Bite Size Deals have I been conned

[corsur]

Hello can anyone advice me what to do next ? I bought a camera from Bite Size Deals using my Visa Debit Card. anyway after some time it was still showing up on there website, order still processing, so I emailed to find out why, this was there response.

Thank you for your e-mail. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our system requires that all orders follow verification procedure before they can be processed and approved. This is to ensure that we protect our customers against from any incidents of fraud and we just want to make sure that you are the one who placed the order. In line with this, we had been trying to get in contact with you in order to continue the processing of your order at the phone number you have registered in our website but wasn't able to grab hold of you on the phone after several attempts. Please provide us with an alternate phone number so that we can approve your order.

Will they took there money but where not going to send the camera without contacting me ???

They did phone but I was out, anyway decided to cancel after this and get my refund, which they did approve on the 31.08.09 but I am still waiting my refund as today 18.09.09 so after yet another email this is there reply.

Thank you for your e-mail. Your refund is currently in process and you will be refunded in full. Processing of refund starts from the date the order was canceled. Your order was canceled on August 31. Please keep in mind that per Distance Selling Regulations, we do have up to 30 days to refund you. The 5-7 days quoted on site is how long it can take for the credit to be reflected, once it has been issued. Our apologies for the inconvenience and thank you for showing interest in BiteSizeDeals.

Do I have to wait now this 30 days before I can do anything ? and what do I do if it never comes back to my account this 126 pounds for a Sony W220 camera ?, I should have looked at this website more closely, it gives its prices in UK pounds and they use a co.UK email address but no contact number and there address seams to be in the USA ??? hope some one can easy my mind on this thanks.

[George]

After searching in Google I came across this article on Bitesizedeals.

Seems they are indeed a US based company and have been taken to court recently for misleading customers in the UK when purchasing.

Type into Google 'Bitesizedeals' and you find a number of complaints against this company. To be fair there are also satisfied customers making comment.

Hopefully someone else will come along and provide expert advice to help you. In the meantime a call to your local Office of Fair Trading for guidance would be the best move.

Sorry I can't be more help.

[greysts]

They clearly know the law regarding DSR and they are correct in what they say - they have 30 days from the date you cancelled in which to make the refund. You must therefore wait until the 30th September before taking any further action. I should add that they sound a very responsible company because they are trying to combat fraud by checking that you are indeed the customer before sending out a valuable piece of equipment to a first time buyer. They say they tried several times to contact you and couldn't which is hardly their fault.

[AndrewGC]

As mentioned above, with the DSRs they are on the ball.

The only matter I would mention, that has been said before (and sorry it is after the event), NEVER use a Debit car for purchases online. Get a Credit Card. If the company fail to deliver the card company are as liable.

[corsur]

Hello again just to update on this www.bitesizedeals.co.uk they will be out of there 30 days to provide a refund tomorrow and I still have not got a refund from them ??? Who do I turn to now it looks like sites How to complain only deal with UK based companies and the same for the office of fair trading so who do I contact now?? as this company is still trading and have my hard earned cash I need :-(

[AndrewGC]

I would suggest that you email them - keep it Polite But Firm and explain that you have had no refund and they have 24 hours to make one.

Having briefly looked at the site, yes, they use a .co.uk BUT appear to be US based. I am surprised that they make no mention of Customs duty if the items are coming from the States, but the site does not make this clear.

I would phone your local council and ask to speak to Trading Standards. The ones round by us are actually really nice - and we must thank the diligent competitor on eBay who thought he might put is out of business by reporting us 12 months ago (actually the advice we got led me to taking the business into a new direction).

Anyway, ask them to look at it. It might not be in their area BUT you are and you pay their salaries via Council Tax.

Make a note of everything you have done and keep copies of emails. And please let us know how you get on (it may be useful to others).

And to sound like a broken record in future ALWAYS use a credit card or PayPal - both protect the buyer. (My credit card refunded a few hundred quid last year when a seller failed to deliver and all it took was a letter).

[Sandhound]

G'day corsur.

[ QUOTE ]
I bought a camera from Bite Size Deals using my Visa Debit Card.

[/ QUOTE ]
As you used Visa debit card you have a good chance of getting your money back.

The Sony equipment you were after can be found in Germany and it should work out a lot cheaper as there will be no import tax, customs duty, VAT (already paided at 19% on purchase) and the Post Office collecting fee ( £8.00 + vat ).

[corsur]

Just to update This Bite Size Deals have now passed there 30 days by law to provide a refund a week ago now and are now not responding to any of my emails, I filled in a complaint forum at http://www.ftc.gov/index.shtml The Federal Trade Commission USA but have heard nothing from them :-( also contacted http://www.consumerline.org/ In the UK and they say, cant help :-( I went in to my bank and they got me to fill in a complaint forum,they say it can take up to 45 days and I don't think there's a guarantee to whether they can get my money back :-( What I cant understand this Bite Size Deals are still trading or should I say still stealing peoples hard earned cash and getting away with it, is there know one to stop this fraudulent website, Its daylight robbery and there getting away with it.Let you no if I get my money back on this one but its not looking to hopeful :-(

[steffi7]

Hi Corsur,
I signed up to this forum just to say, hang in there! I also made a purchase from Bite Size Deals, and when the goods didn't arrive after 2 weeks, did a search online. Lo and behold, they are no better than con artists (and I'm sooo glad to see that they are now being taken to court for tricking customers into believing they are uk based!).

I also registered a complaint with the ftc, and once I did that Bite Size Deals suddenly sent me my goods, but as it was US software I couldn't (legally) use it, and as I had bought it for my company I wasn't going to take the risk. Plus, it arrived only in a dvd case, not the usual box, and no instruction booklet or manual which you always get with adobe software, so I was also concerned it might be a bootleg copy.

I also paid by visa debit card, and was worried that there was no way for me to get my money back, but I filed a visa dispute with my bank (ask to speak to the visa dispute team), and asked them about "visa chargeback", where the bank is able to literally charge back the money that someone has taken, once they have investigated it and found it to be fraudulent. So, ask them about this, although some staff may not have heard of it, so be persistent.
Keep records of everything, including proof of when you were told the goods should arrive, correspondence, etc. as they may want copies of this, and it will help with your case.

I eventually got my £320 back, but I received very little correspondence form my bank, and the money just turned up in my account one day! I am a business banking customer and we sometimes get treated better than regular personal account customers, so there's a chance may have simply given me the money out of their own pocket to keep me happy. But keep trying anyway, and ask them about "visa chargeback".

Oh, and never once did I receive a response to the numerous emails I sent to Bite Size Deals, so instead focus on talking to your bank and the ftc. I got my money back in the end, so keep your hopes up!

Good luck!

[nikkih]

Hi corsur & steffi7 - I have also signed up specifically because of this thread. I ordered software from bitesizedeals.co.uk too, and have not received anything yet. I have sent countless emails with only autoresponses back, so took your advice steffi & have just phoned my bank. They said send them everything to do with the case & 30 days after the transaction they will take some action. Again it is a business account, so I will keep my fingers crossed.

I will also register a complaint with the FTC and see if that provokes any response from BSD. Will keep checking back here to see how you are getting on, corsur, and I hope you get a result. Will let you know how I get on.