Retailer not providing return details

CLM17

I recently ordered some dresses from an online retailer, paying by credit card. They had a banner on the top of the webpage that states '30 Days Money-back Guarantee'. The Q&A on the site has a question 'Where are these made and shipped from?' . The answer is 'Our products are all made in the US, and we have warehouses in the UK, the US, CAN and AUS. Your items will be delivered from the warehouse close to you for faster delivery'. It also says that it 'normally takes 1-2 weeks to receive the items'.

It took a month for me to receive the goods. There was a Chinese shipping label, which then had another label put on top with my address on.

The goods are not suitable and I wish to return them all. The website does not provide return details, despite the '30 Day Money-back Guarantee'.

I contacted the Retailer to request the returns form and process. They email and offered by $100 as compensation if I keep the items. I politely declined and requested the returns details once more. They then offered me partial compensation of $180 (on 16/05). I replied the same day saying I didn't want partial compensation; I wanted to return the items and get a full refund as per their 30 Day Money-back Guarantee. 

I have been in touch to follow up several times since via email and Facebook Messenger (having had success contacting them on there previously to chase up the whereabouts of my order), but am receiving no response from the Retailer now.

So my questions are:

1) If they continue to ignore me and I am not able to return the items (because they don't/won't provide a returns address), can I do a chargeback on my credit card? Even if I still have the goods because I have no address to return them to?

2) If they do reply and try and make me return the items to an overseas address (assuming they think this would dissuade me from doing so due to shipping costs etc.), can I request the details of the UK warehouse and return to there, since they list that they deliver from your closest warehouse?

3) If they delay it more than 30 days after receipt of goods before replying - at which point the 30 Day Money-back Guarantee has expired - do I have any rights of options left?

Are there any other avenues open to me for me to try and recover what I paid?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

sheramber

You will probably find they give you address in China to return them to.

Their warehouse in UK will no have facilities to accept returns. It will be a distribution centre  where bulk orders from  China are received to be  distributed to the buyers from there.

DullGreyGuy

1-2 weeks for a UK delivery to a UK address for something small should have been an immediate redflag that its not the whole truth but thats water under the bridge.

Ultimately the chargeback scheme is a self regulated scheme from the card networks which in most countries are themselves tightly linked to the major banks. There is as a consequence a certain amount of discretion and different banks can have slightly different rules.

You normally do eventually get a return address to send them, youll want to send them recorded delivery so you can prove they were received and then find out it'll cost more than the difference of how much they were already offering you for a refund. No matter how you send it they will say it was never received back.

Some banks will be sympathetic and start a chargeback process despite you having not returned the goods, others will say you will need to have sent them back first. You can see evidence on this forum as below there is a csae of someone doing a chargeback on a faulty sofa, disposing of the sofa after being refunded by the bank and now being sued by the merchant because they've not been paid and dont have their goods back.

angela110660

Unfortunately had a similar experience last year and would have cost far more to return it to China than they offered me. Ended up selling for a few quid on Ebay.

born_again

Chargeback without returning is dangerous, as it can simply fail on a technicality (not returned goods) Only get one chance.

Yes they can make you return to China.

What is the website?

Other options, without seeing website & the info it has, best guess none.