Cancelling Currys eBay Purchase

[Geronimo1]

After the last week, it is with no surprise that I find that Currys has its own section here.

 

I ordered a large item from Currys eBay outlet almost two weeks ago. Before I ordered, the listing said delivery by Saturday 21st November but as soon as I paid, this changed to Monday 23rd or Tuesday 24th November. However, last week, I got an e-mail saying that it would be delivered on Friday 27th November. I was pretty unhappy about that so I decided to cancel the order and explained that I felt that their misleading delivery information had influenced me to buy from them deceptively and ordered a similar yet somewhat more expensive model elsewhere which even given the compressed timeframe will be delivered tomorrow.

 

I didn't get a response from Currys so I sent another message, then I was sent 'reply' to my cancellation request with a tracking number but no information on how to track the order as the link just said despatched. I eventually found from searching online that Currys has its own tracking system and when I entered my details, it said (and still says at time of writing) 'order in progress' and it can be seen from the attached screenshot that there are two subsequent stages before it could be actually considered at 'dispatched', i.e. 'ready for dispatch' and 'on its way'.

 

I think I have sent them six or seven messages via eBay and tried to phone five times. When I phoned on Friday, it rang for two minutes then went dead. On Saturday, I got a message saying that they were closed. Today, twice, it rang fro two minutes then went dead and I got another number which was a maze of options which would not allow me to actually speak to anybody.

 

Encouragingly, I got a reply from an individual at Currys yesterday which seemed to acknowledge the cancellation and said that it would be processed but since then I have had further 'replies' which just tell me that it has been dispatched.

 

I spoke to somebody at eBay who said that as Currys had marked it as despatched, there was nothing I could do to cancel the order now. They suggested that I raise a not received complaint on Wednesday, the day after the listing delivery schedule, and refuse delivery on Friday when it actually shows up. This feels like my only option being unable to prevent Currys from making an unnecessary delivery but what else can I do. I don't usually have any problems getting a refund when using eBay but this feels unusually messy and there is a few hundred quid at stake.

 

I feel that Currys is playing dirty on eBay. Firstly by giving misleading delivery timescales (practically a week late) and secondly, impeding buyers by marking an item as despatched when it has been clearly sitting in a warehouse fro several days. Did I also mention that it is impossible to contact them.

 

What is infuriating is that they seem to have found themselves with a near monopoly on large consumer items - many of the places which I bought from when I last moved ten years ago, don't seem to sell large appliances anymore. I just need to make a bit more effort avoiding Currys in future.

 

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by Geronimo1

[BankFodder]

Of course Currys customer service is shocking. So what you're saying is no surprise.

The answer is a cause that you are fully protected by the distance selling regulations which give you a 14 day cooling off period from the date that the contract is complete – which means from the date that you have received the item – so long as they have also given you various bits of information about your cancellation rights et cetera.

So this means that if you have written to them and cancelled the order then your cancellation is effective. They shouldn't be sending you the item and frankly if they have sent it to you then they should be responsible for its return at their expense.

I'm not clear whether you have actually received the item? How did you pay?

[Geronimo1]

As I mentioned, it is due for delivery on Friday 27th November (as per screenshot).

 

I paid by PayPal.

[BankFodder]

When you say that you spoke to somebody eBay, because you've been here since 2008, you know all about recording calls so you got recordings of then which is great. It's a shame that you didn't manage to get through to Currys on their various numbers because you could have recorded that as well and that would have been very helpful to you.

As you haven't managed to speak to them directly and so you haven't managed to get recorded evidence even though you are recording the calls, having been here since 2008, I suggest at the very least that you lay your marker down by writing to them and confirming your cancellation as is your right within the distance selling regulations.

You should certainly refuse delivery if you don't want it.

I would also suggest raising a dispute with PayPal.

Of course this is all a big nuisance – and if in fact you are simply cancelling because you are fed up with their changing delivery dates, but you really do want the item then it seems a lot of trouble you are going to. Let me say that changing delivery dates with the bay is pretty normal – and although it's infuriating and it shouldn't happen and it shouldn't be acceptable, there is very little one can do except stop shopping through eBay.

I think the thing to do is to notify them, refuse delivery, raise a dispute with PayPal – and then keep us up-to-date about any trouble.

Keep recording your calls because that's very helpful.

[Geronimo1]

Sorry to sound petty but I don't think you read my post.

[BankFodder]

I'm afraid you're probably right – but we get so much to do on here that might tend to scan read and sometimes miss important points.

Maybe you could just give us a chronological timeline of what has happened and where you are.

 

[Geronimo1]

I did.

 

Perthshire.