Debenhams, time takent to refund.

poet123

I returned a number of items to Debenhams prior to going on holiday on 27th March (not sure of exact date but probably around the 24th) and I have yet to receive a refund. According to the email the refund is "still in progress".

My email complaint was responded to, but simply by reiterating the fact that the refund should be in my account by 29/5, and not by answering my query as to why it had taken almost 9 weeks to process.

How long is it reasonable to wait for a refund? What redress do I have? The sum involved is around £!50 and this has been sitting on my debs account for that period and so incurring interest.

The person responding to my complaint seems to be oblivious to this, because she advised me to checkmy bank account to see if the refund had gone in:mad:

Any ideas? Does anyone have the email address of a senior person so that I can escalate my complaint in the event my latest email does not elicit the required outcome?

TIA

The_Pedant

Was this an in-store purchase?

If so, I would be inclined to try and ring the store directly to try and find out what's going on. You may then be able to get someone local to take ownership of the issue. That may be quicker than trying to chase something through the faceless customer service system.

If the items were charged to your Debenhams card I would probably try calling them too and at least say that you're disputing the charge as the items were returned. In theory that could also cause the interest to be suspended/refunded.

If the items were bought online, then have even more power under the Distance Selling Regulations. This requires any charges to be refunded within 30 days of notice of cancellation of an order. Notify them of the breach and ask them to ensure that all charges are refunded within 14 days.

4743hudsonj

The_Pedant wrote: »

Was this an in-store purchase?

If so, I would be inclined to try and ring the store directly to try and find out what's going on. You may then be able to get someone local to take ownership of the issue. That may be quicker than trying to chase something through the faceless customer service system.

If the items were charged to your Debenhams card I would probably try calling them too and at least say that you're disputing the charge as the items were returned. In theory that could also cause the interest to be suspended/refunded.

If the items were bought online, then have even more power under the Distance Selling Regulations. This requires any charges to be refunded within 30 days of notice of cancellation of an order. Notify them of the breach and ask them to ensure that all charges are refunded within 14 days.

Id give them 7 days max given the current time taken.

poet123

Thanks, they were online purchases. Tbh because I have been away, and then very busy on my return, I had not realised the refund had not been actioned, it was only when I received an email stating that the refund was still being processed that I realised how long they had taken. In view of the DSR requirement I think the time taken is outrageous and I want them to explain why this had happened.