Yahoo Finance Customers left ‘frustrated’ by order confusion as Made.com faces administration
Customers awaiting orders worth hundreds of pounds from Made.com have been left frustrated after the online furniture firm revealed it failed to secure a rescue deal and is set to appoint administrators.
Anthony Brown, 45, who is a civil servant from Hull, East Yorkshire, has been left “frustrated” by the lack of communication regarding his order.
Mr Brown had spent £458 on an armchair and foot stool in June and was told it would take three months to be made and delivered.
After being told his delivery was delayed but would arrive in October, he is still yet to receive it.
Mr Brown told the PA news agency: “We heard first on the news about the company being on the brink of going into administration and last Wednesday I received a message from the delivery company that simply said my delivery had been cancelled.
“I was told to contact Made.com but they have updated their website and it is quite difficult to get in touch with them.
“I have tried but all I get is automated messages.
“My order is confusing because it has apparently been fulfilled and sent to the delivery company but I suspect they won’t deliver it because they are worried they won’t get paid.”
Up to 700 jobs are at risk and the company said its operating arm, Made.com Design Ltd (MDL), has filed a notice to appoint administrators, with PricewaterhouseCoopers lined up.
Mr Brown said: “Obviously I really feel for staff there because they must be wondering if they are even going to get paid for last month.
“And I’m just frustrated because we were prepared to wait three months for the chair and we’ve already had to wait an extra month but now we don’t even know if we are ever going to get it or our money back.”
Made.com has 10 days before administrators are formally appointed and is said to be looking at last-minute options to avoid collapse.
Abu Haneefa, 33, from London, said he had contacted customer services about an order just days before the revelations and was told the company would no longer be issuing refunds.
Mr Haneefa had bought three items in September at a cost of £77 and contacted Made.com shortly after to return the most expensive item, which cost £57.
He said he was first told the item would be canceled from the order but later told this was not possible and he would instead need to return it after delivery.
The item was successfully returned but Mr Haneefa said he has since been told he will not receive any money.
Mr Haneefa told PA: “I was waiting for the refund so decided to send them an email to get an update.
“To my surprise they sent me a response saying they are currently no longer doing refunds.
“I have since replied to their email but have received no response.”
Mr Haneefa said the lack of clarity has left him “frustrated” and he is concerned that Tuesday’s announcement will mean he has lost money.
“To be honest it’s been a really tough year, bills have increased so much over the last couple of months,” he said.
“This £57 will probably cover a large portion of my electricity bill.
“If they decided to even return the paid goods back to me I could’ve sold them online to recover some or all of the money I paid but they won’t even do that.”
PA has contacted Made.com for comment about the customers’ complaints but had not received a response at the time of publication.
