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Lilimay.com anyone else experience problems with them?

50 replies

moosemama · 21/01/2010 22:07

I am in a bit of a panic.

I ordered a couple of presents from Lilimay.com (they are located in North Street, Portslade, Brighton) for my daughter's first birthday. At the time they were supposedly in stock, the company took my money, then informed me that they didn't have the stock and were awaiting delivery from their suppliers.

They failed to respond to my first email, so I sent another. They eventually got back to me and blamed the snow for both not responding and the lack of deliveries they needed to complete my order. They did offer a refund at the time, but I stupidly thought that by that time it would be quicker to wait for them than to reorder from another supplier.

Since then I have heard nothing, despite sending two further emails, both directly and through their website contact form.

I have now found a review site choc full of apalling reviews about this company, how they take the payment but customers never receive the goods, the phone rings off the hook or is permanently engaged and they don't respond to emails. There are also lots of customers that were eventually promised refunds (some only after threatening to involve Trading Standards) but then had been waiting months but still not received them.

Dh is furious with me. I am such a careful online shopper though and was sure to check that it was a genuine bricks and mortar shop with all contact details listed on the site and had seen lots of excellent reviews from people that had actually visited the shop. I would physically go to the shop and complain myself, but unfortunately I live in the West Midlands so can't get there.

I notice that the owner was a Mnetter a while back, but has not posted in quite a while.

Has anyone else had similar problems, if so, how did you resolve the issue?

I am so disappointed that my daughter's presents didn't arrive in time for her birthday and also feel so stupid for buying from an online shop that seems to be at best unreliable and disorganised or at worst downright dishonest.

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moosemama · 21/01/2010 23:05

Bump, anyone? Have just read lots more bad reviews online, despite them also having a huge internet presence, facebook, twitter and lots of good reviews from people that actually visit the shop. All very confusing.

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 10:59

I am like you. I SO wished i had done my research before buying from this company.

I ordered and paid for some Le Toy Van items for my daughters birthday present on 15/01/10 and they showed as IN STOCK on the website. I got an email to say they will be dispatched within 2 days. And then another email afterwards, saying they were out of stock. I have rang everyday and spoke to different people, all giving me conflicting information on the delivery or when they will be getting my items in stock. I have read all the bad internet reviews on their company, unfortunately too late. It's clear from the reviews that they have not been in stock of these items for a while - what they're doing is pure robbery. This is very upsetting for me as this stuff I have bought is for my daughter's birthday next week and i already stretched myself to even buy this stuff and now i can?t even go out an buy something else for her as i simply don?t have the money. If i do not receive my refund straight away, I WILL be reporting them to trading standards and Watchdog. I am also going to contact Le Toy Van to let them know what kind of company they are dealing with, and will be leaving my own review so other people don?t fall victim to their shabby sales (or should i say non- sales) and Customer Service.

I really wish i didnt live so far away (North East) But i am so mad, i feel like driving all the way down there and giving them a peice of my mind and stopping every customer in there from buying anything!

I hope you manage to get your refund sorted. I am so upset, i hope they take my threats seriously enough to issue my refund ASAP.

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 11:30

Hi again,

Just an update on the above...I only registered on Mumsnet when coming across your comment when searching reviews on google, so and felt i needed to reply. I have only emailed them this morning, after reading all the bad reviews - first on the Contact Us form on their website and then to [email protected] - with the subject of the email as 'I AM REPORTING YOU TO TRADING STANDARDS'. I sent them more or less the same message i posted to you on here, but addressed to them. I sent that email this morning at 10.43 and i just checked my emals and they have refunded me the full amount, 4 minutes later at 10.47! I am absolutely amazed and relieved - but it is appalling that i have had to spend many hours of my precious time, feeling frustrated, trying to call them on my breaks at work etc speaking on the phone to them, looking at reviews and typing emails etc.

I would still never deal with them again - no one should ever have to threaten a company with trading standards to get a refund, its disgraceful. I feel very sorry for all those people who have had weeks and even months and months of this stress, dealing with this company.

I really hope you get your refund too and that this gets to other people before they choose to use Lilimay.co.uk

Good Luck x

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moosemama · 22/01/2010 11:50

Thank you for your response. I emailed them last night stating that if I don't receive a full refund within 7 days I will be taking the matter further.

I still haven't had a response.

My husband (who is a lot better at complaining and much firmer than me) is going to phone them tomorrow and restate our position.

I'm glad you got your refund, but like you am apalled that they can get away with what clearly amounts to theft. They have had my money since 5th January and my daughter had to miss out on her first birthday presents thanks to their dishonest practices.

As you said, its crystal clear from their online reviews that they treat all their online customers the same way. I have not read one single decent review of their online business, everyone seems to have the same story, no goods, no contact or given the runaround and no refund.

I shall also be contacting the suppliers of the toys that I ordered and letting them know what sort of a company is selling their goods. (I have read of other unhappy customers who have done this as well.)

I'm pleased to hear you got your refund. It seems threatening Trading Standards or legal action is the only way to get your money back off these people.

Hope you still have time to buy replacements for your daughter's birthday.

Again, thanks for your response.

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 11:51

BTW.. Im sure they will give good service in the shop - face to face! And if you buy something, you get it, as the stock is there for you to see! And im sure the odd good review i have read seems all too good to be true - it was like reading a review they had wrote themselves! (it wouldn?t surprise me)

But the fact people have been waiting months for items and refunds and the service received over the phone and via email is terrible! One of the many times i called chasing my order, i was put on hold for 5 mins - like they had just put the phone down on the table - they didn?t even tell me what they were doing, i was just bluntly asked to hold the line. I had to hang up as i was on a break at work. When i called later on, they were constantly engaged for a very long time. Not a very good sign!

An awful lot of this could have been avoided, but they run the company in the most disorganised and unprofessional way i have ever encountered. Yes, they have a nice looking website - looks professional, but that is very far from the truth! I also find it interesting that they dont have a Testimonials or public Feedback section to their website - something i have previously taken notice of from other websites (stupidly not this one!) That in itself tells you something - if a company truly prides itself on good service, it is something they will have.

I have never had to write a review or encountered a problem like this online, but i have certainly learnt my lesson now!

All they need to do is change the website so that if an item is OUT OF STOCK, it needs to show 'OUT OF STOCK'. Not to mislead you and take your money, then feed you a load of lies and false promises, so end up with you fighting for your money back.

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 11:58

Youre very welcome, if making public my experience just helps one person then thats something good!

I am still very surprised i got my refnd that quick, but they obviously panicked when they saw the header 'I AM REPORTING YOU TO TRADING STANDARDS' in their inbox!

I think it is a wate of time calling them (if you can get through that is!) as you only get throught o the shop staff who get the brunt of it all so they will tell you anything to get you off the phone. My best advice is to subject the email in a way like i have and so getting them to read it straght away (as something tells me they will have LOTS of emails coming through from customers, they will choose who to prioritise first!)

Let me know how you get on, ill keep my fingers crossed for you

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 12:05

P.S. Im sorry to hear that your daughter missed out on her birthday presents, its just awful, poor thing. Just as well she is maybe young enough to not realise. It's when they are 4 and 5 years old and they know, then its hard to explain! Hope you get your refund too very soon so you can spoil her!

The money isnt showing in my account yet, but i'll leave it until later today or tomorrow morning and check again. The refund email was an automatic email from RBS Banking (the same kind of email that comes through after the payment was made)

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moosemama · 22/01/2010 12:19

Thanks, I've given them 7 days, so I suppose I should wait for that before sending them another message with the warning in the subject line.

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NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK · 22/01/2010 13:02

Sure, its a fair point. Hope you do. Let me know how it goes..

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bamboo · 22/01/2010 13:34

I had this before Christmas. I ordered some Le Toy Van bits for ds in early November, they were running an offer and were quite a good price.

Similar story to yours, you think they're in stock and the money is taken immediately. Got an email a day or so later to say they were out of stock and awaiting delivery. And to be fair I received 2 of my 3 items shortly afterwards. Over three weeks later I still hadn't got the final item or received any further communication so emailed them. Had to email several times before they replied which meant our emails were crossing all the time! And actually they did ring me at one stage. They just seem really disorganised, rather than deliberately trying to rip you off, I think.

Anyway they don't seem to have a supplier for the toys I wanted anymore so I ended up buying them from Ebay. As of 4th Jan I still hadn't had a refund but I'm hoping my credit card has been refunded now - it's only about a tenner so could be worse. Like NEVERuseLILIMAYdotCOdotUK, they only seemed to get interested when I mentioned Trading Standards and Distance Selling Regs.

Hopefully you'll get your refund soon. Like you I was kicking myself for not doing a quick google first as it throws up quite a few complaints. I certainly would neither use them again nor recommend them and this thread will be here as a heads-up for others at least.

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moosemama · 22/01/2010 14:17

Thanks for your post bamboo. I'm caught between wanting to believe they are just an organisational shambles and finding it hard to believe that the story being the same for so many of their customers can just be accidental.

Whatever the reason, there's no excuse for keeping hold of people's money or for that matter taking the money in the first place knowing they don't have the goods in stock. Many of the people who wrote bad reviews I've read bought because the items seemed like a good deal/price and then couldn't afford to buy them elsewhere because they hadn't been refunded. It seems to be people that really can't afford it that are coming off worst.

Dh has just said to me that if they want to preserve the reputation of their bricks and mortar business, which customers seem very happy with on the whole, they would do best to close down the website until they have sorted out their stock/ordering system.

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moosemama · 22/01/2010 17:44

Update.

I received an email at 4.48 this afternoon saying they have passed my cancellation onto the account department for a refund which should arrive within 7-10 days but also suggesting that because of worldpay it may take up to 30.

I guess I just have to wait and see if the money actually materialises now. I won't hold my breath.

If the money is not forthcoming I will be sending them a letter declaring my intention to take action against them. I have taken advice from a friend today who used to be involved in consumer rights for a living and he will advise me on the best course of action.

I am thanking my lucky stars its only fifty pounds, unlike the poor people who are hundreds of pounds out of pocket after shelling out for a nursery suite they never received and now can't afford to buy from elsewhere.

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bamboo · 22/01/2010 22:11

It is a shambles, isn't it? I think your dh is right - if they want to retain any credibility in their Brighton shop they should consider shutting down the website. It's unacceptable to be taking peoples money when they know they can't fulfil orders.

Up to 30 days for a refund is a joke as well. Hope you get it through sooner.

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mummybear25 · 13/02/2010 12:19

Hello - we too fell foul of Lilimay. We ordered a kitchen for our daughter's Christmas present at the beginning of December and after a week WE contacted them and was then told it was out of stock, despite the money being taken immediately. We cancelled the order and a refund was allegedly made, but after the 30 days they stipulated it might take we still had no refund. I emailed them and asked them to check it had been raised, but heard nothing. A few days later I sent 1 final email asking them to check and informed them that if I did not hear anything in a few days I would raise it with my credit card company. My credit card company got the money back in a week. Like others I thought I'd been careful checking the company out before we placed the order, but guess you get it wrong sometimes! Hope everything's sorted out for you soon.

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jessll10 · 21/02/2010 01:07

I too have had issues with lilimay that reflect all of those above. I urge you all to make an online complaint with Trading Standards. It doesn't take very long. You can access the form through this link: www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/contact?action=complain

This behaviour is absolutely disgusting and needs to be stopped!!!

If you made your purchases using a credit card, you can dispute the transaction and they will arrange a refund for you.

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bamboo · 25/02/2010 13:50

Thanks for that link jessll10. Have just filled it in as, predictably, my latest credit card bill shows no refund from them .

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robalexclark · 28/02/2010 16:58

Well we have a similar situation: We ordered some things for our "bump" before xmas and when they had not arrived asked for a refund in mid Jan. Since then we have been fobbed off time and time again with lie after lie e.g. your refund will be with you in 48 hours, but nothing happens. Last email was on Friday when we said that this would be our last correspondance with them and would be contacting trading standards on Monday. This provoked a response saying that they have "experienced some fraud in accounts" but we are not interested anymore (this is about the 4th excuse that they have come up with) so will be contacting trading standards anyway.

Interestingly they have a Facebook group which has had some interesting (!) comments of late. I added my robust thoughts to the list a couple of days ago but as of this lunchtime all the complaining comments have been deleted along with the others.

Really companies should not be allowed to operate - I would advise anybody to steer clear from lilimay.

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tn29 · 02/03/2010 15:51

Interesting posts to read just after an ordeal with lilimay!

Their webite allowed me to place an order for 2 kiddy infinity pro car seats that were not in stock. My card was charged immediately ... I waited for delivery for 7 weeks ...snow in Europe & huge demand due to car seats being rated a which? best buy being blamed for the delay. after endless promises to get seats"next week" I finally cancelled the order ...it has taken another 5+ weeks to get a refund ... had to keep emailing & calling (with more excues about computer problems)!

Last night i sent email threatening to involve trading standards & my card issuer. Called to f/up today & within 5 minutes got an email and call saying I had been refunded.

Incidentally I ordered same car seats with winstanley's pramworld and got these sent the very next day by dhl!...so much for the snow in europe

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jessll10 · 02/03/2010 23:49

I have heard another tactic - threaten them with police action (obtaining money by deception) - apparently this gets you an email within the hour from Worldpay saying that refund has been processed in full.

I have complained to Trading Standards and Consumer Direct - but I have not heard anything yet. The more people that complain and follow these threats through the more chance we have of stopping this practice. Apparently they do it with another business "Angel Yarns" that they also run!!!

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Loulock · 09/03/2010 13:13

Wish I'd seen these comments before I used LiliMay! I ordered and then cancelled my order in Jan and only now have received a refund - like a user above through threatening bad publicity and Trading Standards. I will not use them again as like experiences above I sent numerous emails, which were not replied to and was constantly told it was being looked into on the phone. So you all know your rights, when you shop online a company has to give you your refund within 30 days according to the Distance Selling Regulations.

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teatowel104 · 13/03/2010 21:42

Same here - can't believe I didn't see all the problems before ordering, luckily it's not for much money but the principle remains. They promised a refund over a month ago but I guess it's not going to appear until they feel they really have to. Am so annoyed, especially seeing a sob story from them online about an employee who has been convicted for stealing stock from them...maybe they know how we feel!

Maybe we should all post on their Facebook site and ask for a refund that way?

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Tyson86 · 15/03/2010 18:37

www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/products-reviews-505/baby-child-essentials-545/334870-lily-may-baby-shop -brighton-2.html#Scene_1
Other people also having shit.

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teatowel104 · 17/03/2010 15:04

Have eventually got my money back, 6 weeks after they took it from me without supplying the goods...don't think it's a coincidence that this happened after I tweeted the owner (twitter.com/LiliMayBaby) - she seems very active online so maybe this is a way to make yourself heard if they are still not paying up.

I don't understand how businesses are allowed to operate this way when it causes so much pain to parents. Very short-sighted as well - I am about to buy a new Bugaboo Bee + and will be spending well over £500 - absolutely won't be giving them any more of my money.

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shoshanade · 18/03/2010 12:45

hi.
I've just come off the phone to LiliMays as I ordered goods worth GBP250 a month ago (eg a car seat - rather essential to get around!) and havent heard back from them, despite 2 reminder emails from my side. Now they claim "several people in accounts were sick" and that's why they didnt respond. was told that someone would call me back w/in an hour - as if!

Rather wished I had researched the company and read this thread before placing order. Was tempted to buy double buggy from them as well. SOOO glad I didnt as we needed it quickly.

The whole business method seems very similar if not identical to what TwoLeftFeet did back in 2008 before they were eventually busted in Feb2009 by a report on BBC's Watchdog - which apparently they begged and pleaded for so it wouldnt be shown. The minute it was out there, all new clients/parents cancelled their orders and the whole financial cardhouse collapsed.

But they did precisely the same: advertised constantly extending 15%OFF ALL ORDERS promotions, not stating when items were out of stock, taking people's money straight away, then not responding/communicating with the customers for as long as they could. We had bought buggy/car seat, the full lot worth GBP 800 from TwoLeftFeet back then and 4months later, our baby was born and we still hadnt received the order items. The stress that put on an expecting mum - in addition to everything else.
It's a DISGRACE!!!!!! and shocking that the same should still be going on.

Lilimay's owner should be careful that her business wont face the same drastic consequences that TLF encountered who went into administration within a week after the Watchdog show was aired.

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Katsarkisova · 22/03/2010 15:11

THEY ARE HORRIBLE!!!

I am having the worst experience with these people as well. Ordered a baby cot back in December, it never arrived (they kept blaming the supplier for being late) and I've been waiting for my £600 refund for 3 weeks now. I've been calling and complaining, but I'm still waiting for them to credit my card. It's appalling! I'm reporting them to HSBC and the credit card company today.

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