ASDA - policy on DVDs, video games etc

[my-spirit-soars-free]

I went in to ASDA to buy a Wii game. There were loads on the shelf, so I grabbed one, put it in my trolley with the shopping, and at the checkout the operator rang for someone to go and get the item. So far so good.

 

Only thing is, the item was out of stock, but rather than come back to the till, and take it off the bill, they decided to wait for me at customer services. That meant that I paid for the item on my credit card, then had to apply for a refund.

 

I emailed the customer services department about the whole process of expecting me to pay for something they don't have, then queue up to be told they don't have it, then apply for a refund - and was told that yes, this is official ASDA policy, the managers are free to leave items that they don't have on the shelves.

 

Apart from the fact that it is nice to know that my time is of no value to this company, it leaves me rather annoyed about the fact that my credit card has £30 on it that I have not spent. Yes, there is a refund going through, but the balance owing is still higher than it should be. That could potentially mean that I cannot buy the item elsewhere for fear of going over my credit limit.

 

 

Can ASDA do this? The whole system of taking the cost off my credit card, then expecting me to apply for a refund, seems totally wrong to me.

[Naxxas]

they CAN yes.

 

wether you let them or not is up to you! you can refuse to pay for it at the till and the till does have the capability to remove individual items, theyre being awkward although aslong as you get your refund no harm done really, but i would pester them for some free vouchers!

 

ive been to ASDA on many occaisions, buying games only to find their out of stock, ive never been asked to pay upfront and refund later..how can they refund me for an item i never had!?

 

silly ASDA.

[Surfer01]

The amount should not have been rung through the till until the article was produced and then scanned in. In essence they have committed fraud although it will never stand up in court and is not worth pursuing. I would not have moved from the till and insisted on the immediate cancellation of the sale. ASDA seems to be getting a lot of flak recently regarding their policies etc. In the meantime you are being charged interest on that £30 so they have deprived you financially.