Two months and still waiting for my £85 refund
I ordered this through Debenhams because it was the same price as Amazon (thought i would pull away and use companies that are not so prevalent). That was my first mistake.
The product arrived within the expected timeframe, but unfortunately I received the wrong item. These things happen, and I have no particular issue with the original mistake.
What I do have an issue with is how Debenhams has dealt with it.
I contacted Debenhams to arrange the return. After struggling to get anywhere through their messaging service, which I found to be a complete waste of time, I eventually contacted the “brand partner” directly to arrange collection. They arranged this before Debenhams had even come back to me.
Once the item had been collected, I then started chasing for my refund. I contacted Debenhams multiple times and allowed the stated number of working days to pass, plus additional time, but still received nothing.
When I contacted them again, I was then told that the refund had failed and that I needed to wait another 8 working days while they investigated.
So here I am, two months after receiving the wrong item, still chasing Debenhams for my £85 refund.
The frustrating thing is that I shouldn't have to spend my time repeatedly contacting a company to get money back for an item that was their responsibility to resolve. I have been patient, followed the processes they gave me and allowed the requested timescales to pass.
This is exactly why companies like Amazon continue to stand out. I had a similar issue with Amazon previously and it was resolved within a couple of days. No endless chasing, no waiting weeks for updates, and no having to repeatedly ask where my money is.
The original mistake was understandable. The two-month process of trying to get my £85 back is not.
Debenhams really need to look at how marketplace purchases and refunds are being handled. The customer should not be left stuck in the middle while Debenhams and its brand partners work out who is responsible.