My missis purchased an expensive bottle of perfume online, and actually got an empty box delivered. The seller 'investigated' and as they said they have CCTV evidence of the perfume being packed they won't re-send or refund, To make matters worse they immediately closed her account and have now blocked any future e-mails!
Unfortunately this was purchased on a debit card rather than a credit card but she's asked the bank for a charge back anyway.
If this doesn't work, what's the next step given there's limited means of communication now? I reckon go nuclear with a recorded letter before action and money claim online. Potentially costs a little more money, but this has pissed me off and I want to be a belligerent sod to them now. Is there a more sensible/easy intermediate step?
She's used this company loads in the past and has all the history of being a good customer not a one off chancer.
Smells like a scam to me
Funny enough, she said that herself, but the empty box was definitely kosher, (we'd know - enough of the bloody things get delivered here between her and the daughter!) and the claim was done through proper contract details.
To make matters worse they immediately closed her account and have now blocked any future e-mails!
they have a postal address of course and they can't block that
I'd be talking to trading standards.
I can see how sellers of this kind of merchandise are vulnerable - they may well have sent the item out in good faith but they themselves can fall victim to of fraud with customers returning items that they've switched out the contents of and so on. The seller can unwittingly sell that package on
Just yesterday I was watching a tool review showing how to tell the diffenrce between real and fake power tools - the reviewer had bought a fake off eBay and a legit one from screwfix to have a comparison. Opened the box from screwfix and a fake was in there too. A customer had obviously bought a £140 tool then returned it for a refund with a £40 fake in the box.
Just cutting the customer off in the way they have is unforgivable, not matter how certain they feel that they were in the right over the sale they're wrong to have done that.
I can see how sellers of this kind of merchandise are vulnerable
Oh absolutely, there's a hazardous goods sticker on the box that even identifies it as perfume!
Doesn't change the fact it wasn't delivered though, which is their statutory duty AIUI.
That's a surprising response given you're an existing customer.
Was there any evidence that the box had been tampered with? And when you say empty box, does that mean an empty perfume box with no bottle inside? Or just an empty outer packing box?
Asking advice from Trading Standards as suggested above is a good shout. They can't just simply ignore the fact you didn't get what you paid for in good faith even if they have been caught out in the past.
I'm assuming a UK based seller? That makes a huge difference
Ordered from a genuine supplier, then you'll be OK, but anyone saying CCTV packing..... sorry dodgy.
Check where their 'bargain' Channel No5 came from ?
PS It will be your fault knowing anything about a possible scam....
Was there any evidence that the box had been tampered with? And when you say empty box, does that mean an empty perfume box with no bottle inside? Or just an empty outer packing box?
Box was a bit squashed but seemed secure. Just the empty packing box.
Logistics by the hut group, but weather they were just warehousing and posting or the actual seller I couldn't say. Need to find that out.
And yeah, being able to pin point the actual putting that bottle in that box on film I find unlikely too. I doubt they could present that evidence if actually pressed. Need to find out if that was a written response to my missis.
Wouldnt it have been weighted at some point and the skulduggery been evident? Must have been night and day difference in weight.
Either way, good luck with sorting it op. 👍
Don't the hut group handle logistics, similar to amazon fulfilment? Be interesting to see how they have cctv of it being packed if it was sent from a warehouse.
Is a weight listed on the box?
Ask to see the CCTV
TBH, quite a lot of the big shippers/warehouse fulfillment centres *do* have CCTV over the entire packing area. So if they have the order reference, they should be able to track it through the entire warehouse. Though, i'd be *very* surprised if anyone, ever, opened the box to check what was inside. Except either the delivery agent (stolen en route to you) or the previous person who returned an empty box.
Well thank to all you responders, but had a result this morning. Paypal sent a message saying the full value is being refunded! 🥳
I'm still a bit intrigued to understand the Hut Groups role in this, if I find out I'll update.
Re the CCTV, they said they wouldn't share it with us, but would if the bank asked for it as proof. And we couldn't ask again because all communication cut off.
Check where their 'bargain' Channel No5 came from ?
It's just after Channel 4 innit, and before all the ITV2/3/4 and UK Gold stuff
Oh glad to hear you got the refund 👍
Any reason and/or apology for the mishap?
Any reason and/or apology for the mishap?
Nope, just a mobile phone notification from PayPal. All a bit odd, but nevertheless a good result.
Well done.
I'd still like to know who it is so I can avoid them in future.
I'd still like to know who it is so I can avoid them in future.
I have no problem with naming and shaming. The website is called Allbeauty which appears to be a brand name of IEB Trading Ltd. which was the company name on the Paypal refund notification.
Well, their website is 15 years old and their 'about us' goes back even further. Strange. Is there a knockoff site which isn't allbeauty dot com?
Leave an honest review on Trustpilot, then 👍 Unless that mysteriously disappears also 🤣