Scammed By Play.com!

Sssssss

eyelinerprincess wrote: »

I would have thought it was obvious that you'd add the cradle too...Or is that just me?

or if not obvious then why not ring BEFORE placing the order ah hem

RightRevBod

Why do you not just order another (complete with cradle) then return the unopened one for a refund as the original purchase?

ie you keep the old opened one, but return the new unopened one as the old one.

Hopefully you can tell what I mean. Looks a bit confusing as I type it.

jamborino

superscaper wrote: »

mpython is right, discussing the distance selling regs is a moot point as they don't apply to play.com, neither does the sale of goods act or any other UK law you care to mention.

My point was made specifically in response to an earlier poster's apparent misunderstanding of the DS regs, in which she suggested that if goods are opened or not faulty they cannot be returned under protection of the DS regs.
Whether or not the DS regs actually apply to play.com was beside the point.

superscaper

jamborino wrote: »

My point was made specifically in response to an earlier poster's apparent misunderstanding of the DS regs, in which she suggested that if goods are opened or not faulty they cannot be returned under protection of the DS regs.
Whether or not the DS regs actually apply to play.com was beside the point.

Yes, I know. It was as much about expounding on mpython's post as anything which I thought'd be relevant to the OP.

magyar

mpython wrote: »

Sorry to throw a fly in the ointment, but Play.com are based in jersey, and therefore, I believe, are not covered by Distance Selling regs.

Worth noting though, that the Jersey government recommends that all traders employ a best practice which is in effect exactly the same as the DSR

http://www.gov.je/NR/rdonlyres/42E04FE0-E63F-4A04-817E-D4458C6E3700/0/BADistanceSellingBestPracticeGuide.pdf

In addition, the DSR is being adopted by Jersey shortly.

It's surprising that a company like Play.com (which I have always found to be reasonable) is being silly about this.

Did you offer to pay the postage for the cradle? That would seem a very fair compromise.

PastramiMuncher

Hi,

I ordered the (black) Walkman. I tried to add the cradle to the basket but couldn't. Perhaps it was obvious how to do it but it wasn't to me. I don't know if the method of adding the cradle has changed but I feel ripped off. Maybe it's because I am a casual shopper and not a bargain hunter but I expect to be able to shop and go. Not to have to worry about the small print when dealing with a reputable website.

If the webpage says something is free then you should get the free item with a minimum of hassle. It should come free. Perhaps websites often make things that bit more difficult but in my opinion that is a deliberate attempt to minimise the potential of the free offer. That is unacceptable. I want to shop, not do an obstacle course on line. I might mention that I spent several years as a software developer. I designed graphical interfaces for applications and am knowledgeable in HCI (Human Computer Interaction). Play.com either knew what they were doing (making the claiming of the cradle difficult) or they made a mistake in their design.

This experience has opened my eyes about Play.com. I found them very difficult to contact via email and their phone line was not working. I eventually got through on the phone.

Surprise surprise the guy I was speaking to knew IMMEDIATELY what I was talking about and said that he had had to deal with others with the same complaint. He never took my order number as he knew what had happened and could describe to me in detail what I should have done when I made the order. He had practice (or training) at dealing with the situation. He said that they would take the Walkman back but no chance of a cradle. Complain to [EMAIL="complaints@play.com"]complaints@play.com[/EMAIL] if you want.

So Play.com advertised a free cradle, then made it difficult to claim it, they know there is a problem and are having to deal with complaints. I intend taking it further but may be wasting my time. I may just return the Walkman (if I can). But my perception of play.com has changed. They are no longer a retailer that I can trust. I am not saying they have done anything illegal etc. Just that they have moved into the Ryaniar category. They are now in the spiv category, you have to keep checking that everything is by the book, that no checkbox is ticked when it shouldn't be, that no additional fees have been added and know that if it isn't stated in black and white you won't get it. It takes the fun out of shopping and turns it into a pain.

I'm not saying I won't use play.com again, I might. But I will definitely use amazon more often as I have found amazon to be decent in their dealings with me in the past.

tony4563

Thanks Pastramimuncher... At last someone else who went through exactly the same situation as myself and felt cheated by play.com. Although it came up in your basket that there was a " free cradle offer " there was NO indication that you had to buy the item seperatley. I was expecting a voucher of some kind. However, I noticed after the event that there are now full details how to claim the free cradle (if you wanted the white version) Their customer service just did not want to know when I rang them. I also wrote a letter of complaint (which has been unanswered as we speak). As it is, the player they sent me had a fault so I'm returning for a refund. I'll never trust them again.

option6

I also feel scammed following what I consider to be sharp practice on the part of Play.com. If you look at the site today, you will see offers where the free items are included in the item price (as it should be, why would you order an item and not want the free gift that was the incentive?) and others where the link-save still exists albeit with clearer instructions than previously.

If the shopping basket contains "Sony Walkman X Series NWZ-X1060 32GB OLED MP3 Player With Free Sony Speaker Dock" and the order confirmation email announces "Your order for Sony Walkman X Series NWZ-X1060 32GB OLED MP3 Player With Free Sony Speaker Dock has been posted", then that is what I expect to receive.

As this speaker dock was not available anywhere on the web at the time of placing the order, with a release date in October according to the Sony site, I even waited the required 3 weeks before inquiring about the non-delivery of the item to be told that they "will not be able to offer the dock as a separate order".

Two of three emails have been ignored and the promised return phone call because "no supervisor is currently available to deal with complaints" has also not occurred. How can this be sensible business practice to lose future sales from myself and my family for the sake of not honouring an offer?

Has anybody had any success since the previous posts?

savemoney

I find that too hard to read option6 can you not use paragraphs

Amistoso_2

Not really a scam though is it? a bit misleading at worst...