Zara Refused to Refund My Defective Jacket After Multiple Store Visits

On November 21, 2023, I purchased a jacket from Zara, and its collar started to fray. I spoke with the store manager at the branch, who told me they could process a refund if I could find the receipt, or otherwise issue a store credit with a 20% deduction. I then went to the Zara store, where I was given the same information. I requested a receipt from the store, but initially, they couldn’t find it. After a lengthy effort, they finally located it. I returned to the store for the refund, but because the purchase was made with a credit card, they insisted the refund could only be processed back onto the card. A week later, on December 31, 2024, I returned with the jacket, receipt, and credit card. The manager approved the return after multiple inspections, but the refund wasn’t processed through the POS system. I was told to contact my bank. After carrying the jacket back and forth three times, they kept coming up with excuses to avoid issuing the refund. They suggested I apply to their headquarters for a cash refund, but when I contacted headquarters, they directed me back to the store. When I asked for an exchange instead, the staff in the refund/exchange section said the new jacket would have the same defect. If a product I purchased a year ago is faulty, I should be able to get a cash refund regardless of how I paid for it. Zara is clearly not standing behind its product, and instead, they’ve made me run back and forth to the store countless times. I am urgently expecting my refund to be credited to my account.