Online Purchase Item Refund Problem

neslein

Good afternoon,

I hope I'm posting this in the right section but please point me in the right direction if I am not.
On the 15th of May I bought a Used camera lens from an online retailer. I haven't purchased from them before but a quick google suggested they are a decent company to deal with. The money for the lens got debited from my account instantly but after about an hour I received an e-mail saying that the item wasn't in stock and that my payment had been rejected. Obviously disappointed I emailed back accepting it was an honest mistake and upon asking I was informed my money should be back in my account the next day (16th)
I checked my account in the morning and it wasn't there, after an e-mail I was told that a refund was being processed so it should be in my account on the 17th. It wasn't so I decided to pop into my local branch and ask what's going on. The branch informed me that they can see the transaction but there isn't anything that can be done from their side, the retailer should be able to push it through quicker.
As it was now the weekend I waited until the 19th to query again. I was going on holiday on the 19th so after this email decided not to chase it again until I had returned.
A few days later I received 2 e-mails from the company one of which included a screen shot of the payment being rejected. I thanked them for the screen shot but still no money in my account.
I returned from my holiday a couple of days ago and still have no money. I have been in contact with my branch and their answer is the same as before, theres nothing they can do. I've contacted the company again and as far as they're concerned they have rejected my money so have washed their hands of it, saying its a problem between the banks.
Obviously I am fuming at this, I don't have the product I ordered (I am beginning to wonder if it even existed) or the money that I paid for it. As I have purchased the item through their website and not from the bank surely they have a responsibility to make sure my money is returned? I am hoping someone here can help me with what actions I need to take next to get my money back.

Thanks in advance

daytona0

I can appreciate that this is annoying but I do have to ask why you haven't queried it with your bank as of yet....

It could be a case that payment was rejected on the retailer's side but the bank have put the money on hold (ie unavailable) in anticipation of the order and that you simply need to speak to the bank to either get more info or the money back.

I would ring the merchant up and ask whether they are able to provide an Arn number (via streamline) so that you could track either the original transaction or the refund. If they are able to ring streamline but can't get you an arn then chances are they haven't received a penny from you and it is a bank issue. If they give you a refund arn number then you can give it to you bank and the money will be found. If they can't ring streamline (they may not be registered) then you'll need to ask them whether they received payment, what bank they sent the refund to and when it was done. If all of that fails then go the legal route

frugal_mike

daytona0 wrote: »

I can appreciate that this is annoying but I do have to ask why you haven't queried it with your bank as of yet....

According to the OP they have contacted the bank several times and been told there's nothing they can do. (I'm assuming that branch is a reference to their bank).

RosiPossum

frugal_mike wrote: »

According to the OP they have contacted the bank several times and been told there's nothing they can do. (I'm assuming that branch is a reference to their bank).

I assumed it was a local branch of the company (s)he bought from. Which was it, OP?

unholyangel

OP how did you pay (credit/debit card perhaps?) and how much was it?

frugal_mike

RosiPossum wrote: »

I assumed it was a local branch of the company (s)he bought from. Which was it, OP?

I assumed branch meant bank because the branch said it was the retailer needed to sort it. But yes, OP needs to clarify.

daytona0

frugal_mike wrote: »

According to the OP they have contacted the bank several times and been told there's nothing they can do. (I'm assuming that branch is a reference to their bank).

I read that too and interpreted it as the company branch so best to rule out the obvious suggestions such as contacting the bank

neslein

Thanks for the replies so far. when I mentioned the branch I was speaking about the branch of my bank (Barclays) Who have offered little to no help at all, their standard reply seems to be " its the online retailers problem they have to sort it" The amount is just over £400.

unholyangel

neslein wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far. when I mentioned the branch I was speaking about the branch of my bank (Barclays) Who have offered little to no help at all, their standard reply seems to be " its the online retailers problem they have to sort it" The amount is just over £400.

Did you pay by credit or debit card?

If debit, contact your back regarding a chargeback for non-delivery.

If credit, contact your bank and make a claim under section 75 of the consumer credit act.