Marks and Spencer

Chaddee

About two weeks ago I ordered my Mum's Christmas present from M&S online and paid with my credit card.

I then paid the card off about a week later.

Yesterday I rang them to ask where the present was as I hadn't got it and the person I spoke to told me they were out of stock and had been at the time I made the order, but the computer system isn't cut out to realise this and so had let me 'order' and pay for it anyway. As I had already paid off the credit card I asked if she could refund the money to my current account but she couldn't, so I now have a positive balance on my credit card, earning no interest, when it could be in my current or savings account earning interest. It wasn't the girl's fault but it seems a pretty stupid system - both that the computer let me pay for an item the shop couldn't deliver, and that they couldn't refund to a different account. Now I have to use my credit card to access the money which otherwise I might not have done for a month or so.

Grr!

Anyway, just a warning to anyone ordering from M&S online...

OCDOCD

Refunding to a different account would open up avenues for allsorts of potential fraud issues so it sounds fair they don't do this - imagine if you called them asking where the item was and they said "Oh sorry, someone called and cancelled the order and we refunded the money into xxx account at their request" - I think you might be more than a little miffed at that!
Can't you just buy said item from somewhere else for the same price and use the CC balance, so you will be in same position as you were..?

INT1

Whichever your credit card issuer is, you can obtain a Credit balance refund by cheque, they are obliged to do this, if it was me, I would personally BACS the + balance to a nominated bank account.

Bear in mind if it is a large amount, it may be subject to Money Laundering checks, but an order from M&S website wouldn't warrant that I don't think!