Parts missing from an order, but only discovered after 32 days since delivery

DanDare999

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Exodi said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

JimmmJ said:

I bought a pretty large selection of guttering and drainage parts in advance of needing them and they were delivered on September 27th.  There was a large box with all the parts in it, some wrapped up and some loose.  I glanced inside the box, I did not unpack the contents and count each and every part out, impatient delivery driver and me perhaps being naïve in assuming they'd all be there; after all since when has anything NOT been included in a delivery...

Went to install them this weekend noticed there are 21 items missing; 16 small brackets, 4 joints and a bend, total value around £20.

Reported it to the supplier on the 29th October who have said they cannot help me as I'm outside the reporting period.  I assume this is 30 days as per various consumer rights things I've read, but it is not stated on any of their paperwork.  Their paperwork does say that all deliveries should be checked before signing the delivery note.

So, yes I was remiss in not checking on delivery but nonetheless, I have paid for items that have not been delivered and that annoys me! I am loathed to spend another £20 plus P&P for the same items again.

• Can/should I pursue this further, if yes, on what tack?

OR should I;

• Chalk this up to experience, it's only £20, and make delivery drivers wait an extra 5 minutes whilst I count individual items in future?

First question is:  Is this a B2B purchase, or a retailer-consumer one?  The answer determines what routes are available to you.

Assuming you're a regular consumer, write to them to dispute it and say that you'll pursue a chargeback (assuming you paid by card?) for the missing items if they won't help.  Signing the delivery note doesn't absolve them of any liability for mistakes in their delivery.  It's your word against theirs but the balance of probabilities is in your favour - who's going to make up a story to try and defraud a retailer of £20?

Is the threat of pursuing a chargeback intended to be a bluff or an actual recommendation?

I'd be suprised if they sided with the consumer on a debit dispute where it was shown that goods were delivered and signed for, but not checked until over a month after delivery. And if not for 30 days, how long?

"who's going to make up a story to try and defraud a retailer of £20?" - I'm not sure which leafy borough of London you're from, but some of the places I've lived people put chocolate bars down their trousers and walk out the shop... I don't think it's completely outside of the realms of imagination that someone would defraud a retailer of £20.

I think you’ve missed the point. When you’ve ordered, say, £1,000 worth of guttering, what would be the benefit in saying that £20 worth hadn’t turned up? There would be people who would try and say that the delivery didn’t turn up at all or that most of it was missing, but only £20 missing? Wouldn’t be worth the effort to do that in the context of what they have actually paid.

Someone could have under ordered and be £20 worth of parts short which may incur a delivery charge. Saying they weren't in the order would see them being sent of free and without a delivery cost. Obviously I'm not saying the OP is doing this just giving you an example.

mattyprice4004

I'd raise it with them, but after over a month you're unlikely to get anywhere. 
Even if the driver won't wait, you're best checking it over yourself once they've left and you can then report on the same day. 
I'm not sure if your comment about stuff being missed in deliveries is sarcasm or not, but I have regularly have items missing from suppliers and companies I deal with. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

JimmmJ said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Is this a big company like Toolstation or a small business?

It's a fairly big online supplier to the building trade that have specialist divisions for each aspect of a building (eg plumbing, electrical etc) each one using a variant of the same basic logo style.

Have a look on the CEO email site to see if there is an email contact for whatever company owns the group of sites.

There isn't any time limit to raise an issue like this, just that was more time passes it becomes harder for you to prove.

Within 6 months it's down to them to sow they did send the items rather than you to show they didn't, if they mention a 30 day or whatever time you need to be clear with them that whist that may be their policy you are seeking a remedy under consumer rights. 
 

Exodi

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

JimmmJ said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Is this a big company like Toolstation or a small business?

It's a fairly big online supplier to the building trade that have specialist divisions for each aspect of a building (eg plumbing, electrical etc) each one using a variant of the same basic logo style.

Have a look on the CEO email site to see if there is an email contact for whatever company owns the group of sites.

There isn't any time limit to raise an issue like this, just that was more time passes it becomes harder for you to prove.

Within 6 months it's down to them to sow they did send the items rather than you to show they didn't, if they mention a 30 day or whatever time you need to be clear with them that whist that may be their policy you are seeking a remedy under consumer rights. 
 

I'm a tad confused by your reply.

You say the more time passes makes it harder for you to prove, but then go on to say you're not obliged to prove anything and it's on them to prove they sent everything? It's not as if your reasoning changes - e.g. "I didn't inspect the goods until 30/60/whatever days after I bought them".

How exactly does someone prove that they did send all the items? Try get the details of the original delivery, checking whether the weight of the parcel matches with what it should be? How long do couriers even hold these details?

TELLIT01

I understand the OP feeling annoyed, both at the supplier and themself over the issue, but is it really worth all the time and effort over £20.  Assuming these are basically stock items they are probably available at the local builders merchant. For me, life it too short to fight this type of battle.  There is a stage where 'a point of principle' becomes a pain in the backside.

Exodi

TELLIT01 said:

I understand the OP feeling annoyed, both at the supplier and themself over the issue, but is it really worth all the time and effort over £20.  Assuming these are basically stock items they are probably available at the local builders merchant. For me, life it too short to fight this type of battle.  There is a stage where 'a point of principle' becomes a pain in the backside.

Haha it's funny you say this-

My sister works on the customer service desk at a supermarket and she tells me most of her day is spend dealing with elderly customers, who are open about having travelled all the way back from their houses to the supermarket, to complain that the 40 pence tin of beans they purchased was charged at 45 pence.

They nearly always rationalise this (somewhat to themselves) that 'it's not about the money, it's about the principle' but you can absolutely guarantee that they are not leaving that shop until they have that five pence coin in their hand.

As you say, for me, life is too short to fight these types of battles (but appreciate some people have less things to focus on than others). This forum is no exception - you commonly see people willing to take matters to court over ludicrously small amounts of money.

I think even though the OP is angry, he can probably appreciate that he was indeed "remiss in not checking on delivery" until after a month and chalk it up to a life lesson.

It was unlikely to be deliberate by the manufacturer, and they're not 'getting away with it' as you can expect they likely over-ship also (though I'd imagine customers are probably less motivated to tell them about that!).

Obviously we all have our opinion. I expect the_lunatic_is_in_my_head maintains that you shouldn't back down.