Currys only refunding onto a gift card

snack_shack

Hi everyone. 
I'm looking for advice on what to do with this problem.
This week, Curry's were promoting an offer on their website where if you entered the promo code of ASUS10 you would get 10% off selected ASUS laptops.  I found a laptop I wanted but the code wouldn't work. I contacted their live chat team who confirmed they couldn't get it to work either and asked me to contact Customer Services.  Getting through to Customer Services was a nightmare as if there isn't a menu option you want, they cut you off!!  Anyhow, I eventually get through and the advisor told me to buy the laptop at full price and then call back, explain the situation and they will then refund me the 10%.  I took a screenshot of the web page as proof of the day/time of offer so it could be correlated against my order and then proceeded to place the order.  The laptop was £179 so I paid £160 on a gift card I had and the remaining £19 on a credit card so that my 10% could be refunded on to that.  Currrys are refusing to refund the 10% on to the credit card and will only offer me a gift card for the 10% refund.  I have explained to them I do not want to spend any more money with Currys and that money would never have been spent with them in the first place had the discount code worked but they are not budging.  Do I have any comeback?
Thanks for reading and any advice welcome.

Spank

Assuming you haven't used the laptop taking it back won't be a problem.

Were_Doomed

As you paid some (most) of the purchase by gift card then they can lawfully refund first to a gift card.

Aylesbury_Duck

No, you don't have any comeback. There must be something you can use the £17.90 for.  Batteries, for example?

Edited to say: actually, you may have some comeback.  I think you might be able to insist they refund in proportion to the total cost, i.e. £1.90 onto your credit card and the other £16 on a gift card.  Would that be better?

snack_shack

Were_Doomed said:

As you paid some (most) of the purchase by gift card then they can lawfully refund first to a gift card.

My issue here is that I had to pay an extra 10% on the laptop through no fault of my own, and on the advice of Curry's customer services.  I had to use a credit card to pay the balance as the gift card should have covered the whole cost of the laptop. I feel that that should be refunded on to my credit card as that's what I had to use to be able to purchase the laptop in the absence of their code not working. I am now being forced to spend another £20 odd (via the gift card) with Curry's when I don't want to.  If there had been no credit card involved then I would accept the refund on to a gift card.  I am hoping there can be some comeback given the circumstances but not sure how to approach it when Curry's are not being helpful.

Aylesbury_Duck

As advised above, you could cancel the whole transaction, return the laptop and try and buy it again, hoping the code works?  It's a threat you could make, and they'll either back down and give you what you want, or call your bluff.  If the latter, you'd have to hope the offer was still available, that they have the stock and and that you could get the code to work this time.

Personally, I'd just find something to spend the £17.90 on.  Batteries, you'll need a new kettle at some point, same with a toaster, etc. 

Were_Doomed

I'd also hope that you're not trying to do anything intensive with the laptop either ... at £179 the specs will be pants.

unforeseen

Were_Doomed said:

I'd also hope that you're not trying to do anything intensive with the laptop either ... at £179 the specs will be pants.

Probably this one
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-e203-11-6-laptop-intel-celeron-64-gb-emmc-grey-10212754-pdt.html
Will make a decent doorstop if nothing else.
4Gb RAM, 64Gb 'hard' drive, neither upgradeable. First Windows version update and it runs out of drive space when it tries to upgrade. 

Supersonos

Return the laptop for a full refund (onto credit card and gift card) and then never shop at Currys again.  The last time I shopped there was in the late nineties - literally any other tech shop is better.  Apart from PC World.  Or Dixons.

Aylesbury_Duck

Supersonos said:

Return the laptop for a full refund (onto credit card and gift card) and then never shop at Currys again.  The last time I shopped there was in the late nineties - literally any other tech shop is better.  Apart from PC World.  Or Dixons.

Trouble is, that involves OP writing off £160, assuming the gift card is a Currys gift card only.