London Finesse

[sg31]

This is strange.

I bought an item from the above company recently for £44.95. It wasn't what I wanted so I emailed the company and asked where they wanted me to send it to. I got an email back asking for photo's and reason. I advised them that I was within the 14 day distance selling period and also withion the 60 day 'no questions asked' return guarantee period stated on their website.

I sent them photos and said it wasn't what I wanted. I got an email saying they would get the returns department to contact me, they didn't. I rang them, they said they'd get the returns department to contact me, they didn't, this happened twice more, the last time just now.

I said I would send the item back to the only address on their website, I was told it was an unserviced office that didn't accept parcels, they refused to give me the address as the person on the phone just answers the phone from home. Very fishy.

An internet search brings up Finesse London, now dissolved and a lot of other people with the same problem.

How should I proceed? I accept I won't get the money from them. I want to claim under my credit card but I still have the goods.

[gryffron]

Contact the Credit Card company and see what they suggest. I would hold onto the goods in the meantime. You have clearly "started" the returns process within the requisite time.

Gryff

[vrdiver]

Might be worth contacting Citizens Advice as well.

"Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone. You can also use an online form. "

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/changing-your-mind-about-something-youve-bought/

VRD

[flint]

I had a similar experience about 2 years ago.
My credit card provider refunded me the full amount immediately,
I think i had to complete a form.
I still have the goods, I was advised to keep the goods and not to use
them for a short time in case the seller contacted me to recover them.

HTH

Flint

[mc2fool]

An internet search brings up Finesse London, now dissolved...

Are you sure that's them? I find two Finesse London Ltds, one dissolved in 2017 and another dissolved in 2020.

There is also a Finesse London 018 Ltd and a Finesse London Clothing Ltd.

None of those have addresses that match that on http://londonfinesse.co.uk ... and of course they say on that website that they are "London Finesse LTD" but there is no company registered at Companies House with that name. I don't suppose they provided a company number on their invoice ... ?

In any case, yes, do claim from your card company ... I wouldn't mention suspicions of them being dissolved, but I would reference the Trustpilot Reviews for them...

[sg31]

Thank to all of you. It's much appreciated.I will contact the credit card company.

No company number appears on the invoice. Apparently they appear on credit card statements as London Gizmos. I've not checked mine yet.

[Clitheroekid]

There are hundreds of scam websites like this. The law requires any business to give certain information on its website, including the identity of the owner, but it's a rule that's effectively ignored without sanction.

As has been said, there is no such company as London Finesse Ltd (at least not in the UK) and it's therefore impossible to know the identity of the trader. Looking at the T's and C's is no help, as they name the contracting party as `London Finesse', which is simply a trading name.

It makes me sick that major credit card issuers like Visa and Mastercard are quite happy to finance these crooks. Although they will probably have to issue section 75 refunds to those customers sophisticated enough to know about them I suspect the vast majority of customers for sites like this are uneducated - certainly if the Trustpilot reviews are anything to go by - and unaware of their legal rights. The credit card issuers presumably take the view that the profit they make from financing scams outweighs the cost of the occasional refund - capitalism at its most cynical and disgusting.

Some time ago I noticed that Visa and Mastercard were facilitating the sale of forged identity documents, and I actually took the time to contact them about it. Visa never replied, and the woman from Mastercard who did reply refused to answer any questions or offer any justification.

The issuers should be prohibited by law from offering their facilities to any trader that is not fully compliant with the law, and they should face very heavy fines for any transgression. It's only by starving scammers of access to funds that they can be wiped out, but as long as the issuers enable them to fleece people they'll carry on doing so.