La reroute refund refused, is this right?

jennie-flower

I bought a coat from la redoute just under 2 years ago. I paid for it with my debit card and didn't open a credit account.

The first time I washed the coat the seams disintegrated in the wash so I contacted la redoute and they asked me to return it. They had sold out of that particular style so they wrote to me to advise that they had credited my account and it would remain in credit unless I requested a cheque, so I left it.

So this week I found something I wanted to buy on the la redoute website and signed into my account to find that the credit had disappeared from the balance. I called them and they said that I didn't claim the credit within a reasonable time so I've lost it and can't have it back.

Looking back on it I'm not sure why they didn't just refund my debit card at the time of the refund, I'll admit I've been a bit slack but surely the refund is still mine and not theirs? If I'm wrong that's fine but it desn't seem fair.

Please can anyone give any advice?

bod1467

I don't know the legalities, but I do know that a person has 6 years to pursue a debt. To me this refund is a debt so they owe you the money. Do you have any written evidence of this credit amount?

jennie-flower

I could probably find the letter if I went through my records but as far as they're concerned I haven't spent it in time so I've lost it, they're not denying issuing the refund, just saying I can't have it now.

meer53

Would the refund be classed as a credit note ? They usually have expiry dates don't they ?

halibut2209

That's dodgy ground. Even if that were so (which I doubt), it's highly unlikely the OP was told of any limitations. Credit to an account is not the same thing as a voucher or a "note". An account is just that. An account. Could a savings account have money taken out of it if you don't use it after 2 years?

jennie-flower

The letter definitely didn't have an expiry date on it

unholyangel

Worst comes to worst, send them a letter before action and ask for a proper refund as you rejected the coat under the SOGA.

Its what they should have given you in the first place.

fluffnutter

Had they given you cash back, would it have been OK for them to just come round and take it off you a few months later? No. This is dodgy practice. Write to them asking for the money to be refunded again - this time with no spurious and arbitrary 'expiry' date. If this doesn't work, try a LBA, then small claims court. La Redoute are famed for their dodgy customer service. I'd cancel the account too, out of sheer churlishness.

deanos

I would ask them to show you the terms and conditions where this is written down, im sure they cant just take the money away without t&c mentioning it