no communication at all from company

Bajza

On 26th March I ordered and paid a company called Fetch4 for a battery cartridge replacement (battery back-up unit for my pc) - self-evidently something needed fairly urgently - and was waiting for the usual update on how the order progressed. “Fetch4” provided no update, failed to advise me that a delay will occur and failed to ask me if I minded a delay, or wished to cancel the order.

During the following nine days of waiting for (any) news I attempted phone contact with “Fetch4” several times. I was unsuccessful, as nobody answers incoming calls.

I left a message twice on the answering machine at Fetch4. My messages were ignored.

I sent an email to “Fetch4” on the 4th of April, again, asking for delivery information. This email was ignored.

With the chance now in the air that “Fetch4” might have gone bankrupt, to safeguard against monetary loss I sent another email on the 4th of April, cancelling the order and instructed Visa to stop payment. This second email and order cancellation instruction was ignored.

Many days after I had spoken to Visa, the battery was delivered on 19th April. This is two weeks after I had cancelled the order!

Is there a code of conduct according to which sellers are expected to work?

When an order comes in and the item is out of stock, and can only be supplied after a delay my experience has been that companies give you the option of not going ahead with the order or asking you if you are happy to wait.
Had I been advised promptly that a delay is inevitable, I would have ordered from a company that could deliver without delay. That battery was pretty crucial to me.

Fetch4 failed to give me the option of stopping the order and being able to approach another company. In effect, they neglected their duties to customers.

After the battery did arrive I waited for my next Visa statement to see that my fee to “Fetch4” had been recovered.

Since I had cancelled the original order I expected an invoice from Fetch4. An invoice did not arrive.

On 24th July (four months after receiving no communication whatever from the company) I received a letter from an unknown to me company called Comtec Enterprises t/c Fetch4 requesting payment for the item plus twenty-five pounds for their bank charge-back fee. Naturally I expect to pay for the item itself but do not consider I am responsible for their incompetency nor their Visa charge. They are threatening a court claim and requesting payment into an unknown bank account.

Has anyone any advice to offer on this -would most appreciate ideas.

bris

You didn't refuse the order or send it back so you are owe the money for the item. The fee however I would refuse to pay if as you say they made no attempt to communicate with you.


Was it a product you needed for a business PC, sounds like its a back up in case of power failure, something that a business would need. If so you have no consumer rights and are bound by the terms of the contract.

theonlywayisup

What happened after 19 April when the item was delivered until 24 July? Did you notify the company the item had been delivered and you would return/they could collect?

Bajza

Delivery came two weeks after I had cancelled order and 23 days after ordering. I signed for item, so there was no need to notify company. At that time I did not know if Visa had refunded, so had a battery at least. We have no business, battery was for personal use pc power back-up unit. I did expect the company to send an invoice after Visa had returned our money. Fetch4 could not even get this part of the affair organised, and now, three months after the order, I am being asked to pay money into an unknown bank account, to a Company we had not ordered from.

Rainbowgirl84

Bajza wrote: »

Delivery came two weeks after I had cancelled order and 23 days after ordering. I signed for item, so there was no need to notify company. At that time I did not know if Visa had refunded, so had a battery at least. We have no business, battery was for personal use pc power back-up unit. I did expect the company to send an invoice after Visa had returned our money. Fetch4 could not even get this part of the affair organised, and now, three months after the order, I am being asked to pay money into an unknown bank account, to a Company we had not ordered from.

What makes you think that?

pmduk

What makes you think you can keep both the item and the refund?

Bajza

Of course I was not going to keep both! We had every intention of paying.

The point of my posting was to find out from The Forum what responsibilities selling companies had to customers in their timely communication.

As I pointed out in my text, I cancelled the order after 9 days of zero news, and fruitless attempts to contact the seller.

14 days after cancellation the battery turned up (23days after ordering)

Now I was expecting a new invoice from the company, not to pay money to a different name, into an unknown account.

An invoice never came.

Instead, four months later, threat of court action came from a company with a different name.

Svein_Forkbeard

Sounds like they perhaps dropship?

waamo

On their website it says

Fetch4 is a trading name of Comtec Enterprises, a trusted name in ICT for two decades.

Bajza

We spoke to Visa and learned that contract of seller with card company stipulates order to be delivered within three weeks. Penalty by visa was imposed for failure of delivery within the 21 days, not because of reversal of money, and this penalty should not be charged to customers, Visa added.

We have now had a very pleasantly worded letter from the seller, who has fully investigated our story , thanked us for our patience, and is WAVING ALL CHARGES! A real gentleman.

Le_Kirk

Bajza wrote: »

...... is WAVING ALL CHARGES! A real gentleman.

As pleasing as that image is, I think you mean WAIVING!:)