ARGOS faulty item refund

lemonpippin2

I am having considerable difficulty with ARGOS.
In May 2024 I bought a turntable and a pair of speakers from Argos. I paid using my debit card and Nectar points.
In July 2025 the turntable developed a fault. It was still under warranty.
*Eventually* Argos agreed it was their responsibility to replace the turntable after I got the manufacturer involved.
They did not have any replacement stock but it was in stock to buy so I agreed to a refund and to then reorder the item.
Argos policy apparently is to always refund Nectar points first. The cost of the speakers (which I still have) is more than the value of the points I used, but Argos insists they have to refund the Nectar points. There was £57.50 in Nectar points and £92.43 on my debit card to be refunded. The debit card amount has been refunded.
Unfortunately, my Nectar card was stolen between my purchase and my refund and the original card was cancelled and a replacement was sent to me.
Argos are supposedly refunding to the cancelled card. Unsurprisingly, this is not possible. I was told it appears that Nectar have not linked my cancelled card with my new card as the points should have automatically gone to the replacement card.
Argos say this is *my issue to sort out with Nectar* - I do not agree, especially as there appears to be no satisfactory way to do so. I don't even know the full number of the Nectar card they are trying to refund to.
I have spoken twice to Nectar and have had conflicting responses. Firstly, that if the card had been cancelled then I would receive a voucher - but no indication of when or how this would happen. Secondly, that another Nectar card would have to be sent out and the points that are being refunded to the cancelled card would be transferred to that. When I asked why they could not be transferred to the replacement card I already have, I was told "company policy". I have further been told that it will take 6 months for the points to "bounce back" as unable to be added to the cancelled card.
I have now been told there is nothing further that Argos can do.
I therefore phoned Nectar AGAIN and gave them the last 4 digits of my stolen Nectar card (as that is all I can see on my original order) and they have said that no refund has been made to that card. Argos insists it has. 
I am simply being passed back and forth between Argos and Nectar now and getting nowhere, each saying it is for the other to sort out. The information they give contradicts what the other says and it is impossible to speak to someone higher up the chain in either company. I have contacted them via phone, live chat and Facebook. The only other way to complain it seems is via a letter.

powerful_Rogue

lemonpippin2 said:

I am having considerable difficulty with ARGOS.
In May 2024 I bought a turntable and a pair of speakers from Argos. I paid using my debit card and Nectar points.
In July 2025 the turntable developed a fault. It was still under warranty.
*Eventually* Argos agreed it was their responsibility to replace the turntable after I got the manufacturer involved.
They did not have any replacement stock but it was in stock to buy so I agreed to a refund and to then reorder the item.
Argos policy apparently is to always refund Nectar points first. The cost of the speakers (which I still have) is more than the value of the points I used, but Argos insists they have to refund the Nectar points. There was £57.50 in Nectar points and £92.43 on my debit card to be refunded. The debit card amount has been refunded.
Unfortunately, my Nectar card was stolen between my purchase and my refund and the original card was cancelled and a replacement was sent to me.
Argos are supposedly refunding to the cancelled card. Unsurprisingly, this is not possible. I was told it appears that Nectar have not linked my cancelled card with my new card as the points should have automatically gone to the replacement card.
Argos say this is *my issue to sort out with Nectar* - I do not agree, especially as there appears to be no satisfactory way to do so. I don't even know the full number of the Nectar card they are trying to refund to.
I have spoken twice to Nectar and have had conflicting responses. Firstly, that if the card had been cancelled then I would receive a voucher - but no indication of when or how this would happen. Secondly, that another Nectar card would have to be sent out and the points that are being refunded to the cancelled card would be transferred to that. When I asked why they could not be transferred to the replacement card I already have, I was told "company policy". I have further been told that it will take 6 months for the points to "bounce back" as unable to be added to the cancelled card.
I have now been told there is nothing further that Argos can do.
I therefore phoned Nectar AGAIN and gave them the last 4 digits of my stolen Nectar card (as that is all I can see on my original order) and they have said that no refund has been made to that card. Argos insists it has. 
I am simply being passed back and forth between Argos and Nectar now and getting nowhere, each saying it is for the other to sort out. The information they give contradicts what the other says and it is impossible to speak to someone higher up the chain in either company. I have contacted them via phone, live chat and Facebook. The only other way to complain it seems is via a letter.

Write them a letter?

lemonpippin2

Well, yes, I obviously will, but the letter will go to a central post box and how long will that take to be received, read and responded to? Every time it has apparently been escalated to someone with more authority, I have just received the same answer. And if I receive the same response from my letter? What then??

powerful_Rogue

Google Argos CEO and that will provide you with an email address. Won't be read and dealt with by him, but his executive team.

lemonpippin2

A member of the "resolution" team has now refunded the amount onto an Argos gift card. No comment as to why Argos said they had refunded to the Nectar card and Nectar said they hadn't. Or why they couldn't have done this two weeks ago...

Alderbank

powerful_Rogue said:

Google Argos CEO and that will provide you with an email address. Won't be read and dealt with by him, but his executive team.

This ^^.

...and remind the executive team (although they shouldn't need reminding) that Nectar360 Ltd. has been wholly owned by Sainsbury's since 2018 and Argos wholly owned since 2016 so you don't want any more of this 'being passed back and forth between Argos and Nectar now and getting nowhere, each saying it is for the other to sort out' nonsense. 

lemonpippin2

Alderbank said:

powerful_Rogue said:

Google Argos CEO and that will provide you with an email address. Won't be read and dealt with by him, but his executive team.

This ^^.

...and remind the executive team (although they shouldn't need reminding) that Nectar360 Ltd. has been wholly owned by Sainsbury's since 2018 and Argos wholly owned since 2016 so you don't want any more of this 'being passed back and forth between Argos and Nectar now and getting nowhere, each saying it is for the other to sort out' nonsense. 

I repeatedly said that it was like being in a computer says no sketch...

born_again

You have to remember that Argos staff will have no idea how Nectar work & the same for nectar... 
As far as Argos go if system say's points refund sent, that is all they know.

Okell

lemonpippin2 said:

A member of the "resolution" team has now refunded the amount onto an Argos gift card. No comment as to why Argos said they had refunded to the Nectar card and Nectar said they hadn't. Or why they couldn't have done this two weeks ago...

So the turntable developed a fault only last month, and despite having to go back and forth several times between Nectar and Argos, Argos have provided a satisfactory resolution after a couple of weeks?

Sounds like a very good result to me.  Fourteen days is a standard timescale for refunds etc to be paid.