I'd be inclined to ask them if they understand the meaning of the word "dispatched" as they appear to be using the wrong word IMO. Surely "dispatched" means, left the building.
It looks as if their system shows it as "dispatched" when they have booked the courier, but the courier only collects on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and not the same day that it was booked, then takes 3 working days to deliver it. So, they booked the courier on Monday, who collected it on Wednesday and should deliver it to you on (or by) the following Monday.
So they have my money for a week while I just have worry and confusion. I’ll not be going through this again, I can tell you. It’s not as if it’s just twenty quid.
The pergola, I see from DX deliveries, is coming in 20 parts or individual parcels. I can see myself only receiving 19. Watch this space.
I would have asked for my money back quite some time ago as I dislike being messed around. The way you go about it depends on how you paid and by which method. If paying by credit or debit card then I would give them three days to notice, by phone, to either deliver or you will make a 'Chargeback'. Chargeback is done by contacting your card company, easily done by phone, and tell them you wish to make a chargeback as they have not delivered when promised. The card company then takes the payment back and asks the seller for a quick response. It doesn't land back on your account until any dispute has been handled but they don't allow much time for it to be settled. For an amount below £100 the card company makes the decision on the claim but it is usually in favour of the card holder. Over £100 you should definitely pay by credit card. This then makes your claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and the card company removes the money immediately from the seller's account. Making a Chargeback claim usually gives the seller a kick in the pants to hurry up and quite often it only needs you to say you are going to do so when you speak to them on the phone.
Always seems odd to me that payments by Credit card seem to be safer than those by a Debit card. Not everyone has a Credit card believe it or not. I've not heard of Harrod Horticultural before ( presumably not actually related to THE Harrods ? ) but I certainly know to avoid them in the future.
Thank you for all that wonderful information, @shiney. I have never heard of Chargeback before and I shall keep it in mind. The trouble is, I really want the pergola. I’ve sort of set my mind on it, cleared a space for it, got plants ready to plant on it etc etc etc. Such a bore. I have used Harrod Horticultural in the past (no relation to Harrods, so far as I know). They are a big metal and rope company and have over the years, according to their bumf, supplied lots of sports events (2012 London Olympics included) with all their goal posts and stuff required. They must have managed to get those despatched in time, I’m sure.
I never worry about a delivery as long as they inform me of how long it will take and you often get a message from the delivery company. So I dont think you need to do much as it appears its just the way they do things.
Just got back from family crazy trip, Wedding, in Long Beach, California. Saw on an automotive place a big sign, SMOG Test for cars, has to be done every two years from what I heard, SMH. what about lung tests, Sad. So after that trip, husbands, head better not think of going out that way again, he can go alone. My Family, no craziness.
@redstar we have an equivalent test as part of the yearly MOT. So every two years sounds good to me. Shouldn't be too difficult to get your lungs tested either if you want.
The emissions test, yes part of the MOT, but only if your car is producing above the acceptable amount for your vehicle will it fail. The big thing is if you have a car that has higher emissions then you have to pay more road tax, so just like the London ULEZ charge, if you are prepared to pay you can pollute the atmosphere as much as you like. Just another cash cow.
I'd say the phrase 'taking the p*ss' is applicable for your situation @Tidemark. The advantage of credit card payments is exactly that - you can cancel it, but it might be too late. I can't remember if there's a time limit, but I expect @shiney will know! Sometimes there are genuine problems with deliveries, but it sounds like you're being totally shafted. I've had a couple of situations recently [not with gardening items] where I've been dissatisfied with the items for various reasons, and some of these companies really don't give a flying toss. I'd forgotten about that chargeback thing, which is annoying, as I've not been totally satisfied with the outcome of both of them. I always pay by credit card - for everything, and often Paypal which uses my c. card, and the bill is paid every month in full, and I then get a few benefits with vouchers etc. Credit card companies don't like people like me though! Harrod Agricultural doesn't have anything to do with the famous [ or should I say infamous now] store in London. It's a wonder they haven't taken them to court about the name though!
Hello all! The Harrod Horticultural saga continues. After telling us that delivery would be on x,y and z dates, and finally expecting it next Monday, the DX driver turned up yesterday. We got an email about three hours before, the first communication from them. 20 parcels were to be delivered and 20 arrived. One of them was a cardboard box, about a cubic foot in size, heavily sellotaped but with one side badly torn, even through that. We expressed our concerns to the driver. Nothing to do with him, mate. After a bite to eat we decided to get stuck in. Checked off all the various part numbers. Got to the box and its contents. 12 metal plates on the invoice, six, in an unsealed plastic bag, in the box. These plates are a vital part of the pergola. They hold the two halves together at its apex. I emailed customer care and sent a photo of the box. Got an email back a few hours later saying that 6 plates would be sent to us “as soon as possible” (whatever that means). So we spent the afternoon building the first few feet of the pergola and the remaining length of it will be added on whenever they send the plates. Oh joy. This was meant to be a sort of wedding anniversary present to ourselves. An anniversary to remember. Not helped by our neighbour, coming out at tea time to see what all the clanking and tinkling had been about, looking that the half formed length of pergola and exclaiming “Arbeit Macht Frei?” You can go off people.
