Dell Trade to Save

Got a reply and they still insist that VGA cable is missing. However, as a 'goodwill gesture' they will pay me the full valuation 'for my satisfaction'.

Well, to be honest, this is not a goodwill gesture as I fulfill my part of the deal but cable went 'missing'. I am happy that they are giving me a full valuation in the end, but it shouldn't have come down to this in the first place!!!

After sending the photo evidence showing the included cable I got a reply offering to only reduce the Offer by £5 for the missing VGA cable that clearly wasnt missing. My Packaging was witnessed by 2 people, photographed at every stage. Box well and truly taped up all over! wrapped in layers and layers of plastic film so it couldnt be tampered with.
As stated above it can only be fraud or theft of the cables by the courier.
In my case I cant belive that a royal mail courier would have taken the time to strip of layers and layers of stretch film, remove absoloutely loads of tape all the packaging inside the box to remove a crappy VGA cable (that cost just over £1 NEW on a famous auction site including postage) and re-seal it all,somehow salvage the label/bar code which was on the outside of the wrap but taped over completely with a full layer or clear cellotape, or print an identical one. can you???
Im going to report it to Action fraud tomorrow if i get a chance and to the local police.
I suggest anyone in the same position does the same as this is clearly not an isolated incident! Have witnesses when you package it up, take pictures seal the package if possible with shrink wrap or similar that cant be re-used, pay for special delivery. Hopefully then they wont reduce the amount you get by too much for the cables that are not missing.

Maenie

£20! I should be getting £75 including the £10 postage!

They must be fans of monster cables then, seriously I would question how they can place a value of £20 on something you could get from a poundshop (as that is no doubt what people will send)

Well, i gave them a phone and apparently it had already been escalated to a manager who had authorised payment of the full cashback amount.

Hopefully payment goes through ok so i don't have to chase them any further.

Don't think i'll bother getting a second monitor for my parents through the deal though, that was far too much hassle.

I have traded two monitors now- the way I ensured the cable never "went missing" was to plug them into the back of the monitor and wrap them around the base of the monitor stand, then tape them to the monitor.

Then take a photo! No arguments can be made after that.

I'm wondering if they have discarded or missed the cable when unpacking the screen. I was determined to pack it securely, so I used extra bits of packing to ensure it wouldn't rattle around the box.

£10 for a VGA cable? They sure know how to extract urine.

Took 5 months to get my payment - it was really hard work.
Good luck!!

I'm buying a new computer. I'm down to two options, one from Dell and another from Amazon. The trade in money almost made me choose Dell, but I think I might wait to see how this pans out....

KrispiiDuck

Took 5 months to get my payment - it was really hard work.Good luck!!

Why did it take so long? What did you trade in?

realblender

because they have to test the monitors and missing cables slow down the … because they have to test the monitors and missing cables slow down the process. It is also about the use being able to supply their current working monitor and not something that was found in the trash or no longer in use. What you need to ask how can they place any value on a CRT monitor which is essentially worthless. So probably better to just play their game and not ask too many questions!.Read lessRead more

It wasn't a CRT monitor that I sent back. It was an old 15" TFT monitor.

They have done the same to me, claiming the VGA and power cable were missing and offering £45 instead of the £80.

Did you get anywhere contacting them?

I'm not happy at all, i made sure everything was in the box and well packed.

BargainHunter_

Why did it take so long? What did you trade in?

An old Dell CRT. I spent about 4 months contacting them and it wasn't showing on their system.
I sent proof of sending & delivery around 4 times in total before I got paid, quite literally last week.
The monitor was collected from me on 17th July !!

ETA: I suppose that is 4 months in total it just felt longer!!

(edited)

Brasseye

They have done the same to me, claiming the VGA and power cable were … They have done the same to me, claiming the VGA and power cable were missing and offering £45 instead of the £80.Did you get anywhere contacting them? I'm not happy at all, i made sure everything was in the box and well packed.Read lessRead more

I didn't get a chance to call them today, but I'll be ringing them this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

Just checked my emails and saw this, received today at 13:58:

I can understand your concern. However, the decision of DataServ is final concerning the missing VGA cable and we base the valuation of the product solely on their report.

Please let us know if you accept the new valuation so that we can process your claim.

Kind Regards,

Anne

Dell Trade to Save Promotional Support

No sure what step to take next... If I refuse, and ask for the monitor back, I get charged £20 to reclaim it (that's on top of the £12 or so it already cost me to send it to them).
(edited)

I got the exact same reply when i suggested they recheck the packaging and box i sent it in.

I've sent them another email asking them to clarify what would happen if i asked for it to be returned, including asking if they would reuse my packaging and therefore return the cables i know i sent!

I also requested contact information for the trade to save and dataserv complaints departments, not very happy at potentially losing £35 because some numpty can't look through a box properly.

same situation here. Packed everything in and was told there was no power supply and VGA cables. Hence instead of £80, they are offering £45.

Dell:After reviewing the assessment report of your old computer it appears that some details do not match your initial description:
The product is not working.
As such we have re-valued your old computer at £45.00 (including £10 postage).
Please reply to this email indicating whether you accept this new valuation so we can process your claim. If we do not receive correspondence from you within 14 days your revaluation will automatically be accepted and your claim will be processed for payment.
Please keep this email for future reference.

Me: Please could you tell me what exactly is the problem with the monitor (rather than computer as stated in your email). The monitor was used as my main monitor and was in full working condition up till the day I packed it to be sent, unless it was damaged during delivery (which will then be a problem with Royal Mail).

Dell: The monitor is not powering on. You also did not include the power supply of the monitor.
Therefore, we can only offer you £45 (including postage costs).

Me: The power supply was definitely included in the packaging. Do you still have the packaging available? Or is the packaging open when you receive it? The power supply was packed with the vga cable, was that available?

Dell: The report says that the VGA cable was missing as well.

Me: Would they by any chance have the packaging available still? I find it hard to believe that if the packaging was okay on delivery that all the cables packed in it has disappeared. As if the packaging was open on delivery, they should have informed me the sender to take this up with the courier service?

Awaiting reply from Dell now......

Dell replied.... We had an update from DataServ confirming they don’t have the VGA Cable.
I understand your frustration and disappointment on this report.
As per our terms and conditions, we can deduct up to 50% of the trade in value if the Trade in equipment is found to be not in line with customer’s description.
However as a gesture of good will we offer to deduct only £20 and offer you £50 + £10 for postage cost so £60 for the total trade in.

I am not sure what to do.... take up the offer or continue arguing with them?

UPDATE: Their T&Cs state

14. Following receipt of a claim, the customer will receive notice of the validation of their claim (or otherwise in accordance with condition 16 below) promptly and within 21 days of receipt of the elements set out in condition 6.

I sent my monitor by special delivery. According to the post office track & trace, they had my monitor 31 days before I was contacted. They haven't followed their T&Cs, so I will assume they have lost the cable in the extra 10 days it took to handle my claim.
(edited)

I replied again telling them I can't believe the cable went missing and if that's the case, the packaging should be damaged or opened on delivery. They now replied to say they will ask dataserv to reply to my queries. Not sure what will happen from this....

Exactly the same for me, a claim that dataserv confirmed no cables included and an offer of £60 instead of the £80 i should get since the monitor worked fine and all cables were included.

Going to reply again enquiring about complaints etc. since i know perfectly well everything was in the box.

Same Here. Got email yesterday telling me the VGA cable was missing. I know for a fact I included it. Had an email to-and-fro yesterday afternoon. The last one telling me that I was free to call them but the decision was final!. I was expecting £70 - Got offered £50. Total scam!

I have asked for Complaints Dept contact but I think I will contact Dell Head office direct as I understand that this lot -DataServ- are recyclers under contract to Dell.

Dell UK should be made aware what's been going on in their name!

Got this from them today after my request for details of the complaints department:

"DataServ is a third company from ourselves and we don not have such details
to provide unfortunately.

However, you can have all the details on the following website:
http://www.dataservuk.com/dsuk/"

Sent an email off to them, but i'm guessing dealing with Dell directly will be more productive so i've asked for their complaints details again as well since they never bothered to provide them the first time i asked.

I was told that the delay in processing my claim was due to DataServ, Dell said they contacted me as soon as they received the report.

I emailed to say that by taking over 21 days to contact me, they hadn't followed their T&Cs. They replied to say they'd already explained the delay and closed the email by saying:
This email closes the conversation. If you need to discuss this further, feel free to call us but regarding emails we have answered all your questions. You can call us on: 0843 308 3774.

I thought they might ignore any future emails, so I called them and asked to speak to a manager. I was on the phone for almost 20 mins. I repeated several times that their T&Cs stated 21 days and it had taken 31 to contact me. She continually blamed DataServ for the delay, but I said that any delays caused by third party companies weren't my concern, and if claims can take longer when there are high volumes of returns, then the T&Cs should state this.

I was put on hold, I think she was reading the T&Cs herself. When she came back, she offered an extra £10 as a gesture of goodwill. This would have meant I received £65 of the £75 I am meant to receive.

I declined this and said if I wasn't going to receive the full valuation, I wanted the monitor returned to me, along with the power cable and VGA cable I had sent and the £12 it cost me to send to them. She said if I wanted the monitor, I'd have to pay £8 to have it sent back, as outlined in the T&Cs. To this I replied "Oh, so we're following the T&Cs now then?".

Neither of us would back down, she said my final offer was £65 and if I wanted the monitor back it would cost me £8. I asked to escalate my complaint to someone more senior or speak to someone in their legal dept. I was told she was the most senior person and I'd have to put my complaint in writing and send it to a PO Box number. This infuriated me, as they'd earlier said to stop emailing them and call them!

She couldn't give me any indication about how long it would take to get a reply if I wrote a letter. I asked if it would take months and she said no, but wouldn't give any time frame. Eventually she agreed to forward my email correspondence to the complaints dept. I told her I'd send another email for her to include (see next post).

About an hour after sending this I had a phone call to say I'd be given the full amount of cashback. I'm not sure if it was the fact they'd taken longer than stated in their T&Cs, or the links to this thread or just persistence that made them change their mind.

I'll be forwarding my experience to Dell, and will NEVER shop with them again.

This was the final email I sent to the complaints dept. This was sent with the 10-12 email conversation I'd already had with them:

Following on from the conversation we just had, please include the following information in the complaint you are forwarding to your complaints department. As previously requested, please copy me on the complaint you are forwarding. (She didn't copy me in, and had said on the phone it wasn't possible because she was forwarding the message through an internal email system)

I have sent a monitor with power cable and VGA cable for cashback to Dell Trade to Save. Following the terms and conditions I signed when I sent the monitor, I included everything as requested. I sent the monitor to the address you provided and it was received on 25/10. I have the post office proof of postage, including tracking number and a copy of the signature of the person who signed for the monitor when it was received.

The first contact I received from Dell Trade to Save was on 25/11, 31 days after you had received the monitor. The email I received stated that the VGA cable was not received. I know the cable was definitely in the parcel I sent. Your T&Cs state:
Following receipt of a claim, the customer will receive notice of the validation of their claim (or otherwise in accordance with condition 16 below) promptly and within 21 days of receipt of the elements set out in condition 6.
It took 31 days for you to contact me after you received the monitor. I have been told that this delay was caused by DataServ and is out of your control, however your T&Cs explicitly state that I will be contacted “promptly and within 21 days of receipt”. I should not be concerned with any delays caused by third party companies which you are working with. I believe I have been reasonable, I have even offered to send an additional cable to replace the one you have lost, however I will not accept anything less than the full valuation of the monitor.

In the last three days there are at least six other people who have reported the same problem Dell Trade to Save with cables they have sent being lost by DataServ, so perhaps there is a bigger issue that needs investigating:
hotukdeals.com/mis…545
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho…453

Thanks for the info, i'll see where i get with them tomorrow. After you mentioned it, i checked and am also in the situation where they were over the 21 days anyway.
(edited)

Ahh well, at least there was a happy ending

(I forgot to trade an old monitor in when I bought my Dell IPS months ago).

I've been reading the posts here on HotUKDeals as well as in a thread on MoneySavingExpert here: forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho…603

My decision has been made for me really. I was considering a computer from Dell as when the cashback was factored in, it meant I was getting a great deal. As it seems I can't rely on getting the cashback, I've just purchased my new machine from Amazon

Exactly the same for me seems like a scam!
Take Photos or video all stages of packaging as it is obviously more than a coincidence to happen to so many people.
I took pictures of the monitor i returned, working and at all stages of packaging, a VGA cable is clearly shown inside the packaging. I have forwarded the pictures to them and rejected their offer and still await their response. Cheeky Gits!!

I just sat down to write my complaint email to Dell UK when I received an email from them (Dell Trade to Save) telling me that as a gesture of good will they are prepared to pay the full £70!

Talk about psychic!!

Maybe they read through this thread and is worried that some legal action might be coming towards them? It might be the users fault if its one case, if its so many people, clearly some fraud is going on.

Hadn't seen this thread before, maybe it would be a good idea from now on that people took a photo of their package as they're sealing it (or a video) clearly showing the cables and probably their name/address etc so that you can prove it was all sent intact. Unless they want to suggest you're doing it so that you save yourself £2 on replacing the cables!!!