Retailer charging £25 for refund

kev677

Hi,
On Sunday evening i placed an online order for a couple of mattress protectors from Staddons Beds website, paid with my Halifax Mastercard credit card & total cost came to £28. However shortly afterwards i realised it was the incorrect type of protector and wanted to cancel my order. I called Straddons first thing on Monday morning and asked them to cancel the order and refund. They said they could cancel the order & refund me (items not posted yet) but they would charge me £25 as that is what their bank charges to process refunds. Their website T&Cs does mention the £25 charge and Halifax said there is diddly squat they can do if the retailer's T&Cs show the £25 charge. I'm guessing i haven't got a leg to stand on? I'm fairly sure the £25 charge is their own admin charge rather than what their bank charges them to process the refund.

Cancellations, Returns & Refunds

If you wish to cancel your order:

(a) you can notify us by email to staddonsbeds@aol.com prior to dispatch of your goods – an administration charge of £25 may be deducted from any refund amount due to you.

(b) if the product has already been dispatched you will be charged the full cost of returning the product to Staddons plus an administration fee of £25.

Any costs of returning the product(s) to us will be borne by you and must be returned within 7 working days of receipt of product.

Products cannot be returned:

- if you change your mind

- in the event that the product has been used/assembled/part assembled.

- if the product(s) have been made or customised specifically for you.

We anticipate that in purchasing products, you have made an informed decision. However, we will provide a refund or exchange if the item is not ‘fit for purpose’ and only if you return the product to us unopened and in original packaging. We will give you a full refund of the amount paid (less any costs incurred by ourselves in the collection of the product if collection is required) plus an administration charge of £25.

Staddons reserves the right to cancel orders and refund the client should the need/event arise.

Ebe_Scrooge

It does seem a tad excessive, but unfortunately when you formed the contract with them by placing the order, you accepted their T&Cs. As you say, it may be their own internal processing charge rather than a charge imposed by their bank, and you could argue that it's excessive - but ultimately you accepted this when you placed the order, and from what you've quoted it's not exactly hidden away in the small print.


<Edit> I've just had a look at their website, I must say their T&Cs do seem rather amateurish. I'm sure they're not a dodgy company, but somehow it just doesn't come across as very professional to me.

kev677

Thanks Ebe, may have to accept this as an expensive mistake. They also said they cannot refund me (the piddly sum of £3) until they receive the funds from their bank which takes ~5 working days.

Richey_

I am most certainly no expert in this field but would not distance selling regulations come in to force here as you stated that you wanted to return within 14 days so should be entitled to a full refund including postage costs?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Protection_(Distance_Selling)_Regulations_2000

callum9999

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

It does seem a tad excessive, but unfortunately when you formed the contract with them by placing the order, you accepted their T&Cs. As you say, it may be their own internal processing charge rather than a charge imposed by their bank, and you could argue that it's excessive - but ultimately you accepted this when you placed the order, and from what you've quoted it's not exactly hidden away in the small print.


<Edit> I've just had a look at their website, I must say their T&Cs do seem rather amateurish. I'm sure they're not a dodgy company, but somehow it just doesn't come across as very professional to me.

Completely and utterly wrong. It is illegal for them to charge an admin fee on a refund within 14 days - their T&Cs cannot override the law. No ifs, no buts. I also refuse to believe their bank charges them £25 to process a refund.

kev677

Callum9999, that sounds encouraging. Should i point out the distance selling regulations to them and threaten them with Small claims court action if they don't comply?
legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/2334/contents/made

lovinituk

Don't mention Distance Selling Regs, it no longer applies! It has been superceded by the Consumer Contract Regulations, although the sentiment is the same.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/can-i-cancel-an-online-order-

Candyapple

Have you tried complaining or asking why they think they are above the law regarding refunds via either their Twitter or Facebook page? Most companies usually don't want the negative press and resolve complaints swiftly because it's on a public domain.

https://twitter.com/staddonsbeds
https://www.facebook.com/Staddons-Beds-309695115742729/

Voyager2002

The story about a bank charging 25 pounds for a refund is rubbish! What you want is not a refund, but for the transaction to be cancelled.

Clive_Woody

lovinituk wrote: »

Don't mention Distance Selling Regs, it no longer applies! It has been superceded by the Consumer Contract Regulations, although the sentiment is the same.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/can-i-cancel-an-online-order-

Definitely this, they cannot charge a fee for cancelled orders. As stated T&Cs cannot be applied in place of the laws of the land.

Futuristic

What bank charges £25 for refunds? Total lie.