SLR Hut.co.uk - refusing a refund!

s1875

Hi,

I am looking for some advice following a very bad experience at the hands of a company called SLR Hut, who are refusing to refund us approx £1000 for goods returned.

To explain where we are:

1. My colleague purchased UK version videos cameras from the SLR Hut website and we have a screen grab and order confirmation that clearly shows these UK version cameras were advertised and purchased (they have since taken this down). The prices were in UK GBP.

2. The cameras that were delivered by SLR Hut were US version cameras, and therefore not what we ordered. We contacted SLR Hut to explain and who then told us to send only the cameras back, not the batteries and accessories, and they would send out the UK versions.

3. Several weeks later, SLR Hut claim they cannot source UK version cameras and so we request a full refund. They agree to this once we send back the batteries and accessories. SLR Hut send us DHL shipping labels and the package is picked up from us. We receive a part refund (50%) initially

4. We learn from DHL on enquiry that SLR Hut have the package about a week later. No word from SLR Hut to confirm the return or process the remaining part of the refund.

5. We contact SLR hut to arrange remaining refund and are told this would be processed. However, they only transfer part of the remaining refund amount and they claim that as the cardboard box holding the batteries and accessories was damaged in transit, they can't resell the stock and therefore are withholding approx £1000 of our money.

6. We contacted them and they have refused to give us a refund because the cardboard box was damaged in transit. The cameras, batteries and accessories are in perfect condition. They are fundamentally charging us £1000 for damaged manufacturer packaging.

7. After several phone calls and emails, SLR Hut are refusing to refund us any money point blank.

We concede that we should have done more due diligence on this company, and while they give the strong impression they are trading in UK, they are in fact operating out of the US.

However, they have a co.uk domain that states 'consumer electronics in the UK' in the meta titles, have what appears to be a UK contact number, have .co.uk customer support email addresses, display opening times in UK GMT and claim to have a base in the UK.

They are not registered at UK Companies House however, and their location address is a 'Mailbox' in London.

Their returns policy is also very dubious.

We have contacted UK Trading Standards intially to get some advice but I would appreciate any advice on any further action we can take to both try and retrieve the money and report this company. I appreciate them being in the US complicates matters

To confirm, we have email paper trails, screen grabs and correspondence from SLR hut that confirms all of the above and at no point were we ever told we'd only get a part refund.

Thanks in advance

halibut2209

Is this a business to business transaction?

s1875

halibut2209 wrote: »

Is this a business to business transaction?

Yes, we paid via AMEX

wealdroam

Consider contacting The Better Business Bureau.

ILW

s1875 wrote: »

Hi,

I am looking for some advice following a very bad experience at the hands of a company called SLR Hut, who are refusing to refund us approx £1000 for goods returned.

To explain where we are:

1. My colleague purchased UK version videos cameras from the SLR Hut website and we have a screen grab and order confirmation that clearly shows these UK version cameras were advertised and purchased (they have since taken this down). The prices were in UK GBP.

2. The cameras that were delivered by SLR Hut were US version cameras, and therefore not what we ordered. We contacted SLR Hut to explain and who then told us to send only the cameras back, not the batteries and accessories, and they would send out the UK versions.

3. Several weeks later, SLR Hut claim they cannot source UK version cameras and so we request a full refund. They agree to this once we send back the batteries and accessories. SLR Hut send us DHL shipping labels and the package is picked up from us. We receive a part refund (50%) initially

4. We learn from DHL on enquiry that SLR Hut have the package about a week later. No word from SLR Hut to confirm the return or process the remaining part of the refund.

5. We contact SLR hut to arrange remaining refund and are told this would be processed. However, they only transfer part of the remaining refund amount and they claim that as the cardboard box holding the batteries and accessories was damaged in transit, they can't resell the stock and therefore are withholding approx £1000 of our money.

6. We contacted them and they have refused to give us a refund because the cardboard box was damaged in transit. The cameras, batteries and accessories are in perfect condition. They are fundamentally charging us £1000 for damaged manufacturer packaging.

7. After several phone calls and emails, SLR Hut are refusing to refund us any money point blank.

We concede that we should have done more due diligence on this company, and while they give the strong impression they are trading in UK, they are in fact operating out of the US.

However, they have a co.uk domain that states 'consumer electronics in the UK' in the meta titles, have what appears to be a UK contact number, have .co.uk customer support email addresses, display opening times in UK GMT and claim to have a base in the UK.

They are not registered at UK Companies House however, and their location address is a 'Mailbox' in London.

Their returns policy is also very dubious.

We have contacted UK Trading Standards intially to get some advice but I would appreciate any advice on any further action we can take to both try and retrieve the money and report this company. I appreciate them being in the US complicates matters

To confirm, we have email paper trails, screen grabs and correspondence from SLR hut that confirms all of the above and at no point were we ever told we'd only get a part refund.

Thanks in advance

Did you never question why they were so cheap?

vikingaero

There has been threads about SLRHut before.

They still claim that they are located in Kennington but in reality this is just a dirty shabby Mailboxes Etc accommodation address.

I don't think there is anything you can do other than to contact the Better Business Bureau and Amex as the DSR don't apply to a United States or lying or company that trades so much on BS on their website.

s1875

Thanks for the advice people.

It is most certainly a case of 'too good to be true' with these guys and a lesson learnt.

I will be contacting BBB and AMEX, thanks

Horizontal

On 5th March 2013, when looking for a new professional grade video camera, I came across the SLRHut website. The prices were extremely competitive to say the least, and, as the website was ‘co.uk’ and there was a London address attached to it, I decided to take the plunge. I did question the telephone hours though, but there again, back in the 70s, some of the Central London hi-fi stores kept some very strange hours as well, and some still do now!
About 20mins after I had placed the order, my phone rang, and a very pleasant gentleman called John Patrick was on the other end. He offered me an additional battery for half the normal price, and, as I was going to purchase one later anyway, I accepted. He then started going down the road of offering me lenses and filters etc., but he didn’t pursue the matter when I declined.
After this phone call, I became somewhat uneasy about the whole thing, and when I ‘Google Mapped’ the company’s London address, I found to my horror a Mailbox Shop. Luckily, I had ordered by Credit Card, and by now the thoughts that were going through my head revolved around getting ready to do battle through my Credit Card Company.
As the item that I had ordered was going to take anywhere between 7 and 10 days to arrive, I thought that I would at least give them a chance before taking any further action. However, my heart sank even further after reading some of the dire reviews, which have been written about the company. Many of the reviews I read were quite old, but right up to the present day, I failed to find anyone who had not been in receipt of their goods – BTW, further investigation revealed the American equivalent of the SLRHut website, is a company called fumfie.com, who currently operate out of premises at 234, Beach 101st Street, Rockaway, New York. The reviews of this company match those of SLRHut.
Tuesday 12th March bought an email from DHL, saying that my goods were on the way - Phew!
Thursday 14th March, and the DHL van arrived – I advised the deliveryman of my suspicions about the company who had sent the package, and before I signed for it, I ensured that the contents were correct by actually opening the package there and then.
Relief! – The video camera that I had ordered was definitely there, sitting brand-spankingly new in its previously unopened box, and no extra charges! –
But now, this is we where come to find the catches:
(i) The camera is covered by a Hong Kong and Chinese warranty, and so it is definitely gray goods!
(ii) The extra battery was not a genuine Cannon one, but a ‘cheapy’ that didn’t even cost a quarter here in the UK compared to what I was charged for it by SLRHut.
OK, so I have still managed to save myself over £100 overall on my purchase. But this will only continue to be the case as long as my camera doesn’t develop any faults for the next year………..
Would I use this company again? – The answer is definitely ‘NO’, that is at least until they change both their sales tactics, and get some proper premises and personnel here in the UK.
Would I recommend this company at the moment? – Only to those of you who know what you are doing and who are prepared to take a gamble – My advice is that if you do decide to purchase anything from this company, (i) Use a Credit Card, and (ii) do not buy any extras over the phone – Even better, pay that bit extra and go to another company with a proper UK registered address!
All in all, as I look at it now, through my own fault I feel that I have had a very lucky escape, and, all I’m going to do now is to just take my goods and run………….

Panda_56_2

Hello,

I thought I'd better share my experience purchasing from SLR Hut.

Alarm bells rang after I received an email asking me to call them to speed up the order process. When I realised I was calling the USA on my mobile, I hung up and researched customer reviews on various forums. Most of which were negative, or very dubious.

I contacted my bank to cancel the payment, but my bank was already one step ahead and had identified the transaction as "fraudulant", and so no payment went though. My bank then cancelled my card.

Hope this helps!

Caz3121

Panda_56 wrote: »

Hope this helps!

the OP has not been on this site for almost 2 years so unlikely to see this!

MiserlyMartin

I was thinking of placing an order with SLRhut, good job I didn't. This is just a snippet of their T's & C's on their website: most of which looks to break UK consumer law!!!

7. Shipping Policies


If you would like to insure your shipment for full or add signature requirements for delivery please request this over the phone after you place your order online.

During the checkout process, you'll be given the option to choose how your items are delivered. The list of delivery options can vary depending on a variety of factors including product weight, size and delivery address. If you don't see a particular delivery option, then it's not available for your order. The total delivery charge for the order will be displayed on the last page of the order form, before you submit your order. Orders may be delivered by various carriers but it's not possible to choose which carrier will deliver your order.
We prevent theft by preventing the shipment of merchandise to any alternate addresses – that is, addresses which differ from that of the billing. Any customer shipping to an address which differs from that of the billing address must list this alternate address on file with their credit card company as we can only verify billing addresses electronically. Since alternate addresses must be verified manually, our billing department then calls the credit card issuer to verify that the customer has indeed put the alternate address information on file.


Refused and returned shipments: If you are unable to accept your shipment then please contact DHL to hold the shipment for a future delivery. Shipments can not be refused as they will not be returned to sender. Customers must accept shipment and return the products themselves. If you no longer want your order, and it has not been delivered than you must contact SLRHut.co.uk, so we can recall the shipment. If this is not done then DHL will hold the shipment for a short period of time, if not claimed then they will destroy your shipment and SLRHut.co.uk will not be required to issue a refund or replacement. [FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]A 15% restocking fee and our costs of shipping will be imposed when refunding returned orders. Professional Cameras and Camcorders are subject to a Minimum Mandatory 25% restocking fee.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]BECAUSE OF FRAUD WE DO NOT RE-ROUTE PACKAGES, PICKING A PRODUCT AT A UPS HUB IS NOT AN OPTION. NO EXCEPTIONS.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If for any reason an order is accepted with any of the above referenced address types, and if the parcel containing said order is lost, damaged or missing any items, then we (SlrHut.co.uk) are not responsible for any loss associated with this shipment. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]SlrHut.co.uk will be held harmless and you (customer) assumes all risk of loss and agrees to waive any and all rights to an unauthorized, not as described, or non-receipt claim[/FONT].[/FONT]
Please note: SLRHut.co.uk reserves the right to deny the request to ship to an address other than the billing address.
If you know you won’t be at home to sign for a package, during check out you have the option to send it to your work or a friend or family member.
Signature may not be required on our shipments, The order may be left at your door. Please make sure that you will be available for delivery, is an item is marked as delivered by the shipper and the customer claims non-receipt, slrhut.co.uk will be held harmless.
RISK OF LOSS: All items purchased from SLRHut.co.uk are made pursuant to a shipment contract. This means that the risk of loss and title for such items pass to you upon our delivery to the carrier.

If the package arrives and the box appears to be damaged or tampered with in any way, please refuse the package and notify us immediately. If the delivery is not refused then all customer rights to a shipping claim of damage are waived. Once a package is signed for by the recipient, the aforementioned recipient is responsible forthwith.
We are not responsible for any consequential or incidental damage resulting from the sale or use of any merchandise bought from us. We are responsible for the monetary value of the merchandise only.
Note: We are an international consumer electronics sales company with fulfillment channels and facilities strategically located throughout the world. Orders may be shipped from any one of our international facilities, but rest assured you will not be required to pay any additional duties, taxes or fees upon delivery of your order. The total amount displayed at checkout is inclusive of all (if any) such fees. This policy excludes shipments to customers outside of the UK, please contact us for more details if requesting to ship outside the UK. VAT is not charged on any order.

DHL will destroy your shipment, 25% restocking fee etc, what cowboys this outfit is![/FONT]