Very.co.uk - should I pay the balance on a Buy Now Pay Later purchase where the goods are faulty

stu-bee-doo

I should be grateful if anyone would be able to assist in a complaint against very.co.uk. Hopefully this is the right forum.

In March 2019 I purchased an Electric bike which was shipped to me in Jersey. The bike was purchased mainly to commute to work as it costs approximately £250 for petrol & parking and the first bus arrives later than my start time. When I used the bike for the third time, in May 2019, the electrics failed so I took the bike to a repair shop who told me the cost of repair would be between £100 to £200. I therefore contacted Very to ask how they wished to proceed and they advised me that the bike should be returned to them, for onward transmission to their supplier to be fixed and returned to me. 

To cut a very long story short, as I am in Jersey there are issues with the bike being returned to the UK. Yodel and Arrow XL (the only couriers Very seem to use) do not operate in Jersey (the bike was delivered by Jersey Post on behalf of Yodel, however they will not pick the bike up due to the size and weight). I have spoken to Very's 'customer services' department over 20 times over the last 9 months in order to try to arrange for this bike to be collected but to no avail. To say they are clueless is an understatement. At first I was happy with sending the bike back and having it returned, however due to the length of time it has taken I have since purchased another electric bike, through a different firm (as I was paying £250 in commuting charges), and have asked that they bike be picked up and that I am refunded / do not pay the balance. They have agreed this on the phone several times, however it is obvious from the comments made on websites like TrustPilot, this department will say anything to make the customer happy. I have also offered to arrange for the courier myself and they refund me, however they would need to send me the relevant paperwork in order that no VAT is payable. This is also something which appears to be totally alien to them and got me no further forward. 

I have now had enough with their 'customer services' department so have written to their Head Office three times, the last time advising that I would be using the services of the Financial Ombudsman if this matter has not been sorted. The date I gave to sort out the issue is 20/02/2020 and there has been no reply. 

The bike was purchased on a Buy Now Pay Later deal over 12 months whereby I can pay the balance off as often or as little as I like. The bike cost £840 and my intention was to pay the balance off £70 per month. £70 was paid in April 2019 but I have not paid anything since. 

My question is – the BNPL expires on 24 March this year and if the balance is not paid in full the interest for the full year, together with a ton of charges, will be applied to my account. My credit rating, which is exemplary, will also suffer. I really do not want to pay the balance before the Ombudsman has come to his decision as it really grinds my gears (pun not intended!) to pay for something that is faulty and the retailer appears to have no qualms in ignoring my requests in relation to the return, however equally I do not want to pay 100's of pounds in interest / charges should the decision go the way of Very in that I have to pay for the bike in full. 

Would anybody be able to help me with the best course of action to take in relation to making the payment or withholding it until the Ombudsman has come to his conclusion (which may be several months)? Many thanks!

powerful_Rogue

Whatever you do, do not refuse to pay. This is tarnish your credit record and not resolve the situation.