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Unexpected Refund
Spring_Heeled_Jack
Posts: 33 Forumite
Sorry, bit of a long one. I bought a fridge from a well-known high street retailer via their eBay outlet at the beginning of December, and opted for home delivery. Original delivery slot was on 23rd Dec, but the driver phoned me a couple of hours before because he had realised he wouldn't be able to get his lorry down our road. A bit annoying, but couldn't be helped. He arranged for the fridge to be delivered by truck sometime on the morning of Christmas Eve, and so I rearranged plans so I could be at the house.
A couple of hours later, customer services contacted me to rearrange delivery, saying their next available slot was the 30th. I told them that the driver had said it would be delivered tomorrow, and they said that their drivers didn't have authority to do that, so the item would have to be delivered on the 30th. No apology, and a little bit of attitude. Again, infuriating, but not the fault of the girl on the phone so I said no problem. Christmas Eve plans back on.
Then just before leaving the house on Christmas Eve, I got a call from a dispatch centre saying they would be delivering the item within the next couple of hours. I cancelled my plans and waited for delivery. The item was actually delivered pretty quickly, and the drivers were very friendly and helpful.
When we opened the box, one of the fridge's handles was missing. Back on the phone to customer services. Initially they offered us either a replacement fridge or a 10% refund, but then changed their mind as it had been ordered via eBay. We were told we would have to contact eBay directly. I calmly explained how disappointed we were with our experience so far, and asked if it was possible to just have the replacement part sent to us. It was, and so we were given a number to contact for the manufacturer.
I decided that once the replacement handle had arrived I would write a letter of complaint to the retailer about the inconvenience caused by the delivery and our poor experiences with customer services. Maybe we'd get a partial refund, or a voucher perhaps. Then on the 30th (3 hours later than the end of the arranged delivery slot), two delivery drivers turn up to deliver another fridge. We told them one had already been delivered, and they had a bit of a laugh and drove off.
The next day, I got an email to say a full (unexpected) refund for the item had been given via PayPal. Although I mentioned how disappointed we were with the service we had received to one of the customer service reps I spoke to, it's unlikely that this would have resulted in a full refund, so I'm presuming it's a mistake. I know this money doesn't belong to me, and that either the amount or the fridge has to go back to the retailer. However, my two-part question is:
1) is it my responsibility to contact the retailer to inform them of their supposed mistake, and if it is – how quickly? I'd love to avoid any more phone contact with their customer services department if possible
2) can I use this to my advantage at all? I was thinking of still writing a letter of complaint, but playing dumb and saying that we hadn't expected to get a full refund and that "they really made a Cole's shopper out of me" type of thing. It's unlikely that they'll still give us the full refund, but maybe they would give us that partial refund/voucher that I think we deserve in order to save face?
If you've got to the end of this, thanks for reading. I've tried to stick to the facts in my edit, but it is still a bit of a long story. Any opinions on my best course of action would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
A couple of hours later, customer services contacted me to rearrange delivery, saying their next available slot was the 30th. I told them that the driver had said it would be delivered tomorrow, and they said that their drivers didn't have authority to do that, so the item would have to be delivered on the 30th. No apology, and a little bit of attitude. Again, infuriating, but not the fault of the girl on the phone so I said no problem. Christmas Eve plans back on.
Then just before leaving the house on Christmas Eve, I got a call from a dispatch centre saying they would be delivering the item within the next couple of hours. I cancelled my plans and waited for delivery. The item was actually delivered pretty quickly, and the drivers were very friendly and helpful.
When we opened the box, one of the fridge's handles was missing. Back on the phone to customer services. Initially they offered us either a replacement fridge or a 10% refund, but then changed their mind as it had been ordered via eBay. We were told we would have to contact eBay directly. I calmly explained how disappointed we were with our experience so far, and asked if it was possible to just have the replacement part sent to us. It was, and so we were given a number to contact for the manufacturer.
I decided that once the replacement handle had arrived I would write a letter of complaint to the retailer about the inconvenience caused by the delivery and our poor experiences with customer services. Maybe we'd get a partial refund, or a voucher perhaps. Then on the 30th (3 hours later than the end of the arranged delivery slot), two delivery drivers turn up to deliver another fridge. We told them one had already been delivered, and they had a bit of a laugh and drove off.
The next day, I got an email to say a full (unexpected) refund for the item had been given via PayPal. Although I mentioned how disappointed we were with the service we had received to one of the customer service reps I spoke to, it's unlikely that this would have resulted in a full refund, so I'm presuming it's a mistake. I know this money doesn't belong to me, and that either the amount or the fridge has to go back to the retailer. However, my two-part question is:
1) is it my responsibility to contact the retailer to inform them of their supposed mistake, and if it is – how quickly? I'd love to avoid any more phone contact with their customer services department if possible
2) can I use this to my advantage at all? I was thinking of still writing a letter of complaint, but playing dumb and saying that we hadn't expected to get a full refund and that "they really made a Cole's shopper out of me" type of thing. It's unlikely that they'll still give us the full refund, but maybe they would give us that partial refund/voucher that I think we deserve in order to save face?
If you've got to the end of this, thanks for reading. I've tried to stick to the facts in my edit, but it is still a bit of a long story. Any opinions on my best course of action would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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Comments
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Not another one of these threads.
Really, I think you know what you should do, doesn't really need any discussion does it!0 -
Not another one of these threads.
Really, I think you know what you should do, doesn't really need any discussion does it!
It's not my intention to keep the money without saying anything, so I'm not looking for anyone's permission to do so as in other threads I've read on here. I'm just asking for advice on the best course of action considering I was going to complain in the hope of getting a partial refund anyway. If I have a legal obligation to contact them ASAP then I'll do so via phone tomorrow, but if I don't then I'd prefer to do it via snail mail as part of my originally planned letter of complaint.0 -
Why do you believe you are due a partial refund, I cant seem to see any reason why in your post.
Do the right thing. There's obviously been a mix up.0 -
You got your product you owe the amount you agreed to pay.
Quite frankly your second option is a morally (and legally) very poor thought process.
If you dont contact you will only end up with far more hassle than a bit of delivery challenges (btw, I feel its your responsibility to have informed them of the limited access to your property - so all the delivery complications of which you are complaining could have been avoided had you informed them from the outset).0 -
powerful_Rogue wrote: »Why do you believe you are due a partial refund, I cant seem to see any reason why in your post.
Do the right thing. There's obviously been a mix up.
I was initially offered a 10% refund because the fridge wasn't in a complete state when we received it, but then this option was taken away as soon as the customer services rep realised it was bought via eBay outlet and not the official site. Surely there's a good chance I will still be entitled to that partial refund if I complain, as the same retailer will be getting my money if I buy it on eBay or not.
I really can't stress enough that I will be doing the right thing. I couldn't do it after midnight last night once I had read the refund email, so I thought I'd ask my question on here. My honest question was whether I was in a stronger position to be informing them of their mistake as part of a longer complaint letter, as another example of their incompetency and the inconvenience caused to us during the whole process.
My thought is that this isn't a private seller on eBay who has made a mistake, it's a massive company who obviously need to get their collective act together as their online purchase to home delivery is a nightmare. I feel that there would be a greater attention paid to my complaint if I also need to be re-invoiced.0 -
I wouldnt say anything and keep the money in a savings account, then again I have no morals when it comes to big companies, especially one who has an attitude with customers.
If you were offered a 10% discount then that is the LEAST I would take0 -
They are sending you the replacement part and an email should sort out the issue of the refund, is compensation really necessary for such a trivial matter?0
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You got your product you owe the amount you agreed to pay.
Quite frankly your second option is a morally (and legally) very poor thought process.
If you dont contact you will only end up with far more hassle than a bit of delivery challenges (btw, I feel its your responsibility to have informed them of the limited access to your property - so all the delivery complications of which you are complaining could have been avoided had you informed them from the outset).
The complaint letter is contact though, my question was is it quick enough from a legal point of view.
The only limited access to my property is when you decide to drive a 30 foot lorry down our road – surely not the only British terraced street this is a problem on. Vans, trucks, even something the size of a large refuse collection truck are all fine.
I can see your point though, and I'm sure they will say it was my responsibility. I will inform companies from now on, but I thought a big company that make millions of deliveries each year would plan their delivery routes a bit better to be honest.0 -
They are sending you the replacement part and an email should sort out the issue of the refund, is compensation really necessary for such a trivial matter?
Yeah I see your point, I just feel annoyed that had I ordered it from the official site and not their eBay outlet I would have already received a 10% refund to keep, which is not a small amount when it comes to a fridge.
They aren't sending me the part btw, they've washed their hands of the matter and pointed me towards the manufacturer.0 -
Spring_Heeled_Jack wrote: »Yeah I see your point, I just feel annoyed that had I ordered it from the official site and not their eBay outlet I would have already received a 10% refund to keep, which is not a small amount when it comes to a fridge.
They aren't sending me the part btw, they've washed their hands of the matter and pointed me towards the manufacturer.
Very poor customer service .
Did you ever speak to eBay?0
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