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AIBU?

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Original poster

To expect my new sofa....(Title edited by MNHQ)

109 replies

Strawberryshortcake40 · 03/02/2018 12:45

Ordered a new sofa last weekend from a major department store. Had been looking at it for a while and then browsing late at night it popped up on their sales section in the colour I wanted and at half price.

Placed order, expected it to bounce back as only one in stock, but all went through fine. Received a confirmation. Text last night confirming delivery. Text this morning confirming time of delivery. No sofa.

So I've rung and they tried to tell me they don't sell it anymore. They do, but not at the sale price (and with a twelve week wait). Apparently they can just cancel an order like this even after confirming it?

Anybody complained after something similar. Nothing in their terms and conditions covers it from what I can see.

AIBU to escalate it? I want my sofa :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Strawberryshortcake40 · 03/02/2018 15:47

No. JL don't send those. They haven't got any of the things I have ordered from them over the past month. I've had twenty parcels/furniture orders from them in that time and have not got a despatch confirmation from goods ordered online or in store

OP posts:
Thiscantreallybehappening · 03/02/2018 15:49

Which is exactly what I have had with JL and also with Laura Ashley and also with a bed I had delivered from a local furniture shop.

Original poster
Strawberryshortcake40 · 03/02/2018 15:55

And this is obviously how they cover themselves? Because they talk of sending a despatch confirmation but they don't send those

OP posts:
Mrsmadevans · 03/02/2018 15:58

I don't work for JL so have no bias so I will only say this ....they are usually absolutely brilliant and this is so unlike them. I ordered bedroom furniture 2 months ago and they were simply amazing! Above and beyond ! You need to contact them on Monday when the staff are in properly I think OP . They will sort it out for you I am sure.

Bluntness100 · 03/02/2018 15:59

Yes that's my point, they say the order is not confirmed until you receive dispatch notification, which you didn't or don't get. In addition they say the order is not compete if the goods aren't available. So they have covered their arses for this scenario. You have accepted these terms. You have to to order from them.

I think there has been a stock count fuck up and I think you're due some compensation, but I think legally you have no ground, I'm sorry.

InspMorse · 03/02/2018 15:59

JL have 'streamlined' (ahem...) their ordering systems recently.
Orders were processed and arranged in store previously. So, for example, if you bought a carpet/kitchen/sofa from them, the store would be your point of contact. They would place the order AND arrange the after sales care. (Arranging for measuring, booking fitters, delivery etc.)
It's now all done through a call centre. They employed hundreds of new staff last year.
Goodbye personal service.

Thiscantreallybehappening · 03/02/2018 16:04

Their system doesn't do that though OP so I can't see they can fall back on that argument. If it was somewhere like Amazon where they do send those emails then they could say that but they don't. I would say the confirmation on the morning of the delivery day is your "dispatch" confirmation. I am sure those "time confirmation" slots are activated by the warehouse so I am puzzled. Why would the the text be sent out this morning if the sofa wasn't there. I just feel you need to dig a bit deeper. It maybe that the sofa is there but that it was missed off the van this morning. It doesn't make any sense.

Jux · 03/02/2018 16:30

Twitter.
Facebook.

LookMoreCloselier · 03/02/2018 18:06

That's shocking, I would be fuming. I'd definitely take it further, if they still have the sofa available at the higher price then I think they should give it to you now at the discounted price as this is their fuck up.

Caroelle · 03/02/2018 18:13

[email protected] is the CEO’s email address. It won’t get through to her but one of her minions will get back to you.

Motoko · 04/02/2018 02:58

And why would the delivery driver have the sofa on his sheet for delivery to OP's if it wasn't going to be sent out?

insomniac123 · 04/02/2018 10:36

It is an "invitation to treat" ie it is inviting the customer to make an offer to purchase and the retailer doesn't have to accept that offer. A contract is only formed when the shop accepts a payment, after which it can't oblige you to repay any difference between the real and the advertised price. It's more complicated if it's an online transaction.

Deliberately misleading or inaccurate information is punishable under law. If a merchant refuses to honour an agreed price – You can then seek to recover the balance via the Small Claims Court.

Obviously you don't want to take that route, but possibly the treat you know you're stuff may 'motivate' them to do the right thing.

Original poster
Strawberryshortcake40 · 04/02/2018 11:00

But they had my money (or at least it wasn't in my account) from the day I ordered it. In fact it's still not back now. How can that be right? I got rid of my existing sofa, bought a new one (I thought) and couldn't have bought another one in that time as the money was spent. In fact I still can't buy another one now!!

OP posts:
FluffyWhiteTowels · 04/02/2018 11:16

What a nightmare situation. I had a similar situation paying several hundred pounds for an item (not JL) ... email saying delay on delivery then company went into liquidation. As an unsecured creditor I list my money. But the gall was I received an advertising email the next day from a company using the same trading name but different company name showing the piece of furniture at a reduction. I was fuming. I lost my money.

MyKingdomForBrie · 04/02/2018 11:33

Email the CEO. This is my last resort but has worked with several companies.

To expect my new sofa....(Title edited by MNHQ)
WeeM · 04/02/2018 11:38

I would absolutely pursue this but I’m like a dog with a bone in these situations! There is no way you should have a delivery slot, be sitting in the house waiting for it for them to then turn around and say they never had it!
Something has obviously gone wrong with the stock but they certainly shouldn’t be washing their hands with you.
Sadly I’ve heard a few tales of declining service from JL-apparently their customer service has been outsourced to a third party company and that’s when the problems started. Although not sure if that’s actually true. Shame if it is as their customer service was always excellent.

Original poster
Strawberryshortcake40 · 04/02/2018 11:43

Just out of interest, when would other people assume they actually were getting what they ordered? On confirmation? When the delivery date was agreed?

Obviously I should have kept my old sofa to sit on and not assumed I would be getting a new one I had paid for?

Have emailed. Will update when/if I hear.

OP posts:
FluffyWhiteTowels · 04/02/2018 11:46

Naively I would assume on confirmation but as Bluntness has said in the T&C I guess

lostincumbria · 04/02/2018 11:49

I'm afraid with internet shopping it's now only on dispatch, but the fact you had texts confirming dispatch would give you wriggle room to say they accepted your order and should supply. Tell them you'll happily wait for them to have a new one built, or you'll take a replacement of your choice of similar value at a similar discount. You'll need to fight and threaten court action.

WeeM · 04/02/2018 11:51

A few times I’ve ordered online and had confirmation but then subsequently they’ve emailed to say sorry it was low stock and there’s none left. However once I actually get a dispatch notification/delivery time agreed I would assume that stock has been checked and that they actually have one to send.

Blankiefan · 04/02/2018 11:52

I've had a couple of examples of poor service from John Lewis but have always been successful at getting them to compensate / refund.

Definitely escalate.

kirinm · 04/02/2018 12:05

John Lewis and their customer service are awful. We ordered their 7 day blinds which took nearly two months to arrive. I went ballistic via Twitter / email and telephone. Not once did they offer any form of compensation. I asked in the end. They really are poor nowadays.

SisyphusDad · 04/02/2018 12:30

John Lewis outsourced their Customer Services and some order fulfilment functions to Crapita a few years ago. So in some cases, you order something on the JL web site and your order goes to the manufacturer via Crapita to fulfil. John Lewis barely touches it.

SisyphusDad · 04/02/2018 12:32

kirinm

And the quality of the mechanisms on their blinds is now rubbish. They used to be really good but recently they're stiff and very rough in operation.

Thiscantreallybehappening · 04/02/2018 13:00

So glad you have emailed OP. If the sofa wasn't there I would have expected an email within 24 hours cancelling the order. I definitely would not have expected delivery days and time slots to be arranged if there was no sofa.

JL really should accept responsibility for this. The fact that you have texts confirming a delivery day and then on the morning confirming a delivery time slot means that you had every expectation that the sofa was going to be delivered when that van turned up with your other orders on.

I am still very puzzled as I would assume the delivery time slots are generated from the warehouse and why would they generate the time slot when they haven't got the sofa. I still think there is a possibility that your sofa could turn up. I am wondering if it has got loaded onto another van by mistake or is somewhere else in the warehouse. It really makes no sense and somebody in a call centre is not going to be questioning all this but, hopefully, someone further up in Customer Services will look further into this situation and get this rectified for you OP. Fingers crossed.