TONY HETHERINGTON: John Lewis binned my carpet – but refuses to give me a refund

Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday’s ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. 

Mrs J.O. writes: In March 2022 we placed an order with John Lewis to supply and fit carpeting for two rooms, hall, stairs and landing, for which we paid £8,480. 

We agreed with John Lewis that because one room was not ready, it would do most of the job that year and store the rest of the carpet, which was all from the same batch, until a later date. 

Because of unforeseen problems we were not ready for the second fitting until earlier this year, but now John Lewis has told us it has ‘disposed of’ our carpet.

Tony Hetherington replies: John Lewis gave you no warning that it was planning to dispose of your carpet, and when you complained you were told there would be no refund or payment.

You have no idea whether your carpet was resold, given away or thrown out.

The closest this retail giant came to an explanation was when one of its customer advisers blamed the long gap between your original purchase and fitting, and your request to finish the job.

When you questioned this explanation, a more senior figure told you the cost of storage could have been significant. You offered to allow John Lewis to deduct that cost from any refund, but it became clear that even they had no idea how long your carpet had been held or when it was dumped.

I asked John Lewis to comment on all this. In particular, I reminded it that its own terms and conditions said that if you had not made contact with the store within three months of a failed appointment to fit the carpet, then this would give John Lewis the right to cancel the deal and give you a refund after deducting any costs.

But this would apply only after a failed appointment – so when was this failed appointment, I asked? If there was an agreement in 2022 to postpone the second fitting, when was an appointment made to go ahead with it?

And even if there was a failed appointment, the terms and conditions say that John Lewis reserves the right to cancel the deal – which is not the same as saying that cancellation is automatic.

If John Lewis felt entitled to cancel the deal, then when did it tell you this?

John Lewis replied that as you had not booked a second fitting of the carpet, it regarded this as technically a failed appointment! But it also admitted that it had never contacted you.

It then promised what it described as a ‘goodwill payment’.

You agreed that the lost carpet and the fitting costs, which you had paid in advance, were together worth £1,824. John Lewis offered to refund half of this, telling you that the long delay in making a second fitting appointment was unreasonable. ‘We consider a timeframe of over three months as justifiable for disposing of any goods,’ it said.

You rightly rejected the offer. John Lewis had not even stuck to its own terms and conditions, but was holding you responsible for half the financial consequences.

I am pleased to say you have now accepted £1,448, which allows John Lewis to keep the balance of more than £300 to cover its storage costs.

John Lewis told me: ‘We take pride in our customer service and have countless happy customers, so we are really sorry to hear of Mr & Mrs O’s case.’

But they had heard of this from you, before you contacted me, so it is a shame that it took an intervention from The Mail on Sunday to remind it what customer service should look like.

Big claims… big debts 

A will-writing firm run by an unauthorised financial adviser has been forced to take down false claims on its website.

Elite Wills & Estate Planning, in Worthing, West Sussex, offered funeral plans but did not have Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) approval, and also claimed to be a member of the Master Guild of Will Writers and follow its strict code of practice.

In fact, the organisation had ceased to exist some time ago and never had regulatory powers.

Elite’s boss Ian Hill blamed his website operator for failing to delete both claims.

In February I reported how Elite’s sister company Thurlow Wealth Ltd – also run by Ian Hill – had failed to repay an elderly investor £25,000 that was due in 2023, and its accounts showed it owes around £1.6 million. 

But according to Hill, his investors are high net worth individuals who can afford the losses, so he does not need FCA authorisation to offer them high-risk schemes. He also claims his investors’ money has been passed on to market traders who are backed by one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. The arrangement is secret, he says.

The investor’s family have now reported this to the police.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.