Anyone had problems with Avon Cosmetics?

latpreschool

On June 23rd I placed an order online, which included an Antler Glam box £10.00. The order which totalled £30.82 arrived, and on opening the order, the invoice stated it was out of stock and to allow six weeks for delivery. After seven weeks I rang to see if the item was on the way, and I was told the item was still out of stock. Because it was required for a holiday, which by this time was over, I requested a refund. And here the saga begins!

8th July: Rang and requested my refund
17th Aug; I emailed to ask where my refund was
17th Aug: They replied by email to say my card that I paid on had expired and requested new details.
26th Aug: I rang and gave new card details and requested my refund
6th Sept: Rang and asked for my refund and was told accounts were dealing with it
17th Sept: I emailed to ask where my refund was
20th Sept: They reply by telling me I will receive it in 3-4 days
5th Oct: I rang again and was put on hold for 20mins, only to be told to ring back the next day! When I told them how many times I had rung you for a £10 deposit, they told me they would call me the next day. They never called me back.
6th Oct: I emailed again to request refund again
20th Oct: I emailed again to request refund
21st Oct: They reply telling me that accounts will email me shortly.

Up to the time of typing this letter I am still awaiting the email AND my refund! I find waiting four months for a £10 refund completely unacceptable. Also take into consideration that my phone calls to them amount to more than the actual refund.
I have been a customer of theres for over eight years and I am completely disgusted at the level of customer service I have experienced.

sujac

It may help to try and find your local rep as they may be able to help speed things up for you. I know this doesn't help you getting your money back any quicker but sometimes its better to order of a rep because if its not in stock and not delivered you won't be charged for it. Why not ring and ask for accounts rather than emailing them?

deanos

Yes stick to using a rep , they are fab and very friendly

latpreschool

I have tried to speak to accounts on several times, yet all they say is the refund will be with me within 3-4 days. After a week, i ring again only to be told the same thing again. They are just fobbing me off!
I won't be ordering from them again, whether online or thru a rep.
thanks for ur comments guys

The_Pedant

Under the terms of the Comsumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, you have the right to cancel an order (made at distance) prior to dispatch. The seller is then obligated to provide a refund within 30 days, starting with the day on which the notice of cancellation was given.

See section 14 of the act for details.

Yes, there are mitigating circumstances here, with the expiry of the card, but it is still something they should be able to get to the bottom of.

Send a recorded delivery letter, stating the requirement to refund you within 30 days. Remind them that the correct card details have already been provided to you, (possibly including the concise summary of events as above) and then give them 14 days to refund the money correctly to you, or to leave you with no choice but to seek redress.

If that still provides no response, you would be perfectly entitled to pursue the matter further, possibly even going so far as seeking the costs back (all the calls etc).

jamtart6

Try and get a UK call centre if possible, they have moved out of this country the last few months and it is much harder to get a straight forward thing sorted. Agree with the others - contact local AVON rep and see if they can help, but to be honest even we are on out own, the managers are rubbish