Very.co.uk refuses to collect an unsuitable item for return: what are my options?

sweetinthemorning

I'm new to this forum, so a 'hello' from me.

I signed up as I'm in a battle with Very over a large unsuitable tech item I requested to be returned for a refund.

I bought a monitor from them on 1 January 2023. On the website, it was advertised as being able to switch between portrait and landscape orientation, which was the purpose of my purchasing it. The monitor arrived on 4 January, but I discovered it couldn't rotate nor change its orientation as advertised. Therefore, I phoned Customer Service the next day (5 January) to ask for it to be collected for return. The assistant claimed they'd arranged for a collection on 12 January...

... Fast forward to cut a long story short, and I'm still waiting for the monitor to be collected. Over a month now, Very has been refusing to arrange a collection for me. Each supposed collection a customer service assistant has promised me has resulted in nobody turning up to my property. I've also logged numerous complaints about the Customer Service's team's conduct, all of which keep being erroneously closed whenever the next assistant 'promises' they've booked a collection.

On the last -- and final -- call I made to Very on Saturday 5 February, the assistant claimed she could only see two collections having been booked, meaning the other assistants had effectively lied to me. A collection was meant to have happened today, but surprisingly, they didn't.

There have been seven failed attempts overall, and I'm left with no choice but to escalate this. Besides misselling items on their website, Very is actively obstructing my right -- as a customer -- to return an item and get a refund, so I know I have grounds with my complaint. My question to forum members is: where do I go?

The issue with Very is that their main Complaints department only handles financial-related complaints, as explained by a team member when I tried a few days ago, so that team refuses to consider my issue. Is there a retail ombudsman I can go to instead?

powerful_Rogue

sweetinthemorning said:

I'm new to this forum, so a 'hello' from me.

I signed up as I'm in a battle with Very over a large unsuitable tech item I requested to be returned for a refund.

I bought a monitor from them on 1 January 2023. On the website, it was advertised as being able to switch between portrait and landscape orientation, which was the purpose of my purchasing it. The monitor arrived on 4 January, but I discovered it couldn't rotate nor change its orientation as advertised. Therefore, I phoned Customer Service the next day (5 January) to ask for it to be collected for return. The assistant claimed they'd arranged for a collection on 12 January...

... Fast forward to cut a long story short, and I'm still waiting for the monitor to be collected. Over a month now, Very has been refusing to arrange a collection for me. Each supposed collection a customer service assistant has promised me has resulted in nobody turning up to my property. I've also logged numerous complaints about the Customer Service's team's conduct, all of which keep being erroneously closed whenever the next assistant 'promises' they've booked a collection.

On the last -- and final -- call I made to Very on Saturday 5 February, the assistant claimed she could only see two collections having been booked, meaning the other assistants had effectively lied to me. A collection was meant to have happened today, but surprisingly, they didn't.

There have been seven failed attempts overall, and I'm left with no choice but to escalate this. Besides misselling items on their website, Very is actively obstructing my right -- as a customer -- to return an item and get a refund, so I know I have grounds with my complaint. My question to forum members is: where do I go?

The issue with Very is that their main Complaints department only handles financial-related complaints, as explained by a team member when I tried a few days ago, so that team refuses to consider my issue. Is there a retail ombudsman I can go to instead?

Pen & paper complaint sent to their head office address.

Slinky

How have you paid for it? Can you instigate a chargeback on your credit card?

sweetinthemorning

Thanks, @powerful_Rogue. I've seen Very has two head office addresses, so I'll spend this weekend writing a regulation-angled letter to send to both. It's quite appalling and questionable to know that such a company doesn't have a complaints procedure. Given my experience so far, I'm tempted to say it's wilful.

Slinky said:

How have you paid for it? Can you instigate a chargeback on your credit card?

Thankfully, I bought it on BNPL, so I'm not having to pay immediately. That would've been another battle and a half.

km1500

If your BNLP is a credit arrangement, you have recourse against them