Dreams - Total Inflexible Refund/Cancellation Policy!!

divadee

My brother ordered some furniture from Dreams Superstore in Portsmouth on monday of this week. He ordered at about 5.20pm (the reason for the specific time will become apparent)


He changed his mind this morning at 10am and called to cancel, when he called he was told there will be a 20% cancellation fee as he is out of the 24 hour cancellation period. He didnt dispute this so offered if he changed to a different range (he had just gone off the style he ordered) would that be suitable. He again was told yes you can change to a new style but you will still be charged the 20% fee.

Another reason he wanted to cancel was he has just got back from Iraq with the Royal Navy and when the items were due to be delivered he would of been away again. SO he wouldnt of been able to take delivery of it. Thats why he asked about another in stock style.

This fee is approx £178!!!!!

I cannot believe that in this day and age a company would be as inflexible as this in there policys.

They are willing to lose a £890 sale for this inflexibility, but then what company wouldnt if they can use daylight robbery to extort £178 out of you!!

I think 24 hours to cancel is not really acceptable, as you dont actually get 24 hours as if you order at closing time like my brother did you cant cancel at 2am can you as they are not open!!!! They should at least give 24 working hours notice.

Before the do-gooders bleat on about he signed the contract, yes he did and we are not disputing that but to not even be able to change the ranges without this 20% fee is just bad customer services.

I have to say i put this fee on a par with the illegal bank charges. If they can prive to us it cost them £177.20 to cancel this order then he would pay it. BUt i have to say i dont think it would of cost more than £20-30 at the most and he is willing to pay that also!!!

Well I hope the [STRIKE]!!!!!! turpins[/STRIKE] sorry employees enjoy there free £177.20 for doing not a lot. Maybe they will choke on the champagne at the christmas do that this money will no doubt of paid for!!

sooz

If he changed his mind about the style - tough

If he changed his mind, as they won't be able to deliver when he's around, then you may be able to get a full refund, if he can prove he wasn't told of this date when he ordered.

Otherwise, why should he get a full refund? He bought something, then changed his mind. It's his fault. Perhaps he should take his other half shopping with him, if he's unable to make a decision? :rolleyes:

divadee

sooz wrote: »

If he changed his mind about the style - tough

If he changed his mind, as they won't be able to deliver when he's around, then you may be able to get a full refund, if he can prove he wasn't told of this date when he ordered.

Otherwise, why should he get a full refund? He bought something, then changed his mind. It's his fault. Perhaps he should take his other half shopping with him, if he's unable to make a decision? :rolleyes:

if you read my post im not disputing any of what you have said. But to have a penalty of £178 for being a few hours of the cancellation period is just extortion.

He is willing to pay any out of pocket exppneses the company might be charged, but i dont think it will be anywhere near £178!!!

pinkshoes

Was he told the delivery date before he ordered? If not, he could just tell them that this isn't acceptable and cancel the order without paying a charge.

the 20% is a ridiculous amount! if it's that much to cancel, i would presume the company have a 48 hour delivery date from order... (meaning staff start shifting the furniture around immediately, loading into vans etc... and then have to unload it and put it all back), but given the problem is the delivery date being too far in the future, this obviously isn't the case...

Unless they make them all from scratch and have started cutting the material already, but i very much doubt that!!

Forget the fact that he changed his mind, as that's not a valid reason to return something. You'll have to try and get a full refund based on the delivery date.

divadee

all they stated was the delivery date was approx 4 weeks, he said well can you tell me which week would it be around the 5th nov as that is 4 weeks, well it might be or could be the week after.

when i called the !!!!!! turpin hotline on my brothers behalf they just stated that as they have to make all furniture to order then costs have already been incurred.

my eye they have i said to the lady so after 5.20 last night (last time to cancel) the furniture is already being made, she ummed and said well no but the order will have been sent via email :rolleyes:

PopeSock

I suspect your best option, since there's no real legal option, would to be to threaten to walk up and down outside the store handing out leaflets, warning people of the high charges. This has worked in a couple of cases with other stores, albeit non furniture ones.

all_in_all

If you had bought over the phone then you could have invoked the dti distance selling regulations which give you a seven day cooling off period but as you placed the order face to face this doesn't apply to your case.

divadee

PopeSock wrote: »

I suspect your best option, since there's no real legal option, would to be to threaten to walk up and down outside the store handing out leaflets, warning people of the high charges. This has worked in a couple of cases with other stores, albeit non furniture ones.

oh how i would love to do this!!!! but feel it wouldnt make a blind bit of difference!!!

i have never met such an inflexible company, even charging the 20% for a change of style that would be delivered quicker!!

divadee

ts_aly2000 wrote: »

The way this company has behaved is simply bad business, nothing more, nothing less. A small charge for their time is reasonable, yet most who excercise etiquete and manners don't charge at all.

The irony is that if they had been helpful then they would be remembered as being helpful. Clearly they will not be. People talk. It is not something to be under estimated, unless, those whom are in business have lived the very closeted existance of a premesis with nobody in it.

exactly why i have put it on here and various other websites. The poor people that here about there daylight robbery the better.

Brooke_Daver

divadee wrote: »

exactly why i have put it on here and various other websites. The poor people that here about there daylight robbery the better.

How is it robbery??

He must have been aware of the 20% charge?

If you buy something and leave a deposit, you always lose the deposit if you simply change your mind.

nobblyned

Can't he just get it delivered somewhere else whilst he is away? Your place?

Or is the deliery date just an excuse, if he just changed his mind about the style, you can see why a retailer would want to put something in place in their contracts to ensure the buyer couldn't mess them around.