Evans Cycles VAT Refund failure to pay up

bikerboy78

The story of Evans Cycles and their failure to refund my VAT.
This is what I wrote to them....

I am writing to express my disappointment with your VAT refund service. I bought a Cannondale CAADX Tiagra bicycle from your Gatwick Store on the XXXXXX, 2011 and completed a VAT REFUND FORM in store. The bike plus pedals, lock and travel bag were delivered to XXXXXXXXXXXXX around the XXXXXX. We took the form to the VAT refund office at Heathrow Airport and their representative took the form from us in the queue. One year later we have still received nothing from you. I contacted the tax office to complain and they said that the refund would come from the merchant (Evans Cycles) to our MasterCard account which we used to purchase the bike. As I have already mentioned this money is yet to materialise one year on. I contacted Evans cycles after contacting HMRC and your representative told me it was not his problem. We have used the VAT refund service from many merchants in the past, and since, with no problems. I am also writing to HMRC to highlight this case.
The whole Evans experience was disappointing. I had my eye on that particular bike for a while before purchasing. I tried to purchase it in Scotland but there were none available. They told me that the make and model was available at one of your London stores on Spittal Street. I contacted that store and they confirmed that they had the bike available and offered to send it. As I needed the VAT refund form this was not an option so I took a taxi across London from my sister-in-law's house to Spittal street, waited for about an hour only to be presented with the CAADX 105.... The wrong bike!! That was the first wasted journey. I took a taxi back to my sister-in-law's house empty handed and about 50GBP out of pocket. I contacted your Gatwick store and they did have the bike so I ordered it from them. I rented a car to go and complete the forms and pick the bike up. I got there to be told that the bike was not ready for collection so they told me they would deliver it to my sister-in-law's house. Another 37GBP out of pocket for no reason but, at least I had the VAT refund form. The bike was delivered and that takes me back to my initial complaint. My next step will be to take this complaint to the press.
To make matters worse several days after the Evans Debacle the price of the CAADX bikes were reduced to the tax free price.
I anticipate your response.

I anticipated but did not receive a positive response from them:mad:. Nothing I can do I guess...:(

vuvuzela

Frankly the press won't be bothered and Evans will know this is an empty threat.
As for the VAT-free price - I honestly don't know how this works - does the bike have to leave the UK for you to reclaim the VAT ?

paddyrg

Wouldn't the bike need to be delivered outside the EU to be VAT exempt, then reclaimed through one of the Tax-free shopping services?

If it was delivered in the EU, how would it be VAT-free? It could be that Evans ran a promotion for a bike to be at tax-free prices, that's just a regular sale discount.

Can you explain the whole situation from scratch for clarity?

JasonLVC

As others have posted, to acquire a duty and VAT free good, the goods have to be exported (leave the country). So I am assuming you have left the UK at some point with the goods (although you may well have since returned to the UK).

Full details here :-
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000141&propertyType=document

The form you had must be stamped by a HMRC Officer at the airport or place where you are leaving the UK, the form will only be stamped when HMRC see the original purchase receipt and have proof you and the goods are leaving the UK.

From your post you state the HMRC Officer took the form from you. The form should have been handed back to you as you have to send the HMRC stamped form back to Evans for the refund. Evans cannot issue the VAT refund without this stamped authority (becuase they don't know whether you left the UK or not, you only qualify if you do leave the UK and so the stamped from from HMRC is the proof Evans need to refund you).

So if you don't have the stamped form then you aren't going to get the VAT back. I'm suprised HMRC took the form as they would have no need to retain it.