Defective item sent back as requested but no refund

hubb

Were_Doomed said:

Letter Before Action then, followed by MCOL if necessary. Or wait until they finally pull their finger out of their hole. (The LBA might prompt that action).

Would MCOL  cost me in fees greater than the footwear ?

KeithP

hubb said:

Were_Doomed said:

Letter Before Action then, followed by MCOL if necessary. Or wait until they finally pull their finger out of their hole. (The LBA might prompt that action).

Would MCOL  cost me in fees greater than the footwear ?

Impossible to say as I can't see that you have told us the purchase price of the footwear.

Yes you will have to pay the fees, but you add that sum to the claim.

Why not read Money Claim Online user guide before asking more questions like that?

hubb

Well the item was £39 so will not be worth the risk. Just shows you how even the big companies can be deceptive crooks. I suppose I could write to the ceo as c**p always falls from the top rather than makes it’s way up. 

theoretica

Public comments on social media sometimes work.

hubb

Well, they keep extending the days that a bank transfer should complete. First they tell me it should be with me Tuesday, within 5 working days from the 28th October. Then they tell me 5-7 days and now it's Thursday and still no refund. They confirmed my bank details which were correct so what could have gone wrong ?

Were_Doomed

hubb said:

so what could have gone wrong ?

Apathy?

Manxman_in_exile

hubb said:

I have really been messed about by a big name retailer in outdoor clothing this last month. I had a defective pair of boots, sent proof of defect and eventually they conceded that I can send them back for a refund. The actual process of form filling, emailing photos and more to return these boots was a test of patience and endurance in itself. Suffice to say along the way the response to messages has been tardy to say the least. I was told that a refund had been processed and should be with me in 5-7 days. It wasn't, and having contacted them again they have again conceded that it has been overlooked and they will remind the department.

I have lost faith in the integrity of this company, who I believe have been using stalling tactics to keep from refunding. Is there anyone I can contact with more power to get them moving on this ? I wouldn't mind but they were a gift and I want to be able to at least give the person the cash to choose again.

You posted the above on 28 October.  When you say "this last month" do you mean that everything you outline above (them conceding a fault, you filling in forms and you then sending the boots off) all happened during October, or thereabouts?  That doesn't seem like a particularly long time to me for all that to happen in and then expect to receive a refund by.  I certainly don't think it's a long enough time to even consider making a legal claim against them! 

You haven't actually provided any dates but when would they have received the boots back?  I'd consider a delay of 14 days (after they get the boots back) in receiving the refund to be both reasonable and acceptable.  At the moment (Covid etc non-continuity of staff because of sickness etc) you might argue that could easily be extended to 28 days.

I'm not justifying them telling you a refund has been made when it clearly hasn't, but without knowing what sort of timescales you are dealing with, it is difficult to say how realistic your expectations are or when you should receive your refund.

Who is this "big name retailer in outdoor clothing" anyway?  Is it somebody like Sports Direct/Karrimor (whose customer service is generally considered to be pretty poor) or somebody more specialist like Cotswold who provide a good service?

hubb

The boots were sent back on 16/10 via one of their return systems through Asda. They say that the refund was processed on 28/10 and would take 5-7 days.  No, not sports direct, but a company that deals in  outdoor walking, camping and clothing with a decent reputation from past experience. Still no refund and the bank shows nothing in pending transactions. They do advise to contact my bank, but if it hasn’t been processed what is the point. They just seem to keep stalling me with their replies with no intention of resolving why it hasn’t turned up. 

Were_Doomed

I reckon it is that well known company Allez dehors (It's the closest translation I can get).

Manxman_in_exile

So you started this thread only 12 days after you sent the boots back and today is only the 21st day after sending them back?

12 days is, I would suggest, a bit early to start complaining on here that you've not received a refund, and to even think about starting a money claim!  21 days is longer but I'm still not sure it's worth the amount of effort you've put into it so far.  Personally I'd only start worrying about it after 28 days or a calendar month.  As I said before, I'm not condoning what they've done if they've been blatantly lying to you that a refund has been processed when it hasn't, but mistakes happen and at the moment there seems to be a lot of confusion and delays owing to Covid etc. 

I don't know how you've been communicating with them but I'd try again.  Have you explained to them that each time you've been fobbed off by being told that a refund has been or is being processed when it is quite obvious that it hasn't and that that is untrue?  You have explained to whoever you're talking to that GO* have accepted that the boots are faulty and have agreed to a refund?  Have you got a reference number or something to back that up?(Sorry but I don't know what you've told them and they've told you).

It's up to you how much longer you want to give them and whether it's worth sending a letter before claim for £35.  I'd only send a letter before claim if I was definitely going to follow it up and I'd wait until Monday 16 Nov before doing so.