overcharged by online company - what to do?

Hi folks,

I purchased items recently from a company based in the UK.
I used the company's online store which has a currency conversion tool which allows you to view the prices of the products in Euro.
I went ahead with the purchase but was charged €32 more than what the company's website had displayed before I purchased the products.
It turns out that the exchange rate on their website was incorrect & displayed the cost of products as being lower than what they really were.
The company has pretty much admitted through e-mail correspondence that they dont regularly update the exchange rates on their website as they dont sell much stuff outside of the UK.
I have asked them for a full refund but they have offered nothing & are now ignoring my emails.

What can I do & who should I contact to get refunded the amount overcharged?

Thanks in advance!

If you paid by credit card you can apply for a "charge back". Talk to your bank or whoever you have the credit card with.

aristotle said:

If you paid by credit card you can apply for a "charge back". Talk to your bank or whoever you have the credit card with.

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I used a Visa Debit card.

There is one thing you could try, bluff or actually do it.

Under the distance selling regulation you are entitled to return the goods i.e. change your mind within a certain period of time AFTER you receive the goods, or return the goods at their expense if goods were not as their site (price difference in this case), check their T&C on the site it should tell you the time frame.

I would contact the company and inform them that you are going to return the goods as the price you paid was higher that the price you expected to pay as per their site and see what their response is.

Google "Distance Selling Regulation" and you will see that they have to comply to lots of conditions to sell on the web.

you can also claim a charge back on visa debit...

OP you were not overcharged.

The product was priced in whatever currency the seller chooses to transact their business in, presumably in this case pounds sterling. They charged you that amount of pounds sterling and whoever your card is with then converted that to euro, including a non-euro zone premium and possibly a service charge. The issue of any perceived additional cost is I believe between you and your card provider.

The issue of the conversion rate on the site is a red herring as unless the site owner commits to updating it several times a day as exchange rates fluctuate, it will only ever be indicative.

mathepac said:

OP you were not overcharged.

The product was priced in whatever currency the seller chooses to transact their business in, presumably in this case pounds sterling. They charged you that amount of pounds sterling and whoever your card is with then converted that to euro, including a non-euro zone premium and possibly a service charge. The issue of any perceived additional cost is I believe between you and your card provider.

The issue of the conversion rate on the site is a red herring as unless the site owner commits to updating it several times a day as exchange rates fluctuate, it will only ever be indicative.

Click to expand...

The issue is not between me & my bank. I have online banking & have examined the exchange rate & charges my bank used/charged for the transaction. The exchange rate used by my bank was in line with the daily exchange rates & I have not included the additional charges in the €32 I was overcharged.
When I noticed I had been overcharged I took a screen shot of my order on the company's website. The screenshot was taken 8 days after I placed my order & showed the cost of my order as €32 less than what I eventually paid. I then notified the company & attached the screenshot with my email for them to view. They changed the exchange rate immediately & the displayed cost of my order increased by €30. This shows they hadn't adjusted the exchange rate in the 8 days since I placed my order! If they hadn't changed the exchange rate in the 8 days since my order, God knows when they last updated their exchange rates!

What was the total order value?

When you went to the online checkout and committed to buy, was the amount shown in euro at that point, or did you commit to buy in the non-euro currency?