Debenhams customers have been left waiting up to a month to receive refunds as the fashion giant attempts to refinance amid falling sales.
Dozens of shoppers of the group’s brands, which include Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, have complained on social media about that they were still waiting to receive their money despite sending back their orders as long as four weeks ago, The Telegraph reported.
One Debenhams customer said that she was still waiting to receive £160 from an order she sent back on 1 May. She said: “I have now escalated this to the Financial Ombudsman as this is utterly and completely awful.”
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On its website, Debenhams said that refunds for returns can take up to 14 days from the date orders were posted back.
A company spokesman acknowledged that refunds were being paid more slowly than usual, but did not provide an explanation.
Debenhams Group, formerly Boohoo, told the publication: “We’re aware that some customers haven’t received their refunds as quickly as usual and we’re working to resolve that.”
It comes as the retail giant is in talks to replace up to £175m of borrowing with new loan commitments, including £125m from refinancing an existing two-year loan taken out in October.
In March, Debenhams reported that group sales had fallen 16% from £1.46bn to £1.22bn in the 52 weeks to February 2025. The etail group expects to report an adjusted EBITDA of around £40m for the year.
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