Scam company, please help??

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 12:26am #1

My boyfriend ordered me an iPhone online for Christmas, it was supposed to be a surprise but he just rang me very annoyed and upset as weeks later he still hasn't received it, the tracking number doesn't work, and based on the reviews he's read from the place its coming from the whole company seems to be a scam.

He thought it was coming from a site called Pix Mania, but its actually coming from a partner company, GadgetTown. I just had a look at the reviews and they are absolutely awful. People have received the wrong product, faulty goods, or in some cases nothing at all. One review called them thieves. I don't care about not getting my present I just am so upset as he spent over €500 on it.

Does anyone know if he has any rights here? What action can we take??

kjbsrah1 · 19-12-2014 12:39am

First thing is to contact the company. Looking at the company reputation AFTER buying from them rather than BEFORE is all well and good, but contact them directly to see what exactly the situation is.

If you think a fraud has been committed report it to the authorities - Gardaí, Consumer Rights, etc. I am sure there are avenues to follow particularly as it appears, others have had the same issue.

Livefornow · 19-12-2014 12:45am

You might find some useful information on the European Consumer Centre Ireland website

eccireland.ie

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 12:58am

kjbsrah1 wrote: »

First thing is to contact the company. Looking at the company reputation AFTER buying from them rather than BEFORE is all well and good, but contact them directly to see what exactly the situation is.

If you think a fraud has been committed report it to the authorities - Gardaí, Consumer Rights, etc. I am sure there are avenues to follow particularly as it appears, others have had the same issue.

All the reviews have said the customer service is terrible, they either don't answer the phone or deny any wrongdoing when they do. Nightmare. But thank you I will try this.

ScouseMouse · 19-12-2014 1:09am

How did he pay?

Credit card or PayPal can be charged back if they don't deliver.

DesperateDan · 19-12-2014 1:16am

If you post a link to their site the good folks here can probably figure out if it is at least a real operating business.

Is it http://www.gadgettown.com/?

If so, this is an American site so very likely you won't receive the item for a good 4-6 weeks after it was initially ordered, and even then you will need to pay an import duty on the phone.

Kristopherus · 19-12-2014 1:18am

Melisandre121 wrote: »

All the reviews have said the customer service is terrible, they either don't answer the phone or deny any wrongdoing when they do. Nightmare. But thank you I will try this.

Pixmania are a huge company, and similar to Amazon have a .co.uk,.ie,.de,.fr,.es versions. I have found them ok, but I have never bought from their third party partners. If bf is not already in the doghouse, get him to do a charge-back on his cc, or if he has paid by Paypal to open a dispute tomorrow.

And speaking of Amazon.co.uk, he could order the phone from there and have here by next Wednesday.

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 1:36am

Kristopherus wrote: »

Pixmania are a huge company, and similar to Amazon have a .co.uk,.ie,.de,.fr,.es versions. I have found them ok, but I have never bought from their third party partners. If bf is not already in the doghouse, get him to do a charge-back on his cc, or if he has paid by Paypal to open a dispute tomorrow.

And speaking of Amazon.co.uk, he could order the phone from there and have here by next Wednesday.

How do you do a charge back on a cc? He probably would've payed with a debit card, could he do a charge back on that? What would that entail and how would he go about doing it? Thanks a million for the advice.

Kristopherus · 19-12-2014 1:42am

Melisandre121 wrote: »

How do you do a charge back on a cc? He probably would've payed with a debit card, could he do a charge back on that? What would that entail and how would he go about doing it? Thanks a million for the advice.

No afalk you cannot do a charge-back on a debit card. But he should ring his bank in the morning in any case, as he will have to do that if he paid by cc. The bank should arrange the charge-back. Just be aware that it depends on who you get on the phone. Some banks will say "tough s**t". The important thing is to get talking to the bank. Oh, and cancel the order from GadgetTown if at all possible.

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 1:42am

DesperateDan wrote: »

If you post a link to their site the good folks here can probably figure out if it is at least a real operating business.

Is it gadgettown.com?

If so, this is an American site so very likely you won't receive the item for a good 4-6 weeks after it was initially ordered, and even then you will need to pay an import duty on the phone.

Yep thats the one. The problem is the site he bought it from was based in the UK, he didn't realise it would be coming from a company in the US. And alot of the reviews I've read have said Gadget Town is actually based in China, and not in the US at all as they would lead you to believe. Such a mess.

ScouseMouse · 19-12-2014 2:01am

Most debit cards are visa debit. From reading boards, I am sure they can be charged back. Will check and revert.

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 2:05am

ScouseMouse wrote: »

Most debit cards are visa debit. From reading boards, I am sure they can be charged back. Will check and revert.

But can he legally do a charge back having entered into a contract to buy the phone? I read he has a right to cancel within 14 days but it's gone past 14 days now.

ScouseMouse · 19-12-2014 2:06am

Confirmed! Consumer help.ie and loads of other Google hits

Disputed transactions - 'Chargeback'

Sometimes you may want to dispute a card transaction if:

The transaction was not authorised by you, or put through more than once
The supplier did not deliver the goods or services you paid for
The goods were delivered to you but were faulty or not as described
You should contact the supplier first and ask for a refund. If the supplier will not refund your money and you paid using a credit or debit card, your card provider may agree to reverse the transaction. This is called a chargeback.

In order to start a chargeback, you should contact your card provider (the bank or credit card company who issued the card) immediately. Give them details of the transaction you are disputing and request that they follow it up with the supplier’s merchant. This is the bank that processes card transactions for the shop or company that debited your card.

There are numerous reasons why a sale can be charged back to the seller, and these are set out under the rules of the various credit and debit card schemes, such as Visa, MasterCard, Laser or Maestro. Each card scheme has its own set of rules for chargebacks which can vary from scheme to scheme. In order to issue these cards, your provider signs up to these rules and they must investigate any transaction you dispute.

Most schemes offer full chargeback rights to consumers. But with some debit cards schemes like Laser or Maestro you cannot use the chargeback facility if you do not receive the goods. For example, if you bought something online and the trader did not send on the goods, then you cannot chargeback what you paid if you used Laser or Maestro to pay for it. If you are buying online, think about using Visa, Visa Debit or MasterCard as these schemes offer a chargeback facility if the goods are not delivered.

Dispute rules for each card scheme vary. This can be important if a retailer or service provider you have done business with goes out of business.

If there is a transaction on your bank account or credit card statement that you do not recognise, contact your bank or card issuer straight away.

If you request a chargeback and you are not happy with the response from your card provider, you can make a complaint.

Back to top
- See more at: http://www.consumerhelp.ie/chargeback#sthash.j3EeXmQw.dpuf

Sam Mac · 19-12-2014 2:07am

You can indeed avail of the chargeback facility if you used a VISA debit card. Give your bank a ring.

It looks like your boyfriend didn't look too much into who he was buying from before he entered his details! This is something you must always do when buying online, especially for expensive products. Expect to pay import duty if the device is indeed coming from the US or China.

ScouseMouse · 19-12-2014 2:09am

Melisandre121 wrote: »

But can he legally do a charge back having entered into a contract to buy the phone? I read he has a right to cancel within 14 days but it's gone past 14 days now.

If he paid for a phone which is not supplied, then the seller has broken contract. Hence ability to chargeback.

Melisandre121 · 19-12-2014 2:12am

ScouseMouse wrote: »

Confirmed! Consumer help.ie and loads of other Google hits

Disputed transactions - 'Chargeback'

Sometimes you may want to dispute a card transaction if:

The transaction was not authorised by you, or put through more than once
The supplier did not deliver the goods or services you paid for
The goods were delivered to you but were faulty or not as described
You should contact the supplier first and ask for a refund. If the supplier will not refund your money and you paid using a credit or debit card, your card provider may agree to reverse the transaction. This is called a chargeback.

In order to start a chargeback, you should contact your card provider (the bank or credit card company who issued the card) immediately. Give them details of the transaction you are disputing and request that they follow it up with the supplier’s merchant. This is the bank that processes card transactions for the shop or company that debited your card.

There are numerous reasons why a sale can be charged back to the seller, and these are set out under the rules of the various credit and debit card schemes, such as Visa, MasterCard, Laser or Maestro. Each card scheme has its own set of rules for chargebacks which can vary from scheme to scheme. In order to issue these cards, your provider signs up to these rules and they must investigate any transaction you dispute.

Most schemes offer full chargeback rights to consumers. But with some debit cards schemes like Laser or Maestro you cannot use the chargeback facility if you do not receive the goods. For example, if you bought something online and the trader did not send on the goods, then you cannot chargeback what you paid if you used Laser or Maestro to pay for it. If you are buying online, think about using Visa, Visa Debit or MasterCard as these schemes offer a chargeback facility if the goods are not delivered.

Dispute rules for each card scheme vary. This can be important if a retailer or service provider you have done business with goes out of business.

If there is a transaction on your bank account or credit card statement that you do not recognise, contact your bank or card issuer straight away.

If you request a chargeback and you are not happy with the response from your card provider, you can make a complaint.

Thank you!!

Scam company, please help??

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