of several ways:

1) the OP’s genuine and he’s now sufficiently pissed off with Evans to not buy more gear from them ever (he can’t control his relatives’ shirt buying quite so easily but it’ll presumably be him that buys the next bike/fork/… and his wife seems quite cross too)

2) the OP’s a small-time crook who’s tried to launder a single item of nicked clothing and this has made him so mad he’s spilled his entire cover story on the net. Not clear why though.

3) He’s a bit pissed-off now but that’ll pass and he’ll go back to price-only shopping (not sure that truly means Evans though – achtung Deutschland and hello Dave Hinde !?)

You have no comprehension, clearly, of quite how easily large companies can lose large money by allowing a few ‘pretty much zero-cost’ items to slip through, genuine or not. Policies are in place to be adhered to, not just ignored.

and ,presumably, managers are employed to exercise discretion ? (not sure what the large money loss would be if they allowed a “genuine” exchange to be made – even a “not”, for that matter – he’s already got the “stolen” goods, all they’ll do is swap for other stolen goods, still without a receipt to exchange for cash)

Get your head out the sand

mmmmffff
fllfffffnnngggggg
ggggggnnnnnhhhhhhhh

M & S always had a good name for changing stuff in the weeks after Christmas. I don’t suppose they lost by it. Though I expect things have changed since those days.

In response to Scaredypants post, I can report that:

i) I am genuine, and not a crook. Self reported of course so accept some may not believe that.

2) I will not go back to buying from Evans – I am influencing them the only way I can by withdrawing my business (which was regular) and letting the world know (I have also told Evans directly). That way I hope to influence their policy to help others and eventually help Evans themselves. As a consumer that is the power I have.

3) With regard to the supposed cost of the exchange and the genuine reason for the policy, I want to make a like for like swap of one item for an another identical in all ways except size. They are priced identically, and more than likely the cost to Evans is also identical. The “cost” is therefore admin to change their stock record – up one on one size and down one on the other. We have already spent 40 minutes in the store with several staff and then the manager, who is now making further enquiries to finally allow the exchange to happen. Agreeing to it day one would have cost them considerably less, plus they would have my constant ongoing business (as they are my LBS). As the cliche goes, it is far cheaper to keep a loyal customer than to win a new one.

Back to the original point – in my opinion Evans exchange policy is not customer friendly and my experience of other stores is much better. I will therefore suggest to people I know that they do not buy gifts for me from there – that way I avoid the awkward situation of having to ask everyone for a receipt “just in case” which makes the whole gift giving process not the joy it should be.

Right – as they say on Dragon’s Den, I’m out. Readers can decide for themselves whether this exchange of views should change their shopping habits or not.

Fopster, I have not received anything from you but still would like to sort this out if you get in contact?

Just to redress the balance. There is a guy who works at Evans Chill Factore (Trafford) who would have exchanged or refunded the op instantly with good grace, knows quite a bit about bikes, rides them lots and lots, has customer service skills which are put to use constantly which results in daily feedback through the Evans website which is outstanding, has already had a huge pay rise after only 6 months of working there and is probably about to be promoted again unless he moves to another job before it happens.
Their not all bad 😉

I really like Evans. As previously said the Reading store is very good.
OP, I think they deal with customers the way they get treated.
Be nice, they’re nice.
Be not nice, they’re not nice.
Go back there with a smile. It’s quite amazing how being pleasant works.

Duner – thanks for the offer but the store manager/staff were already helping. I went back today with the bank statement and an approval code after the manager tracked the store receipt from the original purchase by my brother. Of course in the days since this started they had sold out of the colour I had and so I had to take an alternative.

At all times the staff did their best. The chain is acting within the law. Of course people will try to steal stuff and “return” it. Same applies to all stores.

Bottom line – if you are an honest customer in an honest situation some stores are better to deal with than others. In my view (reading this lot plenty disagree) Evans do not treat customers well enough.

Happy new year to all contributors to the thread and to the Evans staff – who were not the problem.