Online purchase and courier potential nightmare!

[bigthumb]

I bought myself a new bass from a well established music shop in Sheffield. The bass was to be delivered today and according to the tracking, it was and signed by my good self! Trouble is, it wasn't. 

I had arranged for the bass to be delivered to my place of work and according to the alleged delivery time I would have been on site and able so see the van come in and make the delivery. 

I phoned the shop to raise my concerns and they didn't seem too worried about it. Saying along the lines of that it's out of their hands as soon as it leaves their shop and I should contact the courier. 

The shop raised a 'ticket' with the courier for the shipment to be investigated and they have to now wait for the courier to get back to them. 

On the tracking there is no photo POD or a digital copy of a signature only that it was delivered to the reception and signed for by me. 

I'm pretty worried about this and I could do with some advice as to where I stand. 

[synthaside]

Ok Step 1 Breathe ... out Exhale ... your going to be ok ... this sucks but it happens and  " buyer protection"  is going to help you out.  

The Onus is on the delivery company to prove delivery to the correct address and recipient, not the other way around. If you claim you haven't received an item, the company should be able to provide proof, such as a signature, a photo of the delivery location, or GPS data. You are entitled to ask for this proof if there's a dispute, and if they can't provide it, you can escalate the issue. 

Consumer rights are all on your side here ... your gonna be ok 

Oh ... an edit because  i wanted to add something .
 

YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

Your contract is always with the retailer – not the courier. Contact the retailer as soon as possible if your order has been lost, damaged or delayed.

The retailer is responsible under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to ensure your goods arrive safely without undue delay and within 30 days or placing the order.

S29 Consumer Rights Act 2015 states that the goods remain at the trader’s risk until they come into the physical possession of you or your appointed agent.

It is the seller’s legal responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you.
They should contact the courier and let you know what has happened to your item. It is not your responsibility.

Edited 3 hours ago by synthaside

[neepheid]

4 minutes ago, bigthumb said:

Saying along the lines of that it's out of their hands as soon as it leaves their shop and I should contact the courier. 

The shop raised a 'ticket' with the courier for the shipment to be investigated and they have to now wait for the courier to get back to them. 

 

Wronger than a wrong thing - as proven by the fact that they contacted the courier for you anyway.  The retailer is the courier's customer, not you, so if it goes astray, it's on them to chase it up, and on them to make things right with you if it goes wrong - that's what insurance is for.

 

It has happened to me before, not a fake "delivery" but a Sire D5 just disappeared like a fart in the wind between Thomann and myself.  I contacted Thomann about it, and to give them their due they didn't wait too long before giving it up as lost and sending another one.

 

How the retailer deals with this will determine their competence and worth.  If it goes badly, I'd like to know who this retailer is so that I can avoid them in future.

[bigthumb]

10 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Wronger than a wrong thing - as proven by the fact that they contacted the courier for you anyway.  The retailer is the courier's customer, not you, so if it goes astray, it's on them to chase it up, and on them to make things right with you if it goes wrong - that's what insurance is for.

 

It has happened to me before, not a fake "delivery" but a Sire D5 just disappeared like a fart in the wind between Thomann and myself.  I contacted Thomann about it, and to give them their due they didn't wait too long before giving it up as lost and sending another one.

 

How the retailer deals with this will determine their competence and worth.  If it goes badly, I'd like to know who this retailer is so that I can avoid them in future.

 

Thanks Matt and thanks @synthaside for the advise.

 

I'm quite surprised at the retailer to be honest. Now if it had got lost in transit it would be different, these things happen but explaining to the chap on the phone that it has been signed for by me didn't seem to concern him too much. Now I'd say its been nicked by a dodgy driver (I've known a few in my time). Yes I know it's all too easy to jump to conclusions, but it's dosn't sound promising at the moment that I'll ever see this bass. 

 

[Beedster]

Couriers are way better at being inept than they are at being corrupt, it'll show up 👍

[Hellzero]

I hate those people pretending that as soon as the courier has picked up the parcel, it's not their responsibility anymore...

 

Sorry, but as long as it's not in the recipient hands, it's the responsibility of the sender, who, by the way, is the only one allowed to lodge a claim.

 

So, push the shop to act the legal way and simply ask them the proof of delivery: If they can't provide it, ask for an immediate refund.

[walshy]

You're super covered so don't panic. However, I have had similar before that if a courier knows he's not going to make it on the day/time its supposed to be there for they will sign for it saying delivered and bring it the day after. Naughty, yes and a flippin' nightmare but it has happened to be ( on a £5k bass I sent to a customer ). Hope you get the bass, but at worst you'll get your cash back. Not cool on the shop in question though, they should really take full responsibility.

[prowla]

The courier should refuse to deal with you; they are the shop's agent, not yours.

It is well-known that couriers may "sign" for recipients and often leave signed-for items unattended.

The Consumer Rights Act details your (ahem...) rights.

Also, if you paid by credit card then that gives you further rights.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Wow! Don’t like the attitude of that  music shop in Sheffield . If it were me , I’d send an email addressing my disappointment about their lack of concern , care and customer service. Plus of course I’d be telling them that a replacement or a refund  is the only possible outcome if they don’t do a proper investigation. I’d also go straight to trustpilot! 
As for the courier co , straight to trustpilot also .

[Reggaebass]

Ive had this before and for me the bass which was pretty expensive did turn up a few days later, which I think might happen with yours, really bad response from the shop though, they should have more respect for their customers, there’s excellent advice above as always , hope all works out well for you bigthumb 

[bigthumb]

I think I'll sleep better tonight knowing all this so thanks for all the advise. 

The more I think about the shops response the more it surprises me. They were not rude or dismissive but I just got the feeling that they didn't seem too concerned. I would have liked a call back when they said they would rather than me chasing them. At the end of the day it was a 1200 quid bass and not a pack of strings and I have every reason to be worried. 

[Burns-bass]

If it was the shop I’m thinking of they sent me a bass with a stuck truss rod. Fair play they refunded me straight away but then advertised the bass for sale (without mentioning the fault). Dodgy.

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, bigthumb said:

I think I'll sleep better tonight knowing all this so thanks for all the advise. 

The more I think about the shops response the more it surprises me. They were not rude or dismissive but I just got the feeling that they didn't seem too concerned. I would have liked a call back when they said they would rather than me chasing them. At the end of the day it was a 1200 quid bass and not a pack of strings and I have every reason to be worried. 

They’re not too concerned because it probably happens all the time to them 🤔