Really sad. In terms of this:- " The betting you could do would be to get information about other people who have experienced the same problems – especially recently and then you might have the basis for some kind of court case. You still haven't posted any links to other people with experiences. This makes me feel you are having difficulty discovering them. " Yep, I am stuck on how to reach out to people with similiar experiences. I will google around more intensively though.

Trading Standards is a pretty much useless institution. Everyone seem to think there is a general air of lousiness around the whole institution. I plan to write to my MP. Hopefully that shouldnt turn out to be another useless exercise as they all seem preoccuppied with Brexit. I couldnt find the link to the BBC Watchdog programme

I know but there is no harm trying. lol. If the two founders on this site didnt persist with their campaign we wouldnt have this wonderful site. You are right about it being difficult. Sadly I am not a big Facebook user, but I will register and join. It might have the audience figures suitable enough to generate enough interest. "It doesn't work in this country. " It is really sad. No wonder customer service in those countries seem to be much better than what we have here. UK laws are somewhat primitive in some areas

There seems to a wave of fraudulent activities concerning Argos in which members of the public buy high-value items, swap this with cheaper items, return these to Argos after which Argos resells these items without carrying out due checks to make sure what they are selling is what people paid for. ttps://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935 I am of the opinion that Argos is fully away of the fact that some of what it ships out might be returned items whose contents might not be what it should be. And I am also of the opinion that Argos, rather than spend money to improve their operations, choose the far easier option of denying ALL responsibilities whatsoever. Argos, in my opinion, prefers the option of saying "We don't know what you are talking about..." In essence, ordering anything online from Argos seems to be a lottery on whether you get what you ordered for. And should you fail to win that lottery, Argos is quite happy to claim that it is none of their business. Sad. This has been my personal expierence on 2 seperate occasion. Doing so research online, shows me that it is possible to bring a Collective Action case against this retailer. https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-618-0351?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&bhcp=1 Please respond if you support this, or if you have a similar story Thanks Existing thread for reference... https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/418529-ordered-online-£600-dyson-v12-got-£30-vacuum-argos-dont-even-sell-in-the-box-now-refusing-all-responsibilities/?tab=comments#comment-5014944

Yes. I realised just after I posted the complaint. The Home Retail Group is the evil entity here and one of its minions, Home Retail Group Card Services is the entity that offers Argos Cards; and the entity I have to deal with. Even the letters these folks send to me are all confusing, with different entities quoting each other's addresses, randomly it seems. My response letter came from a Home Retail Group Card Services staff with the attached response barring the Argos Financial Services branding and logo. I am wee bit confused and sorrowful and sadly, looking at a bill for £599 for a £40 item which I am not even in possession of; and which didn't even come with a manual or warranty! Thanks to Argos, Sainsbury, Argos Retail, Argos Online, Home Retail Group and Home Retail Group Card Services my Sunday has ruined and perhaps the week as well.

This is the extract of my formelylodged complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Sadly they have candidly informed me that they are seeing a high number of complaints at the moment. I shudder at the thought that a large majority of these complaints might be related to mine. It is mind-bungling, your complaint tell us about your complaint - what happened? I recently hired a carpet cleaner, from DSS, to wash the carpets at my home. I have attached the receipts for you to see. After washing my carpets, I tried to vacuum it, without realising that the carpets were still wet with water, consequently, my existing Vacuum Cleaner became in inoperative as it became defective from water damage. Hence my need for a new vacuum cleaner. I ordered a new Vacuum Cleaner from Argos, online, via the Argos Website, using my Argos Credit Card. This Credit Card is provided by the "Home Retail Group Card Services". This item was sent to my work address, as requested, as I work Monday to Friday, and I am also paid daily, as an IT consultant, with my current rate at £420 per day. Details of my paid invoices enclosed. Hence it is not feasible for me to stay home and receive packages as it is a great expense for me, in lost earnings. I have had no issues in the past receiving items at my workplace, as:- 1: I have received items from Argos previously at the same location. 2: The Post Room in my work location is secured by 3 layers of security. One needs to get past THREE DOORS that will a Swipe-Card only those with the right permissions can enter, and also the Post Room is constantly monitored by CCTV and by ever-present long-term employees. All in all, Argos didn't deliver the Vacuum Cleaner I ordered. I ordered a Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (Catalogue code 930/1061, price £599.99). Argos delivered to me a Russel Hobbs brand costing about £40. A brand that they don't even stock. I contacted Argos immediately I got home and opened the packaging and looked at what was inside after my partner has assembled it and used it briefly. She complained it was quite substandard for a £599 Vacuum Cleaner. This made me take a closer look at the brand. I checked and realised it was a Russel Hobbs model. I googled the brand and model and found out it was around £40 or less. I can't remember exactly now. I promptly contacted Argos and asked for a recollection and a refund. The packaging, when I removed the brown box it came with, looked like it had also been previously opened as there was not even a manual or warranty card inside. I contacted Argos immediately, cancelled the order and requested for a collection. The collection was arranged on the 19th Of September 2019 Argos duly collected the item back on the 19th Of September 2019. I then went into, my nearest Argos store, to buy a vacuum cleaner, in person, on the 24th of September. My fate in the online service of Argos was very low at this point. I wanted to inspect what I am buying. Lo and behold, even at the store, the Vacuum Cleaner I order seemed to have been opened before and used. I requested for another one with unopened packaging. I bought a Miele C3 Complete Bagged Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner (Catalogue code 717/3851, price £249.99) and 3 Miele GN Hyclean 3D Efficiency Dust Bags - Pack of 8 (Catalogue code: 739/4616, price £53.97). I am happy with my Miele purchase, as I have been happy with all my other Argos purchases. I am not happy though that Argos is refusing to admit any responsibility for not delivering what I had ordered, and I am also extremely unhappy that Home Retail Group Card Services is charging me £599.99 for this as Argos didn't deliver what I ordered. I have contacted Argos and Argos seems to think it is their word against mine. Argos is claiming they didn't do anything wrong and wouldn't refund my money back to me. Of a particularly distasteful nature, was the candid admission by an Argos representative, that “yes, a crime has taken place, and that it is Argos word against me". I am the Director of an IT Consultancy firm, earning well over £130K annually, and work in sensitive areas. Some of my clients do insist on carrying out background checks on all their staff and Service Provider like myself hence I am particular fastidious about that as you can imagine, to the extent that I am almost paranoid of having a negative Credit Rating. I am was educated at Kings College London, and I have had well-paying jobs right from the moment I left college. I have absolutely no criminal records of any kind, whatsoever, of any kind; and I am not particularly enthusiastic about jeopardising my business and good name, and perhaps freedom, for a £599.99 Vacuum Cleaner. I have bought several items from Argos in the past with absolutely no issues like this, as you can see from my enclosed transaction history with Argos. I have a Credit Rating 998 out of 999 from Experian, and also, more than enough unused credit on my Argos Card (which has a zero balance for several months) to buy the Vacuum Cleaner in question 4 times over. I have also calmly explained to Argos (with photographs) the fact that it is highly unlikely that Post Room Staff at my workplace, would conjure up the chance, and opportunity to swap, a Dyson V11 Vaccum Cleaner with a Russel Hobbs brand and model, in a CCTV monitored Post Room, in the presence of managers and other colleagues. It takes a long stretch of the imagination to believe that it was the Post Room staff that did this. The item was not even within their possession for more than the 15mins it took me to finish what I was doing and collect it from the Post Room and keep under my desk, which I didn't leave for the duration of the day. So it is either that I am how have you been affected - financially or otherwise? Yes I have been financially affected by a loss of £599.99 which I am being asked to pay for an online item I bought that was not delivered to me, rather a brand and model costing around £40 was delivered to me. According to the Home Retail Group Card Services, they are going to charge me £599.99 for an item which was not what I ordered; as the item that Argos delivered to me was not what I ordered. I am looking at £599.99 loss, at the very least. And more in Legal Costs should I need to pursue this in the courts. I am also looking at days lost pursuing this case. I have already taken a day off work to prepare my complaint to you, the Financial Ombudsman. I have spent several hours on harrowing telephone calls with Argos and Home Retail Group Card Services, being redirected pointlessly from one entity to the other, from one department to another, within the same entity; and sometimes within a different entity. I want to be compensated for not only the financial loss I have suffered but also for the trauma and distress Argos has inflicted on me. I have a credit rating of 998 out of 999 from Experian. Details enclosed. I am very fastidious on that as I believe it is a great asset for my business, in my line of work. You see I work I can charge rates between £400 to £550 per day, depending on the job details. My clients, sometimes do insist on doing checks on their suppliers, hence the fastidious approach to my credit ratings. Home Retail Group Card Services, for reasons, I cannot fully understand, has written to me that 1) I should pay for an item which did not want I ordered 2) I should pay for an item where there is a dispute over whether it is the word of Argos or mine that is more believable in terms of what was delivered to me despite the fact that they (Home Retail Group Card Services) must FULLY be aware of cases similar to mine where Argos have erred and delivered the wrong items to its customers. 3) That my Credit Rating would be affected if I don't start making payments towards. Am I truly mistaken in believing that this feels like daylight robbery? It is just plain unjust. And it would be like rubbing salt on an open wound. I have provided details of my financial status to you and would be happy to provide absolutely any other information or document you need to verify the authenticity of my words, I am happy to provide statements and even character witnesses. how would you like the business to put things right for you? Spending my hard-earned money to buy a Vacuum Cleaner should not be a lottery on whether I get what I ordered or not. Or for anyone for that matter. A lottery where instead of getting a £599.99 Vacuum Cleaner I now get a £40 Russell Hobbs model and brand. And accusations by Argos that I am lying. It shouldn't be a lottery for anyone. And it should definitely not been unpleasant. I genuinely believe, from the news article you will see if you google the words "three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935" that yes, it is could be possible Argos collects returned items without checking and then pass that on to their customers. Argos might not think it is prudent or cost-efficient to do exhaustive checks, or Argos, maybe, meant even assume that, if say 0.25% of their returns are dubious, that they are happy to live with those numbers. Argos has made spending my hard-earned money, with them, a lottery on whether I get what I purchased because they purposely refuse to improve the working practices and security. It is a multi-million Pound retail giant, yet it can't and doesn't want to spend some of its earnings improving its operation. Argos, as you can tell from me enclosed correspondence, is far happier telling me they have conducted a 30mins investigation by their Internal Fraud Department, and have concluded that they delivered the right item to me. The arrogance in that statement is overwhelming. Please judge for yourself, and ask me to provide any further information, you need, on whether I have a need to defraud Argos of £599.99. I have already spent a further £303.96 buying another Vacuum Cleaner from the same ARGOS. I HAVE NOT RETURNED IT WITH A £30 Russel Hobbs version. Judging from what you see if you google "three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935" it would seem this is a recurring issue Argos must fully be aware of. If Argos is callous enough to resell returned items without checking the validity of what it is selling, that indeed would be a serious breach of all we hold dear. I am not in a position to determine how Argos deals with returns, however, I am drafting a complaint to Trading Standards and Other Consumer groups as we speak, for them to look into this and bring Argos to accounts if they are indeed that callous. It really would be callous of Argos if that was their internal procedures. Equally, I think it is also callous for Argos, to disregard my transaction history with them, to disregard my position in life, to accuse me of fraud; just because, I, on the 18th of September 2019, Argos, decided to replace, my damaged Vacuum Cleaner, by purchasing it via Argos. Argos, despite knowing there is a strong likelihood that I am a real victim, has instead opted for the far easier option of saying "We are not at fault". In order words, it is me that is at fault. Because the lottery of purchasing an online item from Argos has gone against me this time. And according to Argos, I am now a criminal. I think that is unfair. And I think it deserves Argos being brought to account. If their operational and security polices were efficient, I wouldn't be a victim. Why should I be a victim just because I decided to shop with Argos? Why? Argos really needs to improve the way it handles returns. I should have opened the packaging immediately on delivery. Doing so would not have helped much though as I assume the delivery person might well have left most people by the time they have opened the packaging. All in all, I am a victim here and I want justice, a cancellation of the £599.99 bill on my Argos Credit Card; and also an apology from Argos. It is just horrible the way they have treated me. I know in my heart that I have bought a lot more from Argos than is showing on my online Argos Account. If I were to do a thorough search on payments to Argos on my debit cards, I am very sure I would have spent more than the £764.88 (£1,363.88 if you include the £599.99 in dispute) since Dec 2017 I referred to earlier. And I would still spend more in the future with the same retailer. Argos took a grand total of maybe 30 minutes to review my case and label my a criminal and let's not forget, saddle me with a £599.99 bill, for their failings. It is just unfair. They did just because they can. I have enclosed pictures of the secured Post Room I received this post from, I have enclosed details of my financial status, I have even enclosed details of PAST ORDERS WITH ARGOS THAT I AM VERY HAPPY WITH. Why would Argos suddenly label me a criminal and think I have a need to commit fraud on a £599.99 Vacuum Cleaner based on a few minutes rudimentary checks (assuming any checks at all were carried). All because I decided to order a Vacuum Cleaner online from Argos.

Hey Sorry for the late reply. Brilliant advice. Brilliant. My views are similar to yours. Thanks for clarifying them even further. I have done a brief search, and I have found one related link so far, and I have looked at listings on this site too, of people with issues with Argos, I have not found one that matches mine, sadly. I haven't looked extensively though; I will. I am doing as you advised, i.e making a formal complaint, keeping communication trails, collecting info, for the Financial Ombudsman to build up my case. I know, that legally, Argos would always claim what you have said they would. I do also believe that Argos knows that due to the lousy returns procedures, there is a good chance that they have erred, in this instance and I do believe too that others have suffered what I am going through now. I guess I just have to prove I have nothing to gain from committing a crime from the theft of a £600 vacuum cleaner bought on a £2K plus Argos card with a zero balance, for several months; brought on by a sudden urge and NEED to be a big-time criminal wheeling and dealing dodgy cleaners, as I have no criminal record; I am educated in one of the UK top universities; I have nothing to gain as I earn more than that on some lucky days, daily, sometimes; and I am a long-time loyal customer of Argos. The last bit makes me sad, really sad. Such is life. I think the UK legal system would shine as always. I believe in it. It is just an unfair inconvenience. And if the UK legal system were to fail me drastically, beyond all my worst expectations, and I were to pay Argo's Legal Fees, that would crush my spirit and core beliefs. It is a possibility though. I don't really understand why they have gone ahead to collect an item which they say they have no knowledge of. Argo is saying that as far as they are concerned, they sent me the right item which was supposed to have been a Dyson V12 cordless Vacuum Cleaner, and I have returned back a Russel Hobbs model costing around £40, I think. They came and collected the item though, as you did notice. I have also returned items to Argos before, items I didnt like, and they have always collected with scant checks, if any. Like I said, Argos must know that there are likely to fall victim to theft\fraud from people either doing this or Argos employees actually doing it. See the link below. https://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935 Hell, a lot of people must be falling victim to what I am going through. It is a gold mine for fraudsters. Argos, surely, must be aware of this. I believe though that maybe just less than 0.25% of their sales go this way, and that THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THAT. Why though, should buying a vacuum cleaner be a lottery for me, a lottery where I am likely to fail into someone who belongs to that 0.25% but is a real victim. PS: I bought another vacuum from Argos the next day. They didnt have the Dyson Model so I went, into a store, asked for a Miele model, a brand I know and equally trust, got the order. People, low and behold, the Miele came in a box that looked like it has been opened. So I promptly requested they take it back, and give me a box that has not been opened. It's a bit Harsh. But Argos has failed me. I am happy with the Miele I bought from Argos and I am happy with the other items I have bough from them before. I don't know why I will have a strong urge to be a master criminal now, committing Grand Theft Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. Ah. Such is life. I am in the process of drafting my case to the Financial Ombudsman. The way I feel now, I feel like working up to the nearest Police Station, to lodge a complaint for theft, with Argos being the perpetrator. Sad ironic looks on life aside, I want to make a formal complaint as well to Trading Standards and other Consumer-focused groups. Argos should be brought to accounts for this, especially if there are a lot more people like me than we think. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. PS: There is an EU portal for financial complaints, I don't know how good that is or would be in the future . Any advice welcomed on this too.

Oh dear. I knew it I google briefly and came up with this https://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935 I somehow believe that Argos is FULLY AWARE OF THIS and they are just using the weight to deny it to those that have fallen victims to this. Why in the world should Argos expect anyone buying sometihng from them to feel like it is a lottery? i.e Is the right item in the packaging Has the item being opened before and used? Has the item been damaged etc Good to hear you got the refund. What a horrible company. I promise myself I will never buy even a 50p pencil from argos till I die Because when they came to collect the item from me, no one, and I mean, no one bothered to check what was inside. Also I have had issues in the past where items I have bought from Argos had missing components and you can visually tell that the item has been opened previosuly and used. It is a common and well known them with Argos

Thanks for the advice. Googling brought up this about Section 75 reclaims:- " Section 75 covers "consequential losses", as well as the cost of what you bought. This covers any costs caused by the problem with your purchase. For example, if you bought tickets for an event that got cancelled, you may be able to claim back your travel and hotel costs from your credit card company2. Sounds like it does cover my really sad circumstances. Hi Ethel, Thank for your reply. Believe me, I have gone past the stage of believing in reality itself. I am speechless too. Like you said the sheer arrogance and ignorance beggers belief. Argos must be fully aware of this type of going ons. You see, Argos does not check the items it collects for returns, And I guess, to them, it makes sense if just 0.25% of their returns are either damaged or as in my case, swapped with cheaper alternatives. To them it must make a good marketing strategy. For the people unfortunate to recieve those damaged or swapped items, it is sheer hell. It should not be so. Argos, for the sake of these few suffering customers, should spend money either training their staff to check returns or spend money to put in practices that will prevent this from happening. Judging from the news article below, it doesnt seem to be a new thing to Argos https://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935 I purchased the item as an individual. My mentioning of the fact that I am a company director was just to illustrate to Argos (and to the courts eventually the way this is going) that I have zero needs and zero will to become a criminal just because of a Vacuum Cleaner. Yes, Argos did come and collect the item the next day. It is part of Argos operating polices not to check returned items at the point of collection. I guess they find it cheaper. Or failing that, they find it easier to deny any wrong doings. They are the big multi-million £££ institution anyway, out to trample innocent civilians

I placed an online order with Argos on the 18th Of September 2019. This was for a Dyson V11 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. The item I bought came in a box with a Dyson branded cardbaord packaging, however, the Vacuum Cleaner that was inside the box, was certainly not what I ordered, and it was certainly not even a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner. It was a Russel Hobbs Vacuum Cleaner costing less than £40. A Vacuum Cleaner brand which Argos does not even stock. The packaging, when I removed the brown box it came with, looked like it had been previously opened. There was not even a manual or warranty card inside. I contacted Argos immediately, cancelled the order and requested for a collection. The collection was arranged on the 19th Of September 2019 . Argos duly collected the item back on the 19th Of September 2019. I am at a loss for words trying to understand how this could have happened:- Could it be that Argos has been an earlier victim of fraud, which it had failed to detect? Someone previously might have bought this item, and swapped the Dyson model with a Russel Hobbs model costing considerably less. Equally, a logistics employee of Argos might also have swapped the Dyson model with a Russel Hobbs model, either at the Argos warehouse or whilst in transit. Judging from this new article below, this seems to be a recurring theme at Argos. I shudder with horror at the thought that Argos does not check the validaity of returned items before dispatching that to the next unfortunate customer. https://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/three-arrested-in-20-000-online-argos-fraud-probe-1-6424935 Argos is claiming they didnt do anything wrong and wouldnt refund my money back to me. I am at a loss for words; why I should be expected to pay for Argo's incompetence? I have suffered financial loss and a great deal of emotional distress because of this incompetence. Of a particularly distasteful nature, was the candid admission by the Argos representative, that “yes, a crime has taken place, and that it is Argos word against me", I am the Director of an IT Consultancy firm, earning well over £130K annually, and work in sensitive areas. My clients do insist on carrying out background checks on all their staff and service provides like myself. I have no criminal records whatsoever, and I am not particularly enthusiastic about jeopardising my business and good name, for a Vacuum Cleaner. I have bought several items from Argos in the past with absolutely no issues like this . I also have a Credit Rating 998 out of 999 from Experian, and also, more than enough unused credit on my Argos Card to buy the Vacuum Cleaner in question 4 times over. Please can anyone advise on: 1) The law 2) Ways of getting justice 3) Ways of getting my refund back Thanks