I ordered a Flymo mower online from Homebase. It was available and would be delivered to my local store in four days for a £6 payment. Nine days later, having heard nothing, I emailed customer services and received an automated response saying my query was in a queue. Three days on, I emailed again and, this time, got no response at all. I found a link on the Homebase website that claimed it would offer refunds for undelivered goods but got the message “page not found”. I went into my local store but it was unable to help as it had been an online order.
In the meantime, on Flymo’s own site, it stated that the mower was unavailable, with no date given for when it might be in stock. After waiting in a queue for 40 minutes trying to talk to somebody on the Homebase helpline, I was finally promised a refund within seven days. That was 15 days ago. My Homebase account still tells me the product has been dispatched and will be delivered by the originally promised date. The company has basically stolen £105, and I can see no way of getting it back.
TM, Lancaster
Homebase was criticised last year for continuing to accept online orders while proving unable to fulfil a backlog. Judging by online reviews, its service has much improved since then, but your experience is pretty shaming. The company promises that customers will be notified of any delays, but you received no communication whatsoever. It tells me: “We’re sorry the delivery was delayed, and for not updating him sooner. We’ve spoken with him, and provided a full refund.”
Which sounded promising, except the refund didn’t arrive. It took another month, and more chasing from me, before the money was back in your account, by which time you’d spent two months without a lawnmower.
Why we’re such big fans of Dimplex …
I want to sing the praises of Dimplex customer services. I bought a tower fan in 2019 and forgot to register it for the extended two-year warranty. It started making grinding noises this month, so I contacted Dimplex. It replied the next day, stating that even though the two-year period had expired the day before I complained, it would send me a new fan. I’m amazed. Most companies seem to want to wriggle out of their responsibilities.
JS, London
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