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Legal matters

Dunelm Mill - not confirmed online order - does it exist?

14 replies

wherearemysheets · 23/01/2013 09:39

I ordered some bedding from Dunelm Mill online on Monday morning and printed off a copy of my order.

The promised email order confirmation has not arrived - despite two emails and a phonecall from me.

I read somewhere that an online order is not deemed to exist/contract is not formed until the order confirmation email from the supplier is received.

Is this true?

What would you do if the retailer failed to confirm the order? Don't know if Dunelm Mill are just rubbish at online commerce or whether they don't have the goods or what.

I suspect if I try to cancel, I'll find they've already taken payment and I'll just basically have to wait and see if the order ever turns up.

Worrying these days with so many retailers going bust when one of the just doesn't communicate properly.

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gin4me · 23/01/2013 09:47

They have reacently opened an outlet on the A40 just before the Northolt Alps! There used to be a B&Q there. Big store, big signs so they must exist.

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wherearemysheets · 23/01/2013 09:55

Ha ha - like Comet?

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wheredidiputit · 23/01/2013 10:31

That' strange as both myself and my mum have ordered from Dunelm mill and have never had an issue.

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mateysmum · 23/01/2013 10:33

What did they say when you called them? I know somebody who works there in HQ and they definitely do exist and as far as I know are a decent company in no danger of going broke.

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MrsMangoBiscuit · 23/01/2013 10:37

We've got a fairly big store near us, I love it! I've ordered stuff online before, but so far only for collection and I haven't had any problems with them yet. The store were also very helpful when I needed to exchange the curtains I'd picked up in the wrong size.

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Isildur · 23/01/2013 10:40

The only times I've failed to recieve an email confirmation, it's been my fault.

Either I've entered my email address incorrectly, or the email has gone straight to my spam folder before I'd noticed.

I doubt it means that there will be a problem with your order, can you check online whether your card been charged?

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SantasHairyBollock · 23/01/2013 10:42

AFAIK with most online shopping, there is no contract until they dispatch.

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prh47bridge · 23/01/2013 14:18

Dunelm Mill definitely exist. I've bought stuff from their stores.

They generally don't collect payment until your order is despatched, so checking with your credit/debit card may not help.

Have you tried going back to their website, logging in and checking your order status? Of course, if you've given them an incorrect email address (which would be the obvious explanation for the lack of an email confirmation) that may not be possible as they use your email address as your username.

As Isildur suggests, you should check your spam folder if you have one just in case the email has gone there. There are also other possible explanations - email is not 100% reliable, even though we generally behave as if it is.

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PuppyMonkey · 23/01/2013 14:23

I don't think op is asking if Dunelm Mill exists. She's asking if her order exists, given she had no email confirmation.

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wherearemysheets · 23/01/2013 16:34

Thanks PuppyMonkey - that's exactly what I was asking.

If a retailer doesn't confirm acceptance of your order - by sending you an order confirmation email - does your order legally exist?

I.E. if they don't confirm acceptance of the order - are they under any obligation to supply the goods?

Not sure if they've taken payment from my bank yet.

I just want them to confirm the order - if they don't/won't - I can go and get the stuff somewhere else - it's just simple communication - shurely?

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PuppyMonkey · 23/01/2013 19:30

I think if you've got a print off with an order number, it exists doesn't it?

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prh47bridge · 23/01/2013 22:28

Legally there is some doubt as to exactly when a contract is formed in an online purchase. It may be that there is no contract until the goods are shipped but there is insufficient case law to be able to say definitively. The presence or otherwise of a confirmation email is probably irrelevant, especially considering that email is not 100% reliable even if you type in the correct email address.

Can I ask again if you have tried logging in to their website and checking your order status? That will tell you instantly whether or not they have your order. And if you can't log in it may indicate that you gave an incorrect email address when placing your order.

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wherearemysheets · 24/01/2013 07:16

Thanks prh47bridge. I can login with my email. There is no record of the order online.

I have phoned them. They said they have a record of the order and would email confirmation (2 days ago).

Still no email confirming order despite a further email from me.

I've now emailed them three times and telephoned once and they have not responded (automatically or otherwise) to any email and have not emailed in response to the phonecall.

They have the correct email address.

On this track record - what are the odds of my order turning up?

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wherearemysheets · 24/01/2013 18:32

Good news update!

Just to say that I've just been called by the Head of Customer Service at Dunelm Mill who had picked up on my order issues and wanted to sort out the problem.

All is well at Dunelm Mill and my order has been received and is in the system and due for delivery next week.

The lack of email response was down to a web issue (out of their hands) which often affects email addresses from MSN, Hotmail and AOL amongst others - essentially I think, email providers who are prone to spam and who sometimes then choose to block all sorts of incoming emails without even allowing them to arrive in your spam folder.

Needless to say, I'm very happy that all is well with my order and very impressed with this response from Dunelm Mill.

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