Some of our Sands Wanganui ladies will be on Campbell Live tonight, setting the world straight.

dfl-will it be accessable on demand? dd needed bath and cuddles so didn't get to see it tonight

I saw it and was disgusted. Good on Campbell live. I hope that business goes under now!!!

We had a conference committee meeting but we watched it On Demand right after.

Theres probably a good chance now, bad publicity isn't good for any business especially one that isn't very sympathetic to the situation. I know from experience when we lost DS1 we had the same thing happen to us but it was only clothes and the mountain buggy which we are using now. At the time I think I was too numb to actually take it further. Unfortunately this isn't an isolated incident.

I don't know, I kind of have mixed emotions about this.

It is really sad and unfortunate for Kathleen but her baby loss is not the fault of the business who are strugglying to make a living.

Not very often are you able to return goods back to the retailer just because you no longer have the need for it. The consumer guarantees act only states you can return for faulty or damaged goods or a credit note in some stores if you have changed your mind. Very seldom do you get a full refund.

I think you you need to take the baby loss out of the situation and understand it for how it is. Is kathleen not going to have the use for these items at anytime in the future? and yes their are other options open to her like resell on trademe. Someone could have sold them on her behalf.

Yes the shop could have been very generous and given Kathleen a refund but they probabaly just cant afford too and now they have been made to the be villans in all of this.

Nobody has won in this situation and it is really sad that it had to go to tv to now ruin two sets of peoples lives...

Louise, I have mixed emotions about it too.

I have no mixed emotions. The items were UNUSED. If they had been unpackaged, different story, but unused they should be refunded. I would expect the same if I purchased a shirt and it still had tags on, etc. But especially under these circumstances the goods should have been refunded.
As for the struggling business... well, it just forces you to buy off large stores like baby factory, harvey norman, kmart, warehouse, etc. Because then you know you have the protection and backing of a large store. Which is VERY sad for small business owners of NZ. And being one myself I would hate to see it! But, service in NZ is pretty crappy, and this is just a classic example.

I had to chuckle that they did not have the cash flow to pay the lady back, yet they had the cash flow to consult their lawyer on the situation! Funny that....

All in all, if they had refunded the items they would have made a lady very happy in a time that was obviously hard for her and she would probably have spread the word around town and the business might have picked up from the good will. Now, well the bad publicity will probably distroy them. I bet they did not factor that in before paying the lawyer for his advice.....

I agree with this, but I would've thought in a situation where a baby is lost, especially so far into a pregnancy that a bit of compassion wouldn't go astray.

Denz - even large stores say no, in hindsight I probably should've asked to speak to the manager cause at the end of the day the person behind the counter doesn't always have the authority in special circumstances.

Overall, I think this bad publicity would be the last straw to break the camels back as the saying goes for the company.

Ditto-Im in 2 minds too. I just watched it and felt so sad for that Mother. I am sort of sitting on the fence. I see both sides.
All in all the general public are not familiar with feelings around the loss of a baby unless they or someone close to them has experienced this.
This is not saying its ok and also not saying that it isnt.

We held onto our baby gear and eventually sold it on TM or gave it away to family/friends. To be honest it never crossed my mind to return items. I guess were lucky enough to be in a situation where we didnt need to.

Hugs to that Mother and wee Christopher. Xx

I dunno. Ive resisted posting on this because I dont want to upset people.

But I do think that shop was well within their right not to refund the cot. However - morally - I think they should have.

It never crossed my mind to return the stuff I bought for my babies - I had a buggy, heaps of clothing, and other bits and pieces. In the haze of it it never occured to me. The buggy was onsold on TM about 3 years later once I was in the mental space to deal with that. I was lucky enough to be able to use the clothing on the other 2 boys I went on to have. But if I werent planning more children I suspect I would have kept the clothing for the twins 'memory box'. As it happens I nearly didnt dress my subsequent son in the clothing as it didnt feel right - but in the end I felt it was really really nice to be able to do that (And remembered my SB sons everytime I saw my living son in the clothing).

I ca however understand that the woman was upset at not getting her money back. I suspect that she doesnt have alot of money so wanted/needed the money back for the funeral etc - so I can understand her upset. I do feel sorry for that business though, who legally did nothing wrong.

Ought to add of course that the double buggy I bought was off TM in the first place so couldnt have returned that if I tried - had i bought it new from a shop I may well have felt very differently about it.

You are dead right sparkle. It is not a legal issue at all... it is a moral issue. And if we do not have people with good morals (honesty, compassion, love, etc) in this world, it would be a sad, sad one!