Selfridges refusing refund

Ergates

georgjayne96 said:

Ergates said:

You used Selfridges postage label - did you get a confirmation or receipt when you handed the parcel over to the courier?  I assume that's what you mean by "returns receipt" - a receipt from the courier?

As Selfridges arranged the courier, they became responsible for the parcel the moment you handed it over (transference of risk).  If their courier, or their returns department have lost the parcel that is *their* problem, not yours.  They should refund you immediately - "We can't find the parcel" isn't a reason not to.

Thank you for your response. Everyone has been so helpful. 

I have the receipt and tracking number from the courier yes. It said it was delivered to distribution mail centre on 6th Dec. I posted it on 4th Dec. My receipt and online tracking portal confirms this. 

I called Royal Mail this evening and they confirm the parcel has been lost after I opened a complaint with them last week (as selfridges had not). If they confirm this to Selfridges I do not understand why they will not refund me. 

The important point is:  It doesn't matter if RM confirm the loss with Selfridges or not.  It doesn't matter if they find the parcel or not.  You have proof you handed the parcel over at the post office.  Because Selfridges arranged the return, this means that the passing of risk occurred at *that* point (not when the parcel arrives), and what happened to the parcel after then is Selfridges' problem, not yours.

This is the same principal as when purchasing goods - if (as usually happens) the retailer arranges the delivery, then they are responsible for the goods until they are handed over to the customer.   If, however, the customer arranges their own delivery, then they become responsible for the goods as soon as they are handed to the courier.

Selfridges reluctance is that they want to confirm you actually send them the watch back, rather than an empty box.  However, this is not sufficient basis for them to delay the refund.   They should refund immediately ("without delay") and then, if they subsequently find you have tricked them, take you to court to get the money back.

Moallen1

I am having a similar issue with Selfridges and would really value any help…

I have been after a Cartier “Love” ring for the last 25 years!
My wife kindly surprised me with this for a large wedding anniversary at the end of August.
Cartier didn’t have my size in stock and directed her towards their concession at Selfridges.
She ordered from the Selfridge’s website and paid by PayPal, instead of our American Express as she didn’t want me to see the statement and ruin the surprise.

We opened the package from Selfridge’s together and I tried on the ring. Unfortunately, the ring was too small for me and after less than a minute of trying to get it on my finger, we carefully put it back into the packaging and use the Selfridge’s website to have DHL collect the return.

A week later we still hadn’t heard from Selfridges, so we chased them.
They came back with a rather shocking response…

They said that after rigourous examination the ring was damaged and therefore they would not issue a refund.
This is simply not true. We had the ring out for less than one minute and we did not notice any imperfections with the ring. We certainly did not damage it.
I know it is hard to trust people, but I am a regulated individual and I swear on both of my parents lives (aged 84 and 87!) that we did not mark or scratch that ring in anyway whatsoever.

£2000 is an awful lot of money to us and what was meant to be a surprise gift has ended up badly backfiring.

A simple internet search shocked as further. It showed that this is very common at Selfridges, especially from their Cartier department.
It has even attracted articles in the national press, which is incredibly alarming for a store such as Selfridges. 

I would be extremely grateful if you can suggest any course of action we can take to obtain the refund.

Okell

Did you (or rather your wife) exercise your (her) consumer statutory right under para 29 of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 by clearly informing Selfridges that you had "cancelled" the contract, and do the two of you have proof of sending it back?

Alternatively, if the ring did not fit you, was it misdescribed or did your wife simply choose the wrong size for you?