[MIghtyG]

First off, I can't remember who posted it, but whoever posted this link:

Failed Delivery? Fight Back!: 'If I waste a day, you'll pay'...

Thank you thank you, a million times thank you!

E: Have just done some digging, it was the legend that is Iccz. You are a gent and a scholar, thank you!

Problem with Yodel/Home Delivery Network!

====================

Ordered a bed online from a rather large bed supplier - not sure if I should name or not?

The bed was delivered 4 days late and I needed to take some time off work for the new delivery, also the bed was damaged (although they were minor dings and I am happy to live with it).

Emailed their customer services people and talked over the phone a few times. Have to say, they were very helpful from the start.

First offer was £40 cash + £90 in vouchers, second offer was £150 cash and the third offer (which I accepted) was £200 cash. Well chuffed with how things have panned out!

So, does anyone else have info on how the informed consumer can fight back and get some compensation for bad service?

I dont want to nit-pick and try to screw companies out of money but if I have been wronged and inconvenienced I want to fight my corner!

[Exemplar]

The answer is always the same, be calm and polite, factual and businesslike. Afterall this is a business transaction.

We had a new buggy delivered last week and the cover was dusty/ dirty. I phoned the manufacturer and with the above attitude, got £20 and a new cover sent next day.

Well done on your result.

[qwerty321]

Ordered something on Amazon last week and it was using Prime which guarantees next day delivery (if you order on time) and the delivery was a day late. Just decided to pop them an email and they extended the Amazon Prime by a month! Happy enough with that but Amazon have always been good.

[Iccz]

Result!
If only more people knew about, and followed this - it would certainly give retailers the need to pay more attention to their courier companies and how good they are, plus it would also shake up the courier companies who on occasion provide bad, or no, service.

[jassco]

Originally Posted by qwerty321

Ordered something on Amazon last week and it was using Prime which guarantees next day delivery (if you order on time) and the delivery was a day late. Just decided to pop them an email and they extended the Amazon Prime by a month! Happy enough with that but Amazon have always been good.

Amazon have always been fantastic for me, but when this happened during my Prime trial they just told me tough luck, there's nothing that can be done (in better words). Hardly made me want to purchase it.

[MIghtyG]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Result!
If only more people knew about, and followed this - it would certainly give retailers the need to pay more attention to their courier companies and how good they are, plus it would also shake up the courier companies who on occasion provide bad, or no, service.

It was the first I had heard of it when you posted the link, I had no idea that the consumer had rights that extended so far! and I really had no idea just how beneficial a well worded email/phone call could be.

I have had late deliveries in the past and phoned to complain and satisfied myself with an apology but not anymore!

In this instance I think all the fault lies with the bed company rather than the delivery people, when they failed to deliver my girlfriend phone the bed company who fobbed her off onto the delivery company (yodel) who said they had only received the order to deliver the afternoon before. Re-arranged delivery direct with Yodel and it was plain sailing from then on. The partial refund I'm getting now ontop of that is just gravy

[Mr_Wistles]

Long post alert. Not delivery related but a victory nonetheless.

A few years ago my Mint credit card was cloned. I had only used it once four years prior to do a balance transfer, the card had never been used for a transaction and had never been used in a store. Someone managed to get hold of the number and booked a holiday. The transaction originated in a different country, under a different name with an incorrect address. The transaction was also for £500 more than my credit limit (nearly £4k). Mint credit cards did not flag this as suspicious and let it go through.

When the statement arrived I called Mint immediately and they said that their fraud department would look into it in 10-12 days and come back to me "IF" it was found to be fraudulent.

I took it upon myself to call the website quoted on the statement and track it down. I spent around 2 hours on the phone to a US travel agent. The person who had scammed the card had booked 5 days in a suite on Miami Beach and was due to arrive in 3 days time, I obviously had the transaction cancelled and the amount refunded back to the card.

Sent an email to the Miami PD and my local police saying that if you want to catch a criminal he will be checking into room number x at x hotel on x. Nothing was done (I understand that though).

10 days later I get a call from Mint and they say "Sir great news the transaction was refunded on to the card". I tell them that by me acting on the information available instantly I have saved them 4 grand as by the time they would have got involved the guy would have had his jolly up and been on his way. No thanks there and they refused to refund the cost of all my calls to the States to save their cash.

Now the refund on the card was about 3 weeks after it had been booked so there was a difference in the currency rates meaning the refund was £200 short. Again Mint refused to refund this.

Meanwhile as the card was on full direct debit and the cut off date had passed they then took £4k out of my bank account to repay the card. On telephoning them they told me it would take 28 days to get the cash back into my account.

I was understandably annoyed and said that they had left me destitute with no cash and all my direct debits would bounce (luckily I had the cash in the account to cover their mistake). A few heated calls later and threats to go to the press and they gave me £1500 compensation.

[ldoodle]

Originally Posted by Mr_Wistles

Long post alert.

Moral of the story is when dealing with card fraud, don't bother doing anything yourself and just let the bank suffer.

Moral 2 of the story is that if you're a millionaire, just book flights/travel to the destination and wait for the culprit, and kick his/her head in. Then fly home.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Mr_Wistles

I was understandably annoyed

Is that a bit of an understatement

[Knyght_byte]

Originally Posted by Mr_Wistles

Long post alert. Not delivery related but a victory nonetheless.

A few years ago my Mint credit card was cloned. I had only used it once four years prior to do a balance transfer, the card had never been used for a transaction and had never been used in a store. Someone managed to get hold of the number and booked a holiday. The transaction originated in a different country, under a different name with an incorrect address. The transaction was also for £500 more than my credit limit (nearly £4k). Mint credit cards did not flag this as suspicious and let it go through.

When the statement arrived I called Mint immediately and they said that their fraud department would look into it in 10-12 days and come back to me "IF" it was found to be fraudulent.

I took it upon myself to call the website quoted on the statement and track it down. I spent around 2 hours on the phone to a US travel agent. The person who had scammed the card had booked 5 days in a suite on Miami Beach and was due to arrive in 3 days time, I obviously had the transaction cancelled and the amount refunded back to the card.

Sent an email to the Miami PD and my local police saying that if you want to catch a criminal he will be checking into room number x at x hotel on x. Nothing was done (I understand that though).

10 days later I get a call from Mint and they say "Sir great news the transaction was refunded on to the card". I tell them that by me acting on the information available instantly I have saved them 4 grand as by the time they would have got involved the guy would have had his jolly up and been on his way. No thanks there and they refused to refund the cost of all my calls to the States to save their cash.

Now the refund on the card was about 3 weeks after it had been booked so there was a difference in the currency rates meaning the refund was £200 short. Again Mint refused to refund this.

Meanwhile as the card was on full direct debit and the cut off date had passed they then took £4k out of my bank account to repay the card. On telephoning them they told me it would take 28 days to get the cash back into my account.

I was understandably annoyed and said that they had left me destitute with no cash and all my direct debits would bounce (luckily I had the cash in the account to cover their mistake). A few heated calls later and threats to go to the press and they gave me £1500 compensation.

Just so you know for future reference, if you have a Direct Debit Instruction set up, any time something goes wrong and money goes out that shouldnt have, just phone your bank (the ones for the Bank Account the money came out from) and ask them to perform an Indemnity Claim. Under the DD Mandate, they MUST INSTANTLY refund the money in to your account (the Bank themselves) and they then chase the credit card company (or utility supplier, gym, etc) themselves. Providing you have legitimate reason to do this, it will always be accepted, although sometimes bank staff will try and fob you off and say speak to the company who took the money and get them to refund it, just stand your ground, and if required, demand they iterate the DD Mandate wording verbatim to you and then ask why they are not prepared to do what it says and can you have that in an email right now to take the ombudsman. They'll fold and do the Indemnity claim.

[DPinBucks]

Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

Just so you know for future reference, if you have a Direct Debit Instruction set up, any time something goes wrong and money goes out that shouldnt have, just phone your bank (the ones for the Bank Account the money came out from) and ask them to perform an Indemnity Claim. Under the DD Mandate, they MUST INSTANTLY refund the money in to your account (the Bank themselves) and they then chase the credit card company (or utility supplier, gym, etc) themselves. Providing you have legitimate reason to do this, it will always be accepted, although sometimes bank staff will try and fob you off and say speak to the company who took the money and get them to refund it, just stand your ground, and if required, demand they iterate the DD Mandate wording verbatim to you and then ask why they are not prepared to do what it says and can you have that in an email right now to take the ombudsman. They'll fold and do the Indemnity claim.

You have to be a bit careful here.

As I read it, the DD mandate was to pay off the monthly CC bill, that is, from the bank to Mint. This would probably cover other transactions than the fraud, and cancelling the DD would stop the lot.

The refund should have been credited to the card straightaway, though. I think the OP has a legitimate complaint over that. I'm less sure about the exchange rate loss: it could have gone the other way.