Click and Collect Problem

eightpointfour

Hello everyone.

I'm looking for advice/opinions on an unusual situation with a click and collect order I'm trying to put right with a major online retailer.

I placed an online click and collect order to the value of approx £600 to collect the following day. I couldn't make the pickup due to unforeseen circumstances and assumed they'd either hold the items for me for a few days at least, or if I didn't make it in at all they would eventually just refund me back to my credit card. (As has happened with other retailers in the past).

I didn't make it in at all in the end to collect. However I also didn't check my credit card statement for 50 days since the transaction, when I noticed I hadn't been refunded.

When I contacted the retailer I was told that the order was marked as collected and therefore not eligible for refund. Dumbfounded, I made further enquiries as to who had signed for the order and when. I was told that they do not keep collection signature records or CCTV longer than 30 days, so cannot tell me who collected or when, or what ID was produced (their online t's and c's state orders must be signed for on collection and photo ID produced).

I've already been in touch with my credit card provider who initiated a chargeback, but the retailer is contesting it based on the length of time it took me to request the refund, and the fact that their system shows the as order being collected, despite not having any actual evidence.

I realise I've been very foolish leaving it for as long as I did, I could kick myself, but my reasoning was genuine. I honestly believed I would either be automatically refunded, or after a quick phone call they'd see I hadn't been in to collect and would simply refund. It never crossed my mind I could either fall victim to a fraudulent collection, or some kind of system error.

I did telephone the manager of the store in question, and was told me that uncollected orders are 'cleared down' periodically which would mark them as collected. This is because sometimes staff would forget to mark as collected at the point of collection. System records could therefore be unreliable, however I have nothing in writing on this and therefore doubt it would be considered in my defence.

I'm getting slightly nervous I'm going to lose a huge sum of money (to me), and hence looking for opinions on my chances or advice on next steps if I lose the chargeback.

Thanks!

Phoenix72

You say credit card so a Section 75 claim would seem most appropriate. Note for chargebacks the bank doesn't act as arbitor so in that regard the contested chargeback means you have effectively lost that route.

Thing is with this case neither of you have irrefutable evidence although you woukd think the retailers stock controls might identify a surplus item.

Okell

who is the "major online retailer"?