Dont use cash when using the in store ordering facility

Click here if this is your business
Marks and Spencer www.marksandspencer.com
★★☆☆☆
2.2
31.0% of users recommend this
  • Customer Service

  • Quality of website

  • Value For Money

Click here if this is your business

paulkidger's review of Marks and Spencer www.marksandspencer.com

“Dont use cash when using the in store ordering facility”

★★★☆☆

written by paulkidger on 15/05/2012

My wife went to M&S to buy a lipstick. There were none in stock so was advised to order. After confirming that the particular colour was current, she ordered 2 and paid cash, £6-50. 4 days later she was phoned and told that the item was no longer in stock and she would be receiving a refund as a cheque within 10 days. She was told that this was M&S policy and complies with their Terms & Conditions. A cash refund at the store was out of the question.
We have written and complained that most of the refund will be taken up by charges and our costs. We also pointed out that why should we wait a total of 2 weeks plus cheque clearance time when it was their error.The Terms & Conditions on the back of the order make no reference to refunds when the cause is that of M&S.
So far the only replies keep quoting that these are M&S Terms Conditions & Policies and that a cheque refund is the most convenient. Convenient for whom?
When a customer takes goods and doesn't pay, it is called shoplifting and is criminal. When M&S take a customers money, fail to deliver the goods then refund after a total of 3 weeks a depleted sum, it is called M&S policy.
Come on M&S, start thinking about what is fair to the customer. When you have made an error, you could do more to correct matters. Advising my wife simply to visit the store and in place of the goods collect the cash refund would have worked, avoided the delay and above all ensured that she had not lost any money because of the error.
If your finances are so tight that you have to withhold refunds from customers in this manner, you are in a very poor financial state indeed.

My advice to anyone placing an order with M&S, even for something small, is to not use cash. The M&S systems just cannot handle it. Use a card so that if the order goes wrong, the transaction is not processed.

I am awaiting a reply from the M&S Executive Office which I hope most sincerely, does not quote the Terms Conditions & Policy yet again.

  • 2 Lipsticks, total value £6.50

    Goods purchased & cost

  • Customer Service

  • Quality of website

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.

Paulkidger's Response to paulkidger's Review

Written on: 19/06/2012

An update on this item.
There have been several exchanges of letters with M&S concerning their refund arrangements. M&S have quoted compliance with their T&Cs as justification of their actions. Finally I have received acknowledgement that these T&Cs are not readily available to the customer' eg not appearing on the reverse of the order form. So M&S have been wrong by using non available T&Cs to dismiss my complaints. I have told M&S that I charge £50000 for cancelled orders. It is in my Terms and Conditions. M&S have set the precedent by not requiring T&C to be available to the parties involved, so I have a clear conscience in not having my T&Cs available.
We are still being told that it is more convenient to take a cheque to a bank rather than pop into the store to collect a cash refund.
Now we are being told that orders are handled by Contact Centres and Direct Service. Sorry M&S my contact with you is your sales desk. What goes on away from the sales desk in your organisation is your business and is on no concern of mine. Please do not try to fog the issue.
Come on M&S. Admit that your refund arrangements are unfair to the customer and pay up the cost associated with obtaining my cash refund.

Reply to this comment
If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0