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BRIDE'S ALL PRESENT AND CORRECT

ON THE DOT: We got Julia her gifts in time

Monday March 15,2010

By Maisha Frost

A BRIDE-TO-BE heard bells ringing, but they were alarm ones after some special presents she had ordered, failed to turn up.

Manager Julia White, 27, who gets married in a couple of weeks’ time, spent £70 on gifts from the website of upmarket homeware store Cath Kidston. These were intended as thank-yous for three of Julia’s friends who had organised her hen party in February.

Busy Julia, from north London, a big fan and regular customer of the chic label, knew timings were slightly tight, but achieveable according to the delivery terms.

She explained: “I hadn’t time to get to the actual shop, and the Cath Kidston website is brilliant with lots more choice, that’s why I decided on that. I paid £4.95 for standard delivery and the conditions said it endeavoured to deliver within five days.

“That suited me. I ordered on a Sunday, the party was the following Saturday. But I knew if I did not have them on the party day, that was still ok. I could give them during the week after, but after that one of my friends going abroad, but I thought that was sufficient leeway.

“It was important to me as well to give Cath Kidston products, they make people feel pampered I chose matching toilet and make up bags that suited my friends’ different styles - floral, polka-dot, bright colours.”

But eight working days later the presents still hadn’t appeared. She called but was told that although the order had been despatched no inquiry into its whereabouts could begin until two weeks had elapsed. If time were the essence she should have paid extra for a more expensive, guaranteed next-day service.

“I feel let down, I don’t consider my expectations have been unreasonable, but now the point of my gifts is getting rather lost,” Julia told Crusader.

Unless goods are specifically guaranteed, all traders cover themselves with key words like ‘endeavour’, ‘estimated’, ‘anticipated’ and ‘approximate’. “But where a date is not agreed, legally all goods must be delivered within a reasonable time, their value and the cost charged for delivery are irrelevant”, says Peter McCarthy, Which? senior lawyer. If customers want different terms they have to spell those out before they buy.

Under distance selling regulations, which cover online and mail order, buyers have extended cancellation and refund rights. They can pull out any time from placing an order to when it arrives (although if it is in the post they may be liable for those costs), and up to seven working days after receipt. But most customers are like Julia, they want just one thing - the products they picked in the first place.

And Crusader got an immediate response when it raised Julia’s problem with Cath Kidston and her presents were delivered to her the next day. “Thank you for bring this to our attention,” said a spokesman. “I so want everything to be perfect with my wedding,” said Julia. “My friends love the presents and I’m very relieved.”

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