Currys Click and Collect - charged even though no item picked up

Nodebtsplease4ever

Hi, I hope you can help.  I ordered an item for click and click from Currys (MK store) using buy now pay later for 6 months (£199.99) on 18th June using their Flexpay with Currys/Creation. I did not pick up the item and the email reminder (23rd June) said that the item would be refunded if not picked up within 5 days. I didn't pick it up. I did however get another reminder on 28July to say about paying off the item so I checked the Creation/ Currys account and I have been charged for it and need to pay for the item by Dec 2025. I called the customer service and told the order was open and that it would be cancelled. I didn't hear back in 24/48 hours as per the customer service person. 

So I rang again with the same response that they needed to confirm with the store and would get back to me. No response in that timeline so I went to the store, they said that the item was collected on 1st July. They could not give me any further details. I spoke to the manager and he said any CCTV would need to be requested via the customer service. I spoke again to customer service and they again said someone would call me in 24/48 hours. No reponse so rang them again asking for CCTV proof and a refund, given another case number. They stated that they have no emails to say that I picked it up on the system. Just the email dated 23rd June- the reminder.

Still no response again. I am going to the store next week and going to chase the customer service again but know it won't lead anywhere.  Do I have any recourse? I am going to report it as a crime to the police to get a crime number to see if the CCTV can see who picked it up. If it was picked up. So annoying as I haven't had any problems with deliveries. I haven't spoken to the Creation people as I assume they would only refund based on Currys confirmation. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Is this buy now pay later system you've signed up to regulated (usually states somewhere if it is)? If so Section 75 cover would apply and you could raise an official complaint with the credit provider (I'm assuming it was 1 single item for £199). 

If not then you'll have to persist with Curry, worth checking the CEO email website and using the contact there for a higher level of customer service. 

Nodebtsplease4ever

Thanks, I can't see anything on the website to say it is. 

MyRealNameToo

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Is this buy now pay later system you've signed up to regulated (usually states somewhere if it is)? If so Section 75 cover would apply and you could raise an official complaint with the credit provider (I'm assuming it was 1 single item for £199). 

If not then you'll have to persist with Curry, worth checking the CEO email website and using the contact there for a higher level of customer service. 

S75 doesnt necessarily apply, short term and/or interest free credit can be outside of the scope of the Consumer Credit Act. Hence Klarna has on their website "Klarna’s Pay in 3/Pay in 30 days are unregulated credit agreements"

Not say it is an unregulated, just acknowledging it may be.

Nodebtsplease4ever

https://www.currys.co.uk/services/ways-to-pay/flexible-credit.html   Currys seems to be a broker and Creation is regulated by the FCA. 

MyRealNameToo

Nodebtsplease4ever said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/services/ways-to-pay/flexible-credit.html   Currys seems to be a broker and Creation is regulated by the FCA. 

A lender that is regulated by the FCA can still sell loans that are outside the scope of the CCA, Klarna is a regulated firm and does both regulated and unregulated lending. 

To claim under section 75 of the consumer credit act the loan must be within the scope of the CCA. Normally it's easy to tell because most contracts say up front that the loan is made under the CCA. Loans that are under 12 months in duration planned to be replayed in under 5 payments are out of scope lending (aka unregulated lending)... there are more rules that allow lending to be unregulated but can't remember them off hand as we were looking to change payments from monthly to quarterly to avoid the additional obligations a change in the CCA made a fair while back.  I think there is something around interest free too but we were charging interest so wasnt relevant to us. 

born_again

Nodebtsplease4ever said:

Hi, I hope you can help.  I ordered an item for click and click from Currys (MK store) using buy now pay later for 6 months (£199.99) on 18th June using their Flexpay with Currys/Creation. I did not pick up the item and the email reminder (23rd June) said that the item would be refunded if not picked up within 5 days. I didn't pick it up. I did however get another reminder on 28July to say about paying off the item so I checked the Creation/ Currys account and I have been charged for it and need to pay for the item by Dec 2025. I called the customer service and told the order was open and that it would be cancelled. I didn't hear back in 24/48 hours as per the customer service person. 

So I rang again with the same response that they needed to confirm with the store and would get back to me. No response in that timeline so I went to the store, they said that the item was collected on 1st July. They could not give me any further details. I spoke to the manager and he said any CCTV would need to be requested via the customer service. I spoke again to customer service and they again said someone would call me in 24/48 hours. No reponse so rang them again asking for CCTV proof and a refund, given another case number. They stated that they have no emails to say that I picked it up on the system. Just the email dated 23rd June- the reminder.

Still no response again. I am going to the store next week and going to chase the customer service again but know it won't lead anywhere.  Do I have any recourse? I am going to report it as a crime to the police to get a crime number to see if the CCTV can see who picked it up. If it was picked up. So annoying as I haven't had any problems with deliveries. I haven't spoken to the Creation people as I assume they would only refund based on Currys confirmation. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Did you inform that that you were cancelling the order?

Nodebtsplease4ever

born_again said:

Nodebtsplease4ever said:

Hi, I hope you can help.  I ordered an item for click and click from Currys (MK store) using buy now pay later for 6 months (£199.99) on 18th June using their Flexpay with Currys/Creation. I did not pick up the item and the email reminder (23rd June) said that the item would be refunded if not picked up within 5 days. I didn't pick it up. I did however get another reminder on 28July to say about paying off the item so I checked the Creation/ Currys account and I have been charged for it and need to pay for the item by Dec 2025. I called the customer service and told the order was open and that it would be cancelled. I didn't hear back in 24/48 hours as per the customer service person. 

So I rang again with the same response that they needed to confirm with the store and would get back to me. No response in that timeline so I went to the store, they said that the item was collected on 1st July. They could not give me any further details. I spoke to the manager and he said any CCTV would need to be requested via the customer service. I spoke again to customer service and they again said someone would call me in 24/48 hours. No reponse so rang them again asking for CCTV proof and a refund, given another case number. They stated that they have no emails to say that I picked it up on the system. Just the email dated 23rd June- the reminder.

Still no response again. I am going to the store next week and going to chase the customer service again but know it won't lead anywhere.  Do I have any recourse? I am going to report it as a crime to the police to get a crime number to see if the CCTV can see who picked it up. If it was picked up. So annoying as I haven't had any problems with deliveries. I haven't spoken to the Creation people as I assume they would only refund based on Currys confirmation. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Did you inform that that you were cancelling the order?

Yes, when I initially rang them as they said that the order was open and I said I wanted it to be cancelled. So strange that they say I have collected it when I haven't! 

Ectophile

Nodebtsplease4ever said:

 has collected it.born_again said:

Nodebtsplease4ever said:

Hi, I hope you can help.  I ordered an item for click and click from Currys (MK store) using buy now pay later for 6 months (£199.99) on 18th June using their Flexpay with Currys/Creation. I did not pick up the item and the email reminder (23rd June) said that the item would be refunded if not picked up within 5 days. I didn't pick it up. I did however get another reminder on 28July to say about paying off the item so I checked the Creation/ Currys account and I have been charged for it and need to pay for the item by Dec 2025. I called the customer service and told the order was open and that it would be cancelled. I didn't hear back in 24/48 hours as per the customer service person. 

So I rang again with the same response that they needed to confirm with the store and would get back to me. No response in that timeline so I went to the store, they said that the item was collected on 1st July. They could not give me any further details. I spoke to the manager and he said any CCTV would need to be requested via the customer service. I spoke again to customer service and they again said someone would call me in 24/48 hours. No reponse so rang them again asking for CCTV proof and a refund, given another case number. They stated that they have no emails to say that I picked it up on the system. Just the email dated 23rd June- the reminder.

Still no response again. I am going to the store next week and going to chase the customer service again but know it won't lead anywhere.  Do I have any recourse? I am going to report it as a crime to the police to get a crime number to see if the CCTV can see who picked it up. If it was picked up. So annoying as I haven't had any problems with deliveries. I haven't spoken to the Creation people as I assume they would only refund based on Currys confirmation. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Did you inform that that you were cancelling the order?

Yes, when I initially rang them as they said that the order was open and I said I wanted it to be cancelled. So strange that they say I have collected it when I haven't! 

I'm guessing that somebody has collected it.  The computer in store probably pops up a message to the staff that if the item isn't collected by a certain date, then it should be returned.  It would be very easy for a dishonest person in the store to wait until the last day and then "collect" it for themselves.

They get something to sell on ebay, and the store is none the wiser.

Nodebtsplease4ever

Thanks everyone. This has now been resolved. I went into the store and spoke to a manager with all the case numbers and dates, they found that they had "collected" the item as when the end date for collection comes up they are supposed to put it back into their stock.  They checked the stock and said that I would be refunded by the online services team. I rang the online team again the following week to chase the refund. They still maintained that item was still showing as collected and still could not refund. Arggh! Anyway, the next day I got an email to say that the item had been refunded and the buy now pay later account now shows the item is not owing on it.

Thought I was going crazy but appears to be a system thing. Lesson learnt!