I heard a story today about a UK Internet company called C&A
Electronics based at 33 Percy Street London W1T 2DG.

www.rankhour.com

Here are the facts:

My friend purchased a camcorder and decided to return it within seven
days under The Distance Selling Regulations.

These provide that a customer can return mail order goods 'for
whatever reason' within seven days if he/she is unhappy with them
because they don't meet his/her expectations. In my friend's case
there was a problem with video capture using Ulead Media Studio Pro
7.3 (noise on the captured sound - a known issue apparently). The
camcorder was a Sony DCR-PC55E (billed as the smallest Mini DV
camcorder in the world).

The bloke at C&A Electronics (Mr Wass) said he was prepared to take
the camcorder back BUT, in line with C&A's Terms and Conditions, he
would have to levy a 25% handling charge. When my friend queried this,
Mr Wass said that, as my friend sounded like 'a genuine customer', he
would reduce the handling charge to the staff rate of 15% - which on
an item costing over four hundred pounds is still quite a lot.

However, my friend wisely called his local trading standards
department and learned that, under The Distance Selling Regulations,
it is ILLEGAL for a company to levy handling charges. When a customer
returns goods he/she must be refunded IN FULL (minus any courier
charges of course).

My friend has now been advised to return the camcorder at once to C&A
Electronics (otherwise known as Rankhour Ltd.) and send a separate
letter (recorded delivery) advising Mr Wass of the true legal
position. My friend has also been advised to send another recorded
letter to his credit card company (VISA) stating that, if C&A
Electronics refuse to make a FULL REFUND (i.e. waive the handling
charge), he is minded to recover the FULL REFUND from them as provided
under The Consumer Credit Acts.

The above is VERITAS.

However, all this palaver should be quite unnecessary. C&A Electronics
should know the law and comply with it.

Caveat Emptor.



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snip
The above is VERITAS.

However, all this palaver should be quite unnecessary. C&A Electronics
should know the law and comply with it.

Caveat Emptor.