Emerald Wholesale - cant get my moneyback!

[GoldChanel]

Hi All,

 

I strongly believe I am a victim of fraud and I have been cheated, and HSBC is doing nothing to help me.

 

Chrono of events:

 

Jan 13 - Placed order for one (1) iPad Air – Space Grey 32GB WIFI & Cellular, Paid £406.91, via VISA Debit card on HSBC website.

Jan 27 - Cancelled order due to non delivery of the Ipad.

Jan 30 - Refund was to be issued within 24 hours.

Feb 12- Still no refund. Company said refund being processed.

Feb 18 - Received Email notification that Company has ceased to trade

Feb 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28 and Mar 3rd - Company has been informing me that funds have been released to them, my refund has been 'processed' and I should receive confirmation. Repeated empty promises after empty promises - but I have yet to receive anything until today.

 

I called HSBC and they said because I had authorised the payment as a BILL PAYMENT on HSBC website, they will NOT issue a refund to me, and there is NOTHING they can do. I have complained to the FOS and lodged a complain with Action Fraud. I am running out of ideas. Please Help??? I really feel exasperated.

 

I can't get a refund from this Company, and nor can I get a refund from my Bank. I am left empty pocket

[dx100uk]

its a bacs transfer so you cant use chargeback

 

you sadly can only used chargeback where you use the card number on the sellers site.

 

in this instance, you are a creditor and you need to contact the companies administrators.

 

dx

[GoldChanel]

Thanks for the Information. This news is really dire because I'm in the industry and I know exactly where unsecured creditors stand in such a case - NO WHERE! Sigh

[i hate bailiffs]

Paid £406.91, via VISA Debit card on HSBC website.

:

??

[rebel11]

Hi Gold

 

It might be worth seeing if their are other customers who are trying to claim back monies from this company.

Just 'Google', company name/complaint.

[GoldChanel]

??

 

Thanks. I have googled - but could not find anything, and no reviews of the Company etc.

 

The Company name is Emerald Wholesale and they deal with refurbished Ipads.

 

It looks like I'm alone here.

[rebel11]

I don't think your by yourself, get hold of the Administrators, seek information from them. Looks like the company is based in Ireland.

 

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_complaints/consumer_complaints.html

 

Thanks. I have googled - but could not find anything, and no reviews of the Company etc. The Company name is Emerald Wholesale and they deal with refurbished Ipads. It looks like I'm alone here.

[fkofilee]

Im confused... It was paid via Visa Debit card? Or am i missing the point here?

[GoldChanel]

Im confused... It was paid via Visa Debit card? Or am i missing the point here?

 

It was indeed paid by HSBC Visa Debit card, i.e. the money got deducted from my Bank Account directly. But HSBC deemed it a BACS payment, i.e. Bill payment and they said it's their Policy not to issue refunds if it's a Bill payment / BACS transaction.

[fkofilee]

Something doesn't quite add up then... Why would HSBC change it to a BACS payment?

[GoldChanel]

The transaction reads:

 

13 Jan BP EMERALD WHOLESALE 406.91

 

"BP" is short form for "Bill Payment". HSBC will not issue refunds nor investigate if it's a Bill payment because they said I had made the payment myself, and it wasn't the merchant that processed the payment. Because of this I am not protected under the VISA card rules.

 

Hope this clarifies!

[rebel11]

I think it's a BACS payment as the payment has been made from their HSBC account. A Visa Debit card is attached to the account but that wasn't used through the retailers website, so Chargeback, Section 75 don't apply.

 

Something doesn't quite add up then... Why would HSBC change it to a BACS payment?

[GoldChanel]

Rebel 11 is right - that was the answer HSBC gave me too.

 

I don't know who the so called Administrators of Emerald Wholesale is either. So I have no way of contacting them for my refund. There is no information provided on their website either. Emerald-wholesale.com

[rebel11]

Contact http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en...omplaints.html

 

 

Rebel 11 is right - that was the answer HSBC gave me too.

 

I don't know who the so called Administrators of Emerald Wholesale is either. So I have no way of contacting them for my refund. There is no information provided on their website either. Emerald-wholesale.com

[luvlijubbuli]

Hi, just found your page. I have had exactly the same problem.

I ordered and ipad for my daughter for xmas. It never arrived. Was

told there were problems with their suppliers. Then after many

emails, like you was told that they had ceased trading, but that I would

get a refund. I have emailed them lots of times. Only to be told 'your refund

has been issued and you should receive it by the end of the week'.Needless

to say it has never arrived. They now just keep sending the same message

every time I contact them.

I phoned my bank, Lloydsbank, to be told that as I agreed

to the payment, there is nothing they can do to get my money

back. I was told to phone the police and let them look into it??

[dx100uk]

how did you pay them>

 

dx

[rebel11]

DX makes sense now.

 

The Company name is Emerald Wholesale and they deal with refurbished Ipads.

[luvlijubbuli]

My bank said it was a fast track payment?

[rebel11]

You still haven't answered DX's question.

 

Did you pay by Credit Card, Debit Card or Bank Transfer?

 

My bank said it was a fast track payment?

[dx100uk]

ok lets word this another way

 

how did you pay on emerald

 

was it on their emeralds's site using your card number

 

or you entered your bank details there

 

or

on your banking webportal your entered emeralds details

 

dx

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

ok lets word this another way

 

how did you pay on emerald

 

was it on their emeralds's site using your card number

 

or you entered your bank details there

 

or

on your banking webportal your entered emeralds details

 

dx

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I don't think that if this was a "faster payment" made through the banks site or whatever has any relevance what so ever, what it is, is a payment covered by Visa which should be covered however the payment was processed.

[GoldChanel]

Hi, just found your page. I have had exactly the same problem.

I ordered and ipad for my daughter for xmas. It never arrived. Was

told there were problems with their suppliers. Then after many

emails, like you was told that they had ceased trading, but that I would

get a refund. I have emailed them lots of times. Only to be told 'your refund

has been issued and you should receive it by the end of the week'.Needless

to say it has never arrived. They now just keep sending the same message

every time I contact them.

I phoned my bank, Lloydsbank, to be told that as I agreed

to the payment, there is nothing they can do to get my money

back. I was told to phone the police and let them look into it??

 

 

Hi luvlijubbuli

 

I'm afraid you and I have been badly conned by Emerald Wholesale. I'm sorry to hear your plight, but now I know I'm not the only one in this horrible situation. Up to Friday 23rd May, I've have exchanged approx. 85 emails to date with Emerald Wholesale, and like your story, they've promised to refund my monies -even to the extent that they have the refund receipt on hand to show me - but of course I never see anything, and not a cent has been refunded, and they still continue to bombard me with lies of a refund.

 

The bad news is - HSBC has officially written to me saying that they won't refund my monies as my payment to Emerald was a BILL Payment (or Bill Payment where you physically log in to your HSBC account to transfer the monies) and so I'm not protected under the VISA protection policy. I have complained to Financial Ombudsman, to Action Fraud, and even to the European Consumer Centre for Services, but you know what - NOTHING happened. No one has helped me, no police has started an investigation, Nothing, nada. I feel so cheated out of the system because on one cares, and everyone of these services have just treated my case as an Administration process.

 

I am so at my wits end, I don't know what to do. I'm still waiting for my £400+ money of which I was cheated out of.

[rebel11]

Hi GoldChanel

 

Have you tracked down the people behind Emerald Wholesale?

 

Have you contacted Trading Standards?

[GoldChanel]

Hi GoldChanel

 

Have you tracked down the people behind Emerald Wholesale?

 

Have you contacted Trading Standards?

 

Hi Rebel11,

 

I've tried to track down the people behind Emerald Wholesale, through a Company Search. But I haven't been able to find anything as that Company doesn't seem to exist. I wrote to Emerald Wholesale via a letter and sent it to their address (as specified in their website): CW Naas Rd, Dublin, Ireland But of course, the letter was returned to me a week later with Royal Mail saying "no such address found".

 

And Yes, I have contacted the Trading Standards who have referred me to the UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) (As this Company is based in Ireland). UK ECC has replied that through their investigation "there are no appointed liquidators or administrators in Emerald Wholesale". And they just suggested I keep writing / following up with Emerald Wholesale for updates. Absolutely fruitless result, as you will note - from my 85 + emails over 5 months with that damn Company and still no refund.

[rebel11]

Register if it's free, see if it gives you any further details.

 

http://whois.domaintools.com/emerald-wholesale.com