I would just like to confirm that I received a full refund this morning (17th Jan) from CarpetRight. Thankyou to all on CAG - I believe my struggle for reimbursement would still be ongoing had I not contacted your site. Not only that, I have received so much practical advice from contributors - and I am extremely grateful to you all for taking the time and effort to research and impart such a wealth of consumer information. THANKYOU!!

I am going to stop venting my spleen now and take action, my letter is composed andI will surely let you all know the outcome. Thankyou to all contributors for your advice and help - it's truly appreciated!

Thankyou 'CarpetRight'. A female member of your customer service team, on the 4th January, suggested we email a Mr Christian Sollesse, who, she explained, was the 'Sales Director'. Having received no response from my email to him, I researched his position within the company. He was appointed, from Sales Director, to Managing Director in 2005. It appears her information about a senior member of her employing directors is five years out of date! And so, if he no longer deals with customers, why was I directed to him, and more confusingly, why have subsequent emails addressed for his attention not been corrected or returned? It is increasingly evident to me that wrongful information, omissions, misrepresentations, failure to impart company policies, untrained, rude and dismissive store staff, lack of basic company knowledge, are all worryingly rife amongst CR employees. It is of little wonder to me that in December CR saw a 'general downturn in consumer confidence' - I read this statement with a more personal view.

To 'CarpetRight' - I am surprised and warily pleased to find a response from you - whoever you are personally. Your customer service team have been called, and they were unable to help - they were called as soon as I found that I had not been reimbursed as promised. They (she) said I could do nothing as by this time my '7 day cooling off period' had lapsed (even though I made it clear, by phone, within two days of ordering, that I wished to cancel - but was not advised that this would need to be put in writing), and that I should email the Sales Director - which I did, immediately. To date I have received no response from him, and I am still getting no joy from my continuing communication. The facts that I have posted are honest and true. Although I cannot obviously prove calls (although I have dated them) I have copies of all emails sent and received, dates when I called in to branches etc. and who I spoke to. This whole sorry saga is taking up my time and effort, and more importantly CarpetRight are sitting on my hard-earned money - money deducted from my account the very day I was called cancelling the fitting - I consider this particularly deceitful and underhanded. I have no wish to waste my time and money on a further, no doubt fruitless, call to customer services. They are aware of my problem and I cannot add to the information they already hold. They should surely be knowledgeable regarding the new regulations you mention - they are representing the company and as such surely have a duty to impart this knowledge to a customer as a matter of course. I welcome and thank you for your comments however, it is a slight comfort for me to see that CR has at least one helpful human being on its staff.

Thanks for address. Is there a letter template on site that would help me to compose the correct claim information?

(WithIN 30 days)

Now I'm confused Martin3030! Would it not be easier to wait a further five days and claim a refund on the grounds that the item has not been delivered with 30 days, as Crapstone suggested?

To Crapstone: (sorry - I don't know how to do the 'quote-y box thingie): I have sent five emails - the first and the last have been acknowledged - but not actually responded to. 'Customer Services' says they 'are looking into it'. That is all. I have received no correspondence or calls from the branch store, at all.

'Not being aware of something is no excuse and neither is ignorance. Harsh but true when it comes to legal matters. Not everything comes with a full leaflet and dire warning but that's life unfortunately. Many of us can relate to that and it sets you on a learning curve if nothing else'. Crapstone Sadly, there are many of us unaware, mere 'ignorant' mortals out here, who do not expect to be entirely knowledgeable about legal matters when it comes to making a conventional, commonplace purchase. I suspect this is why there are such documents as Terms & Conditions, and a vast array of consumer rights, and this excellent site, to protect and advise us. I agree that this experience will make me more careful in future - but there's always a first time for everyone.

Yes, this is a thought that struck us too, and would be so much easier to deal with. Only five days to go!! The store has made no effort to contact me to re-arrange delivery/fitting. I have emailed customer services to say that I wish to cancel (this was done over the phone also, within two days of ordering) but I have received no acceptance of my cancellation, and they have not entered into any useful communication about my request. The store manager, last week, insisted that I HAVE to accept the carpet, that it's waiting in the warehouse. I would also be interested to see what other contributors think about this.

Thanks Crapstone. The link is very useful and informative. The fact that the item has been 'personalised' (ie cut to measurements) remains one of my main concerns. However, the fact is that I was not made aware of this clause, and I did not, and never have, received 'the right to clear information'. If I had known that any consumer rights (such as 'distance selling') would be severely affected by the fact that I was ordering a so-called 'personalised item' it would have affected my decision to go ahead with the transaction with certainty. I would not now be in this situation, as I would have been informed at the time that I would have no right to a refund in this instance.

Thanks Barracad! What you say makes sense. I just needed to know that I have a good case, and to get all my facts straight before putting my case into writing. You have all been very helpful and it's given me the confidence to proceed.

There was no negotiation as such at the store beforehand. As mentioned, I jotted down the make and colour and asked if I could phone through the order, should I wish to go ahead. It is true that I would not have gone ahead with the transaction had I been verbally forewarned (according to T&C) that delivery/fitting dates were not guaranteed. In this respect I consider that I was deceived. Surely an 'average consumer' (such as myself) cannot be expected to know, or to have researched, every little legal nuance before purchasing? However, in my opinion the sales person should have been suitably trained to deal with the 'average consumer' and make them aware of company policies from the outset.

Thankyou. This is rather ambiguous (in my situation) in that case. I had chosen the colour and name of the carpet at an earlier date, had marked this info down, and asked if I could phone through my order once (or if) I decided to go ahead. I made no agreement at the time - or signed anything - to say that I would definitely do this. The sales person said that that was perfectly ok, but did warn me of the latest date for doing this should I want the fitting by Xmas. Therefore I presume that telephone orders are acceptable by the company, otherwise I would (should) have been asked to return to the branch in person to place the order. My conversation with the sales member, during which I received the assurance of a fitting date, in my opinion, should not be termed a 'private agreement' - surely he was acting for the company and as such be educated and trained for his position, and therefore be knowledgeable about his company's T&C, and whether or not a telephone order was quite in order? I am just Josephine Bloggs wishing to order a carpet - I cannot be expected to know the ins and outs of company policies - that is up to the staff to point out at the time surely?

Thanks again Perplexity - some of these points may add useful weight to my dispute with CR if needed, and give me the confidence to proceed - it is good to be reassured that they are quite obviously and squarely in the wrong.