Ongoing Complaint with Debenhams - advice needed.

madmalteaser

Hi all, I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains for a sec...

I have an ongoing complaint with Debenhams after ordering a dress from them online on the 30th April for an event that was occurring in June. It's a very long story, but basically the first dress got delivered to an incorrect address and disappeared off the face of the planet and the second dress I ordered was taking so long to arrive so I rang to cancel it. However, I was told at the time that I couldn't cancel the order as it had already been processed. Then when I still hadn't received the dress 2 weeks later I rang them again as it was less than a week before the ball I had ordered the dress for and was told that the dress had not even left Debenhams!!
The final result was that I was not able to go to the ball which had cost me £70 in tickets which were non-refundable. I did finally receive a full refund for the dress, however I was so angry about the whole thing that I wrote to Debenhams regarding the matter and also wrote to Trading Standards.

A few days ago I got a letter from Debenhams - it was basically a half-baked apology, a "promise" to investigate the matter and a £10 Gift Voucher to use in their store as a "goodwill gesture". I then received a letter from Trading Standards which contained the following information:

"With regard to the second dress that you ordered, please be advised that under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, you are entitled to cancel an order up to 7 working days from when the dress is received and as such, even if the order has been processed, but the dress not delivered, you are still entitled to cancel."

I have written back to Debenhams telling them I don't want their voucher (have sent it back) because I no longer want to buy anything in there store and I'm just wondering if I have the right to say I would like a better form of compensation since I am now £70 out of pocket for these tickets. Any thoughts, suggestions, etc would be gratefully received!

geri1965_2

I don't think Debenhams can be held liable for the fact that you didn't go to the ball. Why didn't you get another dress from somewhere else?

madmalteaser

Because I was told on repeated occasions by Debenhams that the dress was on it's way. I only found out that it wasn't less than a week before the ball and due to my shifts I was unable to go out and find another dress. Plus the budget I had for the dress had already been spent and I couldn't afford to buy another dress until the refund came through after the ball.

scottishlass

geri1965 wrote: »

I don't think Debenhams can be held liable for the fact that you didn't go to the ball. Why didn't you get another dress from somewhere else?

According to a previous post on the topic it was due to work shifts....

madmalteaser wrote: »

Mdbarber - I had a lot of trouble finding that dress - ballgowns don't seem very easy to find at this time of year. I'm a shift worker, unfortunately there is no way I can find another ballgown in 7 days within my budget. Unfortunately I don't have a spare couple of hundred quid to get a specially made one!

Having the dress turn up today would have been cutting it fine as it was as I somehow have to find shoes and decent undies to go with it and, as I said before, my shifts make that very difficult.

And it infuriates me that this dress was supposed to have been delivered 3-5 days from when I ordered it. If they'd done as they'd promised I would have got all the bits I needed ages ago and would simply be looking forward to going to a black tie event!

But I do think you'll be pushed to get compensated £70 for the ticket....maybe if you explained in your letter in which you return the £10 voucher that you dont think this is suitable etc then maybe they would have a change of heart but as you've siad you wont shop there again I'm guessing that might just rather lose a customer than give £70

madmalteaser

scottishlass wrote: »

But I do think you'll be pushed to get compensated £70 for the ticket....maybe if you explained in your letter in which you return the £10 voucher that you dont think this is suitable etc then maybe they would have a change of heart but as you've siad you wont shop there again I'm guessing that might just rather lose a customer than give £70

You're probably right there scottishlass but I guess there's no harm in me trying, eh? Besides, it's not like they can't afford it!! :rotfl:

nellytheelephant

She's said that she didn't have the spare cash to buy another dress until Debenhams refunded her. I don't think any other shop would have let her have the dress and pay at a later date after the refund. She really didn't have a chance to 'minimise her losses' until her money was returned.

geri1965_2

Impecuniosity is no defence in the eyes of the law though.

Brooker_Dave

madmalteaser wrote: »

I'm just wondering if I have the right to say I would like a better form of compensation since I am now £70 out of pocket for these tickets. Any thoughts, suggestions, etc would be gratefully received!

Demand compensation!!

uktim29

scottishlass wrote: »

I'm guessing that might just rather lose a customer than give £70

The thing is this is where the op has gone wrong. The op has already said they won't shop at Debenhams again so theres no point in them sending £70.

If you're going to compain you need to think about things before you word them and not be stroppy. If you don't do that you'll stand on losing out.

pinkshoes

madmalteaser wrote: »

The final result was that I was not able to go to the ball which had cost me £70 in tickets which were non-refundable.

Are you trying to tell us that this is the first ball or formal occasion that you've ever attended in your entire life, and that in your entire wardrobe, you possess no other smart items of clothing that are vaguely smart??

I'm not even a girly girl clothes-wise, but I still have a back-up dress/skirt + top.

There is nothing in the whole world that would stop me going to a ball that I'd paid £70 a ticket for!!

Despite shift work, it wouldn't have taken much imagination to organise something else if you really wanted to go. Just off the top of my head:

1) Ebay -100s of cheap dresses that will arrive in no time.

2) Charity shops - full of dresses worn just once, and often for less than £10. You can even try them on!!

3) Borrow from a friend. I've done this before when I had a ball ticket and "no dress". (ok, I had a dress, but I'd worn it before, so thought I'd swap instead for the night)

4) Make do and/or alter what you've already got.

I'm sorry, but I do find it rather hard to comprehend a girl that doesn't go to the ball just because the dress hadn't arrived!! And with mail order, you can never be sure the dress will even fit...

taxiphil

uktim29 wrote: »

The thing is this is where the op has gone wrong. The op has already said they won't shop at Debenhams again so theres no point in them sending £70.

Well, there is a point in them sending £70 if they want to avoid getting a CCJ and eventually having to pay court fees on top of the original £70.