Mail order - what to do

Ok, I phoned this place up and ordered this part over the phone (a minimoto rear tyre).

http://www.funbikes.co.uk/Products/V...px?Product=253

Got the tyre fine today, but it is not like the one in the picture (it blatantly obvious as the tread pattern is totally different, its has groves not 'blocks'). This is no use to me as I need one like in the pic as that is a direct replacement for the one I am replacing and it needs to match the front.

Now bearing in mind they have sent me an item that is not only not as pictured, they don't even show it as a tyre they sell (not a simple put the wrong tyre in there error) where do I stand??

Now look at their returns policy:- http://www.funbikes.co.uk/trading.aspx

I have weighed the tyre, and looked up postage costs. It will cost £4.75 to post it back to them.

According to their returns policy they will refund the cost of the tyre, but take out the postage cost. Bearing in mind thats £19 for the tyre (inc p&P), plus £5 in postage I am set to fork out £24 and only get £14 back ... so basically loosing a tenner for their mistake ...

Even if they sent me a tyre like in the pic for no extra cost, it's still going to cost me the £5 to post this one back ... I think their f-up, their duty to sort it at no cost to me ... i.e. they refund my £5 return postage cost AND send me the correct tyre for no extra cost .... but I don't think it is going to work like that .... (read below) ...

This smallprint on the returns page :-
Pricing and Print Errors
Prices and specifications are checked to the best of our ability, and whilst every effort has been made to make them accurate, no responsibility will be accepted for errors and omissions. We reserve the right to alter our prices and specifications without notice.

So basically have I been/am I screwed?!?!? or can I demand they send me the correct tyre and refund my £5 return postage cost too?!

i dont know whats legal and whats not but i got done like this with infinity motorcycles when i ordered my new crash helmet from them when i got the lid it had a small mark on the chin piece (not a scratch but some kind of manufacturing error) and it cost me 9 pounds something to post it back to them they said on the phone when they receive the helmet they would post out a new one

Originally Posted by kwak zzr

i dont know whats legal and whats not but i got done like this with infinity motorcycles when i ordered my new crash helmet from them when i got the lid it had a small mark on the chin piece (not a scratch but some kind of manufacturing error) and it cost me 9 pounds something to post it back to them they said on the phone when they receive the helmet they would post out a new one

If it was a £500 item the £10 wouldn't smart as much ... but bearing in mind the original item was £19inc, the prospect of paying over half that in postage to get the correct tyre after THEIR mistake is unacceptable to me ...

phone them & explain that as its their mistake .they should pay the postage?

what hovi5 said.

Sounds like their mistake - they should pay, if not why not list it on ebay & sell it. Then the buyer would have to pay for the P&P - you might then cover all your costs, or if you are out of pocket only by a quid or 2 - not the tenner you might be.

TBH, if I were in your shoes, I'd be tempted to stike a deal with them. Yes, so it was their fault (assuming no errors in ordering etc). However, the part you ordered may have been superceeded (unlikely I know, but it happens).

IMO, I'd be happy, in that situation, to pay £5 to send it back to them, and they pay £5 to send the right one back to you. End of the day, they're loosing a fiver that way, as well as you. The postage you pay would go to Royal Mail (or another courier) & not the store.

Mistakes happen, we're all human. I've known some companies that are far worse at picking stock in warehouses than that, mainly because they employ students to do the picking, and first thing on a saturday morning, most students are thinking about how to spend their beertokens whilst doing as little as possible to earn them.

Just my 2p.

The one in the pic is still a current model, the tyre they sent me is inferior and not worth what I paid for it, for the same reason selling on eBay is not going to re-coupe me.

I am going to ring them on Monday, but I want to be armed with what i can reasonably expect them to do.

I was thinking of saying to them "look I'll post the tyre back, if you slip in a set of foot peg rubbers with the return tyre" The footpegs rubbers sell on their site for £4.50 delivered. So they probably cost them 50p-£1 ... that way I am not feeling too put out and they are not loosing much ...

What if they say they don't stock the actual tyre in the pic though?!!? A refund will mean all I have done is given Postie £10!!!

Is it really worth all the hassle for the princely sum of £4.75?

Originally Posted by Ed

Is it really worth all the hassle for the princely sum of £4.75?

The actual money isn't the point ... don't forget I have to trudge down the PO and bash grannies out of the way to post it back too ... its all hassle that I didn't ask for ...

They have advertised something I wanted ... charged me a healthy sum for this product (I was prepared to pay it as it was exactly what I was after) and sent me an inferior product that I can't use and they don't even list ... if I wanted this model, I could have picked up for 1/2 the price elsewhere ...

I feel I have been shafted, not that it was a simple sorting mistake (like I said, they don't even list this product).

I'll give them a ring and hopefully they have what I want in stock .... but I still begrudge having to pay the return P&P + hassle. ... I could have bought this elsewhere for less than the total spent ...

At the end of the day they sent me an unlisted inferior item, not only am I going to be out of pocket and have to wait, I have this hassle now ... all for the sake of something that is worth <£20 inc P&P!!!!