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Here are the details of my current dispute with Miele and their debt collector, DCBL.
Dispute Timeline
7 Feb: Paid Miele £279 (using Amex) for Fixed Price Repair package
20 Feb: Miele technician came to repair my fridge/ freezer. Because technician spent 1 hour, I was entitled to a refund of £109.
20 & 22 Feb: Rang Miele's customer service number. I was informed refund would be processed in a few weeks.
22 Feb: Concerned refund would take longer than a few weeks I requested credit card chargeback (of £279) which was processed immediately. Amex customer service rep informed me that once I have received £109 credit from Miele, £279 chargeback would then be reversed, after which point Miele would be ‘paid’ for services rendered.
20 Feb - 4 June: I rang Miele a total of 10 times, spoke to 10 different customer service reps and spent over 3 hrs on the phone/ hold enquiring about my refund but no one seemed to know how to manage my request. Responses ranged from: my request has been noted in the system, my refund would take a few more weeks, someone will call me back.
6 June: Miele emails outstanding invoice of £170.
June-July: I corresponded with Miele’s Customer Service Dept requesting a discount on the outstanding invoice (as a gesture of goodwill) to which the response was ‘no’.
14 Aug: I received a final demand/ notice of default from Miele in the amount of £170.
30 Sept: I received a debt recovery notice form DCBL on behalf of Miele in the amount of £260 (£90 more than the original amount) stating that ’should you fail to contact us, we will recommend to our client the commencement of legal action against you’.
10 Nov: Subject Access Request made to Miele.
11 Nov: Waiting for response from DCBL regarding when I can expect to receive the Letter Before Action
Issue
For almost four months I tried to follow the ‘correct’ procedure as explained to me by my credit card provider: contact Miele for my £109 refund after which point Amex would then reverse the £279 chargeback on my credit card and Miele would receive payment for services rendered. When I received the final invoice on 6 June from Miele I was so frustrated by how much time I had spent chasing Miele for my refund that I felt entitled to a discount on the outstanding debt of £170, to which Miele said ’no’. The original amount of £170 I owed Miele has now increased to £260. I am embroiled in this dispute with DCBL, to make a 'point' - the point being, Miele should listen to and treat their customers better.
Red Herring
It is true that I received a chargeback of £279 two days after the repair visit, however, had I not requested this chargeback I would have had to wait until 6 June (16 weeks after my initial call to Miele requesting the refund) to receive a satisfactory response from Miele regarding my situation. In hindsight, I wonder whether I should have asked Miele to send me an invoice of £170 rather than request the refund of £109 as a means of rectifying my credit/ debit imbalance situation.
Relevant Industry Information
1. Since Miele do not belong to an alternative dispute resolution scheme my only means of ’negotiating’ with them is through a court appointed mediator, should Miele decide to take court action against me.
2. Based on my www research, Domex (one of Miele’s preferred appliance repair partners), not only responds immediately to a customer’s queries and complaints but also demonstrates acts of goodwill by offering their dissatisfied customers discounts on repair service fees (where warranted).
Final Words
Had Miele processed my refund in the time period that they had said they would, I would not be embroiled in this dispute and more importantly, Miele would have had a satisfied customer who would have purchased more Miele products in the future. I am undecided as to whether I should pursue my case in court knowing that the judge may not rule in my favour, which would then mean my original debt would increase exponentially after Miele’s legal fees are taken into account. LegalBeagle, any advice or insights you have in terms of my fight against ‘Goliath’ will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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