Trying to get refund from retailer claiming to be UK based

Dreamwatch

Hi all, hoping someone can advise. I purchased a garment from a co.uk a couple of weeks ago. The retailer displayed their address on the main page of the site, and while it appeared they obviously operated in other countries I didn’t see any cause for concern. Foolish now in hindsight.

I made the purchase of the garment including the custom sizing information. Despite already checking reviews something jarred in my head and a few hours after the purchase I saw some dreadful reviews on Trustpilot, essentially amounting to the company having shoddy business practices at best and a complete scam at worst.

Roughly 7 hours after purchase I contacted them to cancel the order. At this point I realised the company were overseas. I was told I could not cancel the order as it was a custom order and it was already in progress. Obviously I understand that the 14 day cooling off period does not apply for custom orders, however I did think it was very unlikely they’d actually started work. Regardless, I had to suck it up.

We have chased for updates and were promised it would be shipped on 22nd September. Husband has contacted them every day since and politely told each time not to worry it will be with us by 10th October when we need it. This morning I received an email to tell me that the item was actually out of stock with the ‘vendor’ and was told to pick another item, which obviously I declined, and I requested a refund. I was then told they were happily refunding my money to a credit note. Again, I replied and made it really clear I expected a refund in full. We’ve been assured we will receive in in the next 7 to 15 days. Looking at similar problems on Trustpilot I doubt it’s coming.

I paid with Paypal, so I’m hoping that once I jump through the retailers hoops if they don’t refund in that time I can begin a claim - do I have the right end of the stick? I’ve looked up the address on the website, it’s a warehousing company seemingly unlinked to this mob of con merchants. I’ve been buying stuff online for 20 years and this is the first time I’ve ever fallen for a scam. Utterly gutted. 

If nothing else, thanks for listening to my tale of woe!

pinkshoes

A website ending in .co.uk doesn't mean it is a UK website. You need to look for a UK address and UK landline.

So as for Paypal, it will depend which country you bought from and what their consumer rights are. If their consumer rights state a credit note can be given for goods not available then PayPal might side with them.

I would contact PayPal ASAP to make it clear that you have not received any goods.

Dreamwatch

Hi pinkshoes. The website has a UK address and phone number on their website. I’m not adverse to buying from overseas sites, but I wouldn’t have bought from an overseas site on this occasion as I needed the dress by a certain date so wouldn’t have risked any delays. 

I purchased using PayPal credit, but thought I had to try and resolve with the retailer before instigating a dispute. I’ve never had this issue with PayPal and a retailer (rather than say an eBay seller) so wasn’t sure if the dispute process is different. 

ItsComingRome

pinkshoes said:

A website ending in .co.uk doesn't mean it is a UK website. You need to look for a UK address and UK landline.

So as for Paypal, it will depend which country you bought from and what their consumer rights are. If their consumer rights state a credit note can be given for goods not available then PayPal might side with them.

I would contact PayPal ASAP to make it clear that you have not received any goods.

PayPal aren't interested in what your consumer rights are.  They have their buyer protection process and that's it.  If you're going to exercise any consumer rights it will be done outside of PayPal.

born_again

Which website?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Dreamwatch said:

I paid with Paypal

If you haven't received anything open a non-receipt claim with Paypal. Don't waste any more time on the retailer, just open the case now  

Dreamwatch

born_again said:

Which website?

It’s a place called andaazfashion.co.uk. Of course now I’m wandering around the site and the clues are there, but lesson learned. 😊

Dreamwatch

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Dreamwatch said:

I paid with Paypal

If you haven't received anything open a non-receipt claim with Paypal. Don't waste any more time on the retailer, just open the case now  

Thanks for the advice, I’ve done just that! Fingers crossed! 😊

ItsComingRome

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Dreamwatch said:

I paid with Paypal

If you haven't received anything open a non-receipt claim with Paypal. Don't waste any more time on the retailer, just open the case now  

One thing to bear in mind is that they may claim they'll refund to either get them to close the dispute or let it get past the 20 day period so it cannot be escalated to a claim.

They need to escalate to a claim as soon as they can, regardless of what the retailer says.

ItsComingRome

Dreamwatch said:

born_again said:

Which website?

It’s a place called andaazfashion.co.uk. Of course now I’m wandering around the site and the clues are there, but lesson learned. 😊

• Any matters of settlement and administration fall under the purview of Delhi High Court.

Yep.  And the numbers they give (2 for some reason) do not tally with the physical location.  There's also a ton of keyword stuffing at the bottom of the page.

To be honest, I wouldn't touch that site with a bargepole, it looks like a child made it (no offence to children who can design half-decent websites.)