How am I supposed to get my money back from these cowboys?

[JollyAndBright]

Argh this is such a mess and I desperately need help.

Two weeks ago i ordered a length of granite worktop from a kitchen supply Company fairly locally.
It was to fit into a specific area and needed to be exactly the right depth so i was limited with places to buy from.
When ordering I arranged for deliver to be on a specific day so that someone could be home to receive it.
The day before the delivery day I got a call from the delivery driver saying he was outside the house, so I had to leave work and rush home.
I got there and it was one man, he said I needed to find someone to help me because I wouldn’t be able to move the worktop alone, I couldn’t get hold of anyone and in the end a passer by offered to help and the driver reluctantly helped too.
We barely got it past the front door as it was so incredibly heavy, we literally had to just abandon it just inside the door as it’s too heavy to move, I think we’d need at least four strong people to easily move it.

At that point I queried if it was the right size, it seemed huge, it was wrapped in plastic, polystyrene and cardboard but I was pretty sure it seemed way too big, the driver said it was right, confirmed all of the measurements and left before I had chance to ask any more questions.
I unwrapped it and it was clearly too big, i measured it and it’s 1 meter too long!

I immediately contacted the company who flippantly told me they didn’t have the size i ordered so sent a bigger worktop instead and i’d just have to cut it to size, i told them i don’t have to tools or the ability to do that and they said i could return it if i want so I said I would.
I asked them to come and collect it the next day or over the weekend but they said it would take a week to arrange the delivery driver to come back for it, i told them they needed to send enough people to move it as i couldn’t help, they said i didn’t have a choice if i wanted it collecting as they only have that one delivery driver.

They have messed me around for four days now, refusing to confirm a day to collect so that I could book the time off work and now they are completely ignoring my emails.

Fortunately, i thought, i paid using paypal, so decided to open a not as described case.
The case was escalated after i phoned and PayPal told me the only option I have is to return the worktop, at my own expense, to get a refund.
When pushed they said i could have £15 towards return costs but that is the maximum.
I paid them £50 for delivery, PayPal have said that doesn’t matter.
And worst, i can’t let them collect it, it has to be sent tracked delivery otherwise i cannot get a refund.

I am out hundreds of pounds and have this bloody worktop blocking my hallway.

Does anyone have any advice of what I can do?

Contact your local trading standards office (usually County based).
Do you have a communication thread? emails, text messages etc?
Also are they members of CheckATrade or similar? Might be worth contacting them too.

Also are they members of CheckATrade or similar? Might be worth contacting them too.

Nah, not really - CheckATrade are a waste of letters. They'll start by asking if the OP has contacted the tradesperson (that can waste a few weeks). Then when the to-ing and fro-ing there has gone on (think months) nothing will happen. At which point you suddenly remember that it's the tradesman who pays CheckATrade and CheckATrade aren't going to do anything to lose customers. Which is tradesmen, not people looking for tradesmen.

If you have confirmation of your order from the outlet, then ignore PayPal (which is generally good advice in disputes anyway) ..

1. Nice letter simply stating the facts. You ordered , was delivered. Can the company out it right for you, as per order.

2. Wait

3a) If company sort it out. Job done.
3b) If company decline or ignore, a quick trip to Moneyclaim Online, fill out a form, and take it from their. They will either have to attend court, or settle beforehand. If they attend court, they'll be stung for costs and carriage.

Thank you both.

I’m going to report them to training standards now.

I spoken to them on the phone a lot because the take a long time to reply to emails, or just ignore them completely, but I do have some thank acknowledge the wrong size was sent.

I don’t want a replacement, they said they don’t have any anyway, I was willing to take anything in the right size to begin with but they don’t have anything in that size so whatever they replace it with I’d be in the same situation, I just want them to take it away and give me my money back.

I was sure the distance selling regulations or consumers law would be on my side.
I might ring citizens Advice.

I spoken to them on the phone a lot because the take a long time to reply to emails, or just ignore them completely

A slowly growing SOP which will be amusing when a court decides that you can't "lose" an email.

I was sure the distance selling regulations or consumers law would be on my side

They are. The only wrinkle is around items which are customised - such as the worktop. However they didn't supply it to the size you requested, so can't really claim they can't accept a return.

By all means contact trading standards, but I would suggest in tandem (as would citizens advice) a written and posted letter to them politely requesting they sort it out in the next 14 days. No need for histrionics or the sarcasm cannon (yet).

Print out what you have, plus copies of letters, and keep in a nice folder. If you need to go to MCOL that's your submission.

Thank you.