Poor after sales service!

[recompense41]

I bought a trolley/backpack from a company called Smiths Sevenoaks. Everything was fine - I paid over the Internet and the item arrived in good time. However, when it was delivered there was no paperwork with it. I needed a receipt as I was going to be claiming the money back under my allowance as a disabled student at the university. The item came at the end of July. After several telephone calls and emails I finally got an invoice. However the university won't accept this as it doesn't show that I've paid. I've contacted the company again and this is the response I received:

I'm sorry but I don't understand what the problem is, you've been supplied with a proper tax invoice that is acceptable to HM revenue and customs for tax and accounting purposes. Everybody else who we've supplied these invoices to in the past has been happy with them.
If the university is questioning whether you have paid for this item or not why don't they call us on the number on the invoice to check ? Why don't they ask to see your card or bank statement ?
While I accept that a piece of paper can't always tell the full story i.e. a credit/refund could have been issued after the invoice was paid it seems to me that the problem here is the university's rather paranoid
attitude.

I find their attitude amazing. All I needed was the invoice to show that I've paid and all I've met with is a rude and obstructive attitude. They were quite obnoxious on the phone.

Are they correct or is the university in insisting on proof of purchase?

[MATTYFEZ]

Am I corect in assuming the university rejected the invoice because it doesnt have your name on it?

[MATTYFEZ]

Or was the rejection because the invoice only states the item details and not proof of payment ( ie: an attached till recipt for the card you used to pay for the item )

[recompense41]

The invoice has my name and address on it, but there is no proof of payment. The university are saying that if they process the invoice the company would get paid and not myself.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by recompense41

The invoice has my name and address on it, but there is no proof of payment. The university are saying that if they process the invoice the company would get paid and not myself.

Quite frankly, I would just write PAID across it in a different pen. with a date and a sqiggle to represent the seignature.

You are not committing fraud; merely dealing with bureaucracy

[MATTYFEZ]

In that case I would think you will need to provide a recipt along with the invoice, to the university.

If you paid by card the recipt should have been supplied along with the invoice.

If you are not in posession of a recipt, I would go to your bank and ask them to print off a statement which shows the date and ammount matches up with the invoice.

Then present the statement and the invoice to the university, they cant really argue with that.

[recompense41]

I see your point. However I do think the company have been very poor in their handling of this. It has caused so much hassle just to try and get the paperwork from them, and their attitude has been appalling. I won't be dealing with them again. I'll have to show the university proof of payment on my bank statement.

[ForestChav]

They have provided proof of purchase though. It's the university which is being difficult if anything.

I don't get it.