Returning of Laptop (Sterling/Euro) Issue

T

Trilla

Guest
Hi guys. I have a comsumer issue with a certain website. Basically I ordered laptop A only to realise it was the wrong item. was informed to mark as wrong item upon delivery and it was returned. In the mean time i requested laptop B, and the money debited from my card to be used to purchase laptop B. I was told by phone that laptop B was dispatched, only later to find out that i was not dispatched and was then at that late stage sold out. I asked for a refund. This is were the trouble rises. The rest you can take from the emails below (read from the bottom up). All personal and company details have been replaced with Joe Bloggs (me) and Company X.

thanks
Trilla
 
dear sir/madam

I am aware of the drop in the exchange rate that has occurred lately. I have also discussed this with my bank. However,



(a)I was not made aware that I was dealing in sterling as the websites address was CompanyX.ie. Therefore one would assume that I was dealing with and irish based company or at least a company that has an irish outlet that deals in euro currency.

(b)The reason why this process (from the 30th of October to the 19th of November) took so long was because I was informed by phone that the replacement item (second laptop I ordered - or so I thought) was dispatched, only to find out again by phone that several days later that the item was not dispatched and it was at that stage sold out. This is what then prompted me to request a refund. The only reason I rang at that time was that I recieved a mail saying a delivery had failed and was confused as to which laptop/scenario it was in reference to. The person whom I was talking to on the phone apologised to me about the whole situation. I was certain that it would be all cleared up at that stage.



I do hope you take this in to consideration as it was only 3 or 4 days after the initial order (the first laptop) that I requested another one. I am certain that that space of time should not cost me €55.75. I honestly feel I am not in the wrong here. It was not my fault the process took the length of time that it did and that is the reason for the decrease in value of the product.



thank you,

Joe Bloggs


__________________________________________

On 20/11/2008 10:19:50

COMPANY X Wrote:

We have refunded back the exact amount of money we took in pound sterling to your account. The difference is due to the exchange rate at the time of purchase and refund. If you have any issues regarding this you would need to take this up with your bank.



Regards


__________________________________________
On 20/11/2008 09:32:43

Mr Joe Bloggs Wrote:

Dear sir/madam



In reference to my refund which came through this morning, I notice that I am 55.75 short. The details below state how much was taken from my account and how much was refunded.



30-10-08 COMPANY X 330.23

19-11-08 COMPANY X 274.48



Why is there such a big difference, if a difference at all? The reason I requested a refund to begin with was becuase the second order I made to replace the first laptop(wrong laptop - ordered in error)was not dispatched and it was marked as sold out, 3 or 4 days after being told it was dispatched to me.



Thank you,

joe Bloggs
 
The most important issue here:

Did you purchase in Euro or Sterling? What currency was used on the website?

You should be refunded the currency that you bought in.
 
I agree with cs... if you purchased the item after being quoted a Euro price they need to refund you in Euro. If the price quoted and agreed was Sterling you are open to exchange rate fluctuations, which can go either way.
 
csirl said:
The most important issue here:

Did you purchase in Euro or Sterling? What currency was used on the website?

You should be refunded the currency that you bought in.
Click to expand...

Item listed in euro
Add to basket - item in euro
Entered personal details - item priced in euro still
order summary - item priced in euro

NO mention of sterling until an email is sent out confirming purchase and payment
 
Is there any small print in their terms of business which explains that payments will actually be taken in GBP? Was the price quoted based on an estimated calculation from a fixed GBP price?

If not, then I don't see how the company can argue that the customer should bear the exchange rate risk.

Also, there will be a margin on the conversion by the credit card company, this will go against you on both the purchase and refund.

The only time I've personally seen this is on eBay where items are converted from USD and GBP amounts to EUR. In those cases it's crystal clear that you're not buying in Euro.

SSE
 
I've checked there warranty information and return item policy, and there is no mention of currencies or exchange rates whatsoever

thanks for all the replies so far
 
The difference in the rates is about 16% - I'm no expert, but even if they had charged and refunded you in Sterling, I'm pretty sure the rate didn't move by that much in just under 3 weeks.

What amount were you quoted in Euro originally ? How does that compare to the €330.32 actually charged ?

z
 
The 330.32 is the amount charged on my card on the 30th of Oct
The 274 is the amount refunded on my card on the 19th of Nov
 
zag - where have you been recently, it's carnage!

I take it the original item was about £250?

30/10 : 250 * (1.2608*1.03) = £330 ish
19/11 : 250 * (1.1881*0.97) = £290 ish

Your rates were even worse than this (depends on card provider).

Anyway, you've been charged in GBP to an EUR c/card. Ask them to show you where, on their www.xxx.IE website, it says payment will be taken in GBP.

Conversion Table: GBP to EUR (Interbank rate)

Time period: 30/10/08 to 19/11/08.
Daily averages: 30.10.20081.2608031.10.20081.2634001.11.20081.2703002.11.20081.2638003.11.20081.2637004.11.20081.2606005.11.20081.2446006.11.20081.2332007.11.20081.2346008.11.20081.2317009.11.20081.2311010.11.20081.2312011.11.20081.2277012.11.20081.2267013.11.20081.2192014.11.20081.1908015.11.20081.1654016.11.20081.1704017.11.20081.1705018.11.20081.1767019.11.20081.18810 Average (21 days):1.22498 High:1.28020 Low:1.15410
 
I've been burying my head in the sand I guess. I didn't realise the move was that much. Next thing you'll be telling me we're in recession too . . .

z
 
Well you're laughing if you're buying stuff in the UK. Cheap as chips over there now. Why anybody bothers going to New York to shop is beyond me.

SSE
 
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