Help - What Can I Do - Timesonline

MartinaMoney

Hi,
I'm really fed up - I ordered a cupboard from timesonline/homedirect early January - continually on phone to them but they are so rude - believe it or not not allowed the telephone number of their warehouse nor contact with their supervisors - as for a manager mmmmmm..... never in office. What can you say - talk about poor training, unsupported staff. What can I say I still don't have my cupboard - received no notification from them about anything. Their standard response well you can cancel order BUT:
I WANT THIS CUPBOARD
NOW THAT I'VE WAITED A FRUSTRATING 5 MONTHS I'M DETERMINED TO GET IT - it was paid for in January.
What is the service industry coming to - Easylife - could not care less. At one stage a girl told me the item would be delivered on a certain day - stupid me took the day off work - ............
Gosh - as a consumer what can you do...
Thanks for listening to me moan.

adamraoof

Re: Sunday Times Online Shopping / Times Direct – Times Online – Home Direct

Have you ever been charged MORE for shopping online from the same company?

In February 2007 a catalogue for ‘Times Online’ (I am not sure what relationship they have with the Sunday Times or Times, but the registered address The Times Home Direct, Euro House, Cremers Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3US) fell out of a copy of The Sunday Times and an item of bathroom furniture caught my mother’s eye. She pointed it out to me. It was a Tallboy, and cost £124.95 plus £4.95 shipping. The catalogue also said “Supplementary Delivery charge of £12.95 per item for heavy or oversized items that are marked as shown.” There was a little picture of a van next to items with a supplementary delivery charge. There was no little van next to this item.

It was my mother’s birthday on 27th February, so I offered to buy it for her as a present. She gave me the catalogue so I could order it for her. It was item http://timeshomedirect.easylifegroup.com/products/1679.asp.

On Tuesday 6th February 2007 I placed an order with Times Online through their website http://timeshomedirect.easylifegroup.com, reference # HDW-18746.

I noticed that there was a supplementary charge of £12.95 for delivery added, and I queried this immediately by email on 11 February.

On 14 February I received a reply from Abby – “Thank you for your email. According to the source you ordered from there is supplementary insurance charge. I apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

I checked my receipt and immediately replied “Thanks for your reply. The 'source' was your website. It states quite clearly in my receipt that items are dispatched with free insurance and that I have been charged a shipping supplement in error. Please see the receipt below; I believe that the shipping should be as stated in the catalogue from The Times newspaper...” The receipt said clearly “…items are despatched with free delivery insurance”

I did not receive a reply to this email. Instead, my mother (who was not the customer – I was) was contacted by Times Online and told that if she did not pay the supplement the item would not be delivered. We also received a letter saying that the item was out of stock and we would have to wait for delivery.

The item was eventually delivered three and a half months later.

On Thursday 24 May I sent this email to Abby;

“Dear Abby,

I wish to complain most strongly about your customer service.

1. I ordered this item on 6th February 2007
2. You charged me a supplementary delivery charge even though it is clearly not in the catalogue
3. Then you attempted to pass this charge off as insurance
4. When I sent you an email (copy below) clearly proving that insurance was covered by your own terms and conditions, you failed to respond
5. Now you have delivered the item, in mid-May.
6. Please reassure me that you haven't charged me the delivery supplement, or that you will refund it immediately if you have

I hope that we can resolve this matter amicably, as the item was a present for my mother, and she will no doubt be pleased with it. But it is many months after her birthday!”

I did not get a reply from Abby, but Rhys wrote back;

“Dear Mr.Raoof
Thank you for your email. I have looked on our website for the item you have ordered. When you look at the item under the description above the price it has a symbol of a van. This means that there is a surplus delivery charge of £12.95 as well as the postage charge. This is stated in our terms of sale. Please accept our apologies for the incorrect information Abby sent you in the previous email. Regards, Rhys, Customer Services”

I wrote back to point out that my order was based on their printed catalogue, which clearly does not have a supplement.

Rhys wrote back on 25th May; “It is clear on the website that the will be a extra delivery charge. If it did not have this in the catalogue then you would of had to place your order through the catalogue by phone or post.”

I replied on 26th May;

“Dear Rhys

Thanks for your reply. This is still not satisfactory.

1. I have checked the HomeDirect Catalogue for Winter 2007 where I originally saw the item. No supplementary delivery charge is mentioned. The catalogue says 'call.... to order, or shop online at...' which is what I did. I don't expect the price to be higher when I shop on the internet. If I had returned the form with a cheque this whole situation would have never arisen. Are you honestly saying that I should expect to be charged a different (higher) price for delivery when shopping on the internet?

2. I thought that either I or HomeDirect might have made a mistake in the catalogue and that this might be reflected in later catalogues, so I got a copy of your latest catalogue yesterday - Spring 2007. This has the same item for sale, and there is still no supplementary delivery charge!

3. I complained about the delivery charge as soon as I noticed it on my invoice. Your representative then attempted to pass this charge off as delivery insurance. Quite clearly this was wrong and I pointed out immediately that your own terms and conditions provide free delivery insurance - It would have been polite to reply at that point yet I received no reply until I sent another email in May once the item had actually been delivered. In the mean time your customer service representatives contacted my mother who was told that the item would not be delivered unless this supplement was paid.

I must repeat that my experience has not been satisfactory. I shop on the internet frequently and have never had this experience with other shops. Please refund my supplementary delivery charge. My mother is very happy with the item I bought her, so please make me a happy customer!

And in the future please ensure that the prices in your printed catalogue matches those in the online shop!”

I received this reply on 29th May;

“Dear Mr.Raoof
Thank you for your email.
Lots of companies have different prices on the internet as apposed to their shops or catalogues, sometimes higher, sometimes lower and we are not doing anything different. We make it aware on our site with the van symbol that there will be an extra delivery charge for this item, so you would have known of this charge before placing the order and could have stopped ordering if you were not happy with this. If you wish to receive the item at the catalogue price you have to order through the catalogue by phone or post as we have different offers on our website to our catalogue.
I am sorry if a colleague gave you the wrong information about the charge being for insurance and again at that time you could have cancelled the order if you were not satisfied. For these reasons we will not being refunding you delivery charge. Regards, Rhys, Customer Services”

What do you think of this reply? Are The Sunday Times really suggesting that customers should pay MORE for ordering through their website? Are they seriously suggesting that having encouraged customers who see the printed catalogue and then, encouraged by their own literature, order through the website (and incidentally saving Times Online money in the process) should be penalised?

I would appreciate your thoughts. I don’t know what else I can do to encourage this company to see common sense!

Adam Raoof

quickstepqueen

Martinamoney.....I am no expert on these matters but I would get some advice from maybe trading standards because in my eyes they have committed a theft. They have taken money from you in exchange for what????

I thought that a company, if ordering via distant selling , they had to supply within 30 days unless otherwise agreed. This situation is not.


Adamraoof....I agree that your situation is diabolical. If you have ther t&c's to prove your case I would get some legal advice from somewhere and maybe even go down the small claims court, contact trading standards,whatever it takes.

If the item in the catalogue did not have a van symbol against it but it did on the internet then it's not your fault that they are giving out inconsistent information. The problem is that sometimes you think, "oh well, it's £13 and I'm fed up of chasing this" but then at the end of the day your morals kick in and companies shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

Contact watchdog even, both of you, and see what happens.
Sorry I'm not much help,maybe we have a lawyer/mse'er who can advise but good luck all the same. I hope you can get it resolved asap.

adamraoof

UPDATE: I sent my summary of the events above to the Sunday Times and to the Customer Services department of Times Online, and finally got a response; I like to think that posting here was the key, though!

"Dear Adam Raoof

Thank you for your e-mail and I am most sorry to learn of the problems you are having with your order.

I have forwarded your e-mail on to the relevant mailing house so they can investigate your query. They will contact you in due course.

Please accept our sincere apologies for any disappointment and
inconvenience caused. May I assure you that the problems you have
experienced on this occasion are not representative of our usual high
standard of service.

Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards

Customer Liaison Department"


Then the next day; a result!!

"Dear Mr Raoof,

Thank you for you email.

We can confirm that a credit card refund has been actioned today for £12.95,
the cost of the extra delivery charge. This will be transferred into your
account in the next 5-7 days.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused in this matter.

Regards
Lisa
Customer Services"

As you say, Martinamoney, the amount is not actually the point. It's the principle.

quickstepqueen

adamraoof...congrats on your victory.....long and hard fought but you got there in the end with sheer grit and determination. Will keep fingers crossed that the payment goes into your acct asap. Well done x