Michaela’s missing washing machine, or why you should ALWAYS pay with a credit card

Michaela needed a new washing machine. Having done some research and browsed various websites she found one on Applicancecentre.com that seemed like a great deal.

At a glance the website appears to have positive reviews on TrustPilot and the item was shown on their website as available to be delivered the day after.

Unfortunately, what should have been a simple purchase of an essential appliance has become a customer service nightmare.

This is Michaela’s story…

I ordered the washing machine online on the 3rd of April. A few days passed with no delivery. Then it was a week. Then it was nearly two whole weeks since I had ordered and still nothing had arrived.

I would check in with ApplianceCentre.com every day over the phone. I always got the same response: that the appliance had just been delayed and would arrive the day after. But it was never delivered.

After two weeks fighting over the phone, they agreed to cancel my order. That was on April 15th. Still they wouldn’t send me a written confirmation that the order had been cancelled, not until April 28th after I had to called them several times to obtain it.

There was a moment where I felt relieved – thinking that I could now move on with my life and order something else. But in the following days I found that no refund was issued.

Since the company cancelled the order I have sent many emails and called more than ten times to chase up some kind of refund. One time they asked for my bank account details, but nothing happened. Another time, they even suggested that they were unable to issue a refund because I didn’t pay via credit card (I wish I did!).

It’s been a month now. I am still fighting to have my money back.

Customer service staff became increasingly rude to me and then, the last time I tried to send them another email I found that the email address doesn’t seem to work anymore. Perhaps they have blocked me?

I informed my bank about what happened, they are investigating it for fraud. I don’t know whether this will bring my money back.

The shocking thing is that if you go to their website they seem to be still active. And the washer/dryer I ordered seems to be in stock, ready to be delivered! I imagine that, should anyone else order, they would face exactly the same problem as I am currently fighting.

Why you should always use a credit card

It has now been more than a month. The washing machine has never been delivered and Michaela is out of pocket by £789!

While Michaela is still trying to get a refund, she reached out to us to report this experience and to raise awareness about the importance using a credit card to make large purchases. She has also posted feedback on Trustpilot to raise the alarm – so that other people don’t end up in the same situation.

If Michaela had used a credit card it may have been possible to get a refund via her bank. That’s because Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act allows you to ask the card provider to give you a refund if the goods or services you’ve paid for don’t turn up or are ‘misrepresented’.

Unfortunately because Michaela paid with debit there is no way to get the money back without the cooperation of ApplicanceCentre.com who seem to have cut off contact with her.

We have suggested that she try messaging the company on social media to get their attention. We will keep helping her in her fight for a refund. However, as yet, it remains to be seen whether she will be successful in obtaining it.

So if you find yourself making a big purchase, like an appliance, please make sure you use a credit card and have the protection of Section 75.