Distance Selling Regs: NO DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCTS

oliver1990

So I'm graduating this summer and I hired and purchased parts of my gown on a website called Ede and Ravenscroft, based in Cambridgeshire (I'm in Manchester, studied in Bangor, Wales). I hired most parts of the gown (hat, hood and rope) and was unsure when I saw this item called "rope cover" so I did a bit of research on the Internet because the website did not provide any form of description or photos of it. It was only £10 so I thought I'd buy it, and I did, I also paid £6 for delivery, which I thought was outrageous considering I was paying almost £100 in total for everything including the gown and photography. Anyway, this item turned up at my door front this morning and it's not what I thought it was when I ordered it.

Now I want to return it and get my money back (which the site promises they will) but I absolutely refuse to pay for the return postage myself after all this.

So what should I do? I've already emailed them demanding a full refund, including the cost of returning the item (£10 for the 'cover' + £6 for delivery + whatever amount it will cost me to sent it back). Am I really entitled to all this?

Btw - I really want to get this done and over with because I don't want my graduation to be ruined by silly things like this. Although at the same time, I feel like I've been cheated and misled into buying this item. Had I been given any clue of what it was, I probably wouldn't have purchased it in the first place.

bod1467

It depends on what terms they advised you by durable means (e.g. email, or on the invoice - on their website doesn't count). If these say you must pay to return, then you pay. If they don't mention anything about returns postage (or you didn't receive any such terms notification) then THEY must pay (or cover your reasonable costs).

You are still entitled to a full refund of the item cost and initial postage costs regardless.

oliver1990

bod1467 wrote: »

It depends on what terms they advised you by durable means (e.g. email, or on the invoice - on their website doesn't count). If these say you must pay to return, then you pay. If they don't mention anything about returns postage (or you didn't receive any such terms notification) then THEY must pay (or cover your reasonable costs).

You are still entitled to a full refund of the item cost and initial postage costs regardless.

They state on the website as well as the invoice that buyer would pay for return cost. It's just that a description of the product is essential in distance selling and they failed to provide that. It's not just me simply changing my mind.

As I said, I really feel cheated.

visidigi

Was the £6 for all items in the order or just the rope cover?

If its just the rope cover then you aren't entitled to all the delivery charges back.

visidigi

oliver1990 wrote: »

They state on the website as well as the invoice that buyer would pay for return cost. It's just that a description of the product is essential in distance selling and they failed to provide that. It's not just me simply changing my mind.

As I said, I really feel cheated.

It's only essential in your view - they offered a product with a description and price which you accepted by doing research on google. You could have emailed or phoned the seller to check what it was or what you needed.

I'm afraid it's more a case of don't buy it if you aren't sure...

Dogger69

Do you mean robe cover?

I have never heard of a rope cover ...

oliver1990

visidigi wrote: »

Was the £6 for all items in the order or just the rope cover?

If its just the rope cover then you aren't entitled to all the delivery charges back.

It's only for the robe cover.

visidigi wrote: »

It's only essential in your view - they offered a product with a description and price which you accepted by doing research on google. You could have emailed or phoned the seller to check what it was or what you needed.

I'm afraid it's more a case of don't buy it if you aren't sure...

Um... No.

According to Distance Selling Regs, 'a description of the main characteristics of the goods or services' should have been provided. I shouldn't have had to do the research myself. You wouldn't sell a Aztec dress on ASOS and make your customers look up the pattern on Topshop.co.uk.

oliver1990

Dogger69 wrote: »

Do you mean robe cover?

I have never heard of a rope cover ...

Well yeah, but that's not the point...:p

Dogger69

oliver1990 wrote: »

Well yeah, but that's not the point...:p

In that case, 'robe cover' is the description - it is self evident.

timbstoke

oliver1990 wrote: »

According to Distance Selling Regs, 'a description of the main characteristics of the goods or services' should have been provided. I shouldn't have had to do the research myself.

It was provided. It was described as a robe cover. That is the main characteristic of the product.

If they'd sent you a potato, then I could understand your point, but as it stands, you ordered it based on the description on their site. If you needed more information on the particular product you were buying, then you should have sought that out from the person selling it to you, not other places on the internet.

To reuse your analogy, if you looked at an Aztec dress on Topshop, and then bought one from ASOS instead, you wouldn't have much to complain about when they turned out to be different.

iclayt

oliver1990 wrote: »

this item turned up at my door front this morning and it's not what I thought it was when I ordered it.

Out of interest, what did you think a robe cover was, and what was the difference between what you were expecting and what arrived? Is it just a zip up cover similar to a suit bag, because that's what I assume it would be.