Unnapproved charges to my laser card by <SNIP>

aisling1974

Hi All

If looking for cakes stay away from <SNIP> in Dun Laoighre. Ordered a cake and website stated €20 deposit. I gave them my card details for the deposit and this was charged to my card. However two weeks later two more charges one for €40 and one for €100 were charded by them to my card. They claim these are additional unrefundable deposit charges. There is no mention of them on the website and when I asked them to show me where these were outlined, they couldn't. I have complained to both the consumers rights and data protection commissioner but just wanted to warn people to stay away from them and under no circumstances give them your card details. The arrogance of them when I contacted them about this was appalling and its a case of these are our charges so tough that you weren't aware of them. No apology or anything!!!

MarkR

That's shocking carry on. Have you contacted your bank to dispute the charges?

aisling1974

Yes, but bank says as I gave them the card details initially then its between me and them. Small claims court is the only way

irishguy

aisling1974 wrote: »

Hi All

If looking for cakes stay away from The cake box in Dun Laoighre. Ordered a cake and website stated €20 deposit. I gave them my card details for the deposit and this was charged to my card. However two weeks later two more charges one for €40 and one for €100 were charded by them to my card. They claim these are additional unrefundable deposit charges. There is no mention of them on the website and when I asked them to show me where these were outlined, they couldn't. I have complained to both the consumers rights and data protection commissioner but just wanted to warn people to stay away from them and under no circumstances give them your card details. The arrogance of them when I contacted them about this was appalling and its a case of these are our charges so tough that you weren't aware of them. No apology or anything!!!

Contact your bank and tell them they were un approved transactions and you did not give the retailer permission to charge for this. Then ask for the transaction to be reversed. Simples

diceyreilly

irishguy wrote: »

Contact your bank and tell them they were un approved transactions and you did not give the retailer permission to charge for this. Then ask for the transaction to be reversed. Simples

This.

The bank HAVE to refund your money and they chase the cake shop up then.

aisling1974

@irishguy, done all that but as I gave them the card details in the first place they weren't stolen or anything so the bank won't intervene. They advised me to make complaint to data commissioner as the shop used these details for a purpose other then the one I approved. Have also complained to the consumer association.

diceyreilly

aisling1974 wrote: »

@irishguy, done all that but as I gave them the card details in the first place they weren't stolen or anything so the bank won't intervene. They advised me to make complaint to data commissioner as the shop used these details for a purpose other then the one I approved. Have also complained to the consumer association.

Ring them and tell them you know your rights. It's was not an authorised transaction weather you supplied your details or not. You are entitled to a refund from your bank by law.

irishguy

aisling1974 wrote: »

@irishguy, done all that but as I gave them the card details in the first place they weren't stolen or anything so the bank won't intervene. They advised me to make complaint to data commissioner as the shop used these details for a purpose other then the one I approved. Have also complained to the consumer association.

Thats crap. You gave them your card details to take a specific amount off they took more. So you did not authorise the transactions. Send a letter to the bank explaining the situation and that they refused to reverse the unauthorised transaction, tell them you will be making a complaint To the financial regulator if they do not rectify the problem within 14 days.
You could also send a letter to the cake shop asking for an explanation for what has happened as the bank are investigating the issue and require extra details.

SerialComplaint

What details did you give the shop?

aisling1974

SerialComplaint wrote: »

What details did you give the shop?

Gave them the laser number, exp date by phone when I paid the initial €20 deposit. That was the deposit quoted on the website for Birthday cakes. Apparently they wrote the info down and applied two more charges two weeks later without my knowledge or consent. The shop manager is extremely arrogant and claims these are charges for an additional deposit and late fee as the stand was returned late. There was absolutly no mention of these charges either on the website or when I phoned to order or when I collected the cake!!! The first I knew of these were when they were applied to my card and then it was too late to stop them. Have read reviews of them on other review sites and the other reviews are extremely poor.<SNIP - hearsay removed - stick to your own story>
The only reason I ordered with these was other sites quoted a €30 stand deposit. This place quoted a €20 deposit but apparently the actual deposit is €140.

SerialComplaint

From <SNIP>

What is our Payment Policy?
A €100 Deposit is required on all wedding cake bookings .A minimum deposit of €20.00 is required on all other occasation cakes (birthday’s ,anniversary or cup cakes) the remainder is due at least 7 days before your wedding. We accept all major credit cards or laser we do not accept cheques later that 10 working days before collection or delivery. Your order for your Wedding cake is not confirmed until we have received your signed booking form, Booking Deposits are non – refundable /non-Transferable.

Cake stands display Stands
Stands are loaned free on a Full cash value Deposit basis.

Stands are due back to <SNIP> 2 days after your event. Stands not returned at the agreed time will incur a daily hire free for each extra day out.

Stands not returned within 7 days after the event will be deemed sold and a replacement will be purchased with your deposit.

Stands damaged will also be deemed sold and a new stand will be purchased with your deposit.

We can also arrange the collection of stands this will need to be arranged before your event and a quote will be given for this service on the distance from <SNIP>Dun Laoghaire.

aisling1974

SerialComplaint wrote: »

From <SNIP>

What is our Payment Policy?
A €100 Deposit is required on all wedding cake bookings .A minimum deposit of €20.00 is required on all other occasation cakes (birthday’s ,anniversary or cup cakes) the remainder is due at least 7 days before your wedding. We accept all major credit cards or laser we do not accept cheques later that 10 working days before collection or delivery. Your order for your Wedding cake is not confirmed until we have received your signed booking form, Booking Deposits are non – refundable /non-Transferable.

Cake stands display Stands
Stands are loaned free on a Full cash value Deposit basis.

Stands are due back to <SNIP>2 days after your event. Stands not returned at the agreed time will incur a daily hire free for each extra day out.

Stands not returned within 7 days after the event will be deemed sold and a replacement will be purchased with your deposit.

Stands damaged will also be deemed sold and a new stand will be purchased with your deposit.

We can also arrange the collection of stands this will need to be arranged before your event and a quote will be given for this service on the distance from <SNIP> Dun Laoghaire.

Yes, that's exactly the information I had and based my decision to order on. However apparently the €20 deposit on all birthday cakes and
Stands damaged will also be deemed sold and a new stand will be purchased with your deposit (ie €20 deposit quoted) are not the general terms. €140 was charged to my card two weeks after I got the cake as they said the stand was returned damaged. At no point during purchasing or no where on their website is there any mention of the potential to incur these charges. I asked them to show me where these charges were outlined as €20 was the only deposit amount quoted on the site. They couldn't show me where these were outlined as they are not published or you are not notified of them at any point. Customers are not informed of the potential ti incur these extra hidden charges.
Customers are also not informed that their card details are being written down and wll be debited with other charges in addition to the €20 deposit. You are not even informed that these charges are being made as the first I knew of it was two weks after the party when I seen an unuasual charge of €140 to my card. That was in addition to the initila €20 I had authorised them to take as the deposit when I placed the order.

SerialComplaint

So when was the stand returned? And was it damaged at all?

ted1

How much was the cake? You never mentioned a broken stand, have you left out any other details.

aisling1974

SerialComplaint wrote: »

So when was the stand returned? And was it damaged at all?

The stand was returned on the Friday 6 days after I got it. I had informed them by phone and email that it would be late getting back as the weather was awful on Monday and Tuesday. When I spoke to the girl on the phone to tell them this, there was absolutly no sense of urgency at all from her regarding the return of the stand, she said fine no problem. We had a brief chat about the rain etc and there was no mention at all of charges. However on the Wednesday when I subsiquently emailed them they had already applied the €40 to my card. At no point during the phone call or in response to my two emails to them did anyone say to me "if its not returned by x day you will be charged €40" If they did I would have had it over to them immediately rain or snow.
The stand was a transparent plastic two level tray. Other websites displayed ornate wrought iron or ceramic stands but had requested deposits of between €30 to €100 for them and some also had hire charges. I went with <SNIP> as the deposit quoted was €20 and the stand was supplied free of chage. I assumed this was as it was because it was just a plain plastic one. When I brought it to the venue the party planner tried to put the cake on it but she approached me to say the stand was rattling and seemed too unstable to hold the cake and that she would have to bring the cake out in two parts. I didn't mind this as it was only a childs party. I returned the stand the same way that I got it and again I was not warned of any potential charges associated with the stand.
If I was made aware of the actual value of the deposit they placed on the stand or any of these extra costs prior to getting the cake I would not have bought from this shop and would have chosen a different supplier on the basis of this. They were totally underhanded with these charges and I was in absolutly no way aware of the existance of them until after they were applied to my card. To this day there is still no mention of them on the website. I have taken screen shots of the website in case they try to edit it now.

aisling1974

@ted the cake was €110. I wasn't aware the stand was broken but if it was that's how I got it from them as it was too unstable to hold the cake and the cake had to be brought out in two parts.
My issue however is that as per their website even if I had not returned the stand or had smashed it to piecces with a hammer, the deposit amount quoted to me as per the website was €20. Thats the amount I paid by card for the deposit and that's the only charge I authorised to my card. I was not informed that other charges may apply, I was not informed that my card details may be used again without my knowledge at a later date.

SerialComplaint

It does sound like they have a case to answer for. Unfortunately, it might come down to a bit of 'he said, she said' about whether the stand was damaged, or whether they told you about these charges. The fact that the charges are not mentioned on the website will be in your favour, as will the fact that they have nothing in writing to show that you accepted the deposit.

From http://www.lasercard.ie/faq.asp?id=107#

he balance, the bank charges interest on the unpaid balance.
BACK TO TOP
Q: If I notice a Laser Card transaction on my current account statement that I don't recognise, what should I do?
A: A: Contact your Laser Card issuer and advise them of your concern. They will investigate the matter on your behalf. Where it is found that a sale on your account was not authorised by you, then your bank will charge back the sale to the retailer via the shop's bank.

You should do two things;

1) Have one last go at the shop. Print out their website stuff and point out how there is nothing on their website about additional charges. Mention your plans for a Data Protection complaint and Small Claims Court case. Print out the bit from the Laser website, and tell them that you're going to do a chargeback. This will probably cost them more than just the cash amount. I'd imagine that the bank will charge them an extra transaction fee on top of the cash amount.

2) Make a written complaint to your bank, quoting the Laser terms and conditions. Tell them you didn't authorise these charges.

Small business owners can sometimes suffer from the Little Hitler syndrome. Start out sweet as pie, and appeal to their better nature. If that doesn't help, be assertive and clear about how things are going to go down. If this doesn't sort it out within a couple of weeks, go ahead with a Small Claims Court case and a Data Protection complaint.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

I had a problem with this place also.

I ordered a cake with a photo and a message on it and paid the deposit in the shop.

I turned up to collect it and found the right cake with the right message on it........but someone elses photo on it!!

They tried to tell me it was the photo I provided but obviously wasnt as I didn't know the people in the photo....idiots.

Turns out they lost the photo I provided, which was a sentimental one (the last photo of my mother alive and well).

I refused to pay and demanded my deposit back and I was unsuccessful in getting my deposit back.

Now if I need a cake, I drive from Cabinteely to Oldtown in Meath to get a fantastic cake.

Stay away from this place! :mad:

Fight_Night

benwavner wrote: »

I had a problem with this place also.

I ordered a cake with a photo and a message on it and paid the deposit in the shop.

I turned up to collect it and found the right cake with the right message on it........but someone elses photo on it!!

They tried to tell me it was the photo I provided but obviously wasnt as I didn't know the people in the photo....idiots.

Turns out they lost the photo I provided, which was a sentimental one (the last photo of my mother alive and well).

I refused to pay and demanded my deposit back and I was unsuccessful in getting my deposit back.

Now if I need a cake, I drive from Cabinteely to Oldtown in Meath to get a fantastic cake.

Stay away from this place! :mad:

That is shocking. Not that difficult to keep hold of a picture. Won't be going there anytime soon.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Yeah it was ridiculous, I would never recommend them to anyone. The rudeness of the staff and the way they dealt with my situation was deplorable.

I wouldnt go out of my way to bad mouth them but if someone mentioned they were going there I would tell them what happened.

Most people cant believe it happened but there are so many bad stories about them, I dont see how they get any repeat business.

cakebox

In relation to this matter .
This cake was ordered by phone by this lady ,She did pay the required booking deposit for the cake ,a stand was required by this lady .
we give these stands free of charge, but we do ask for a security deposit of €100.00 to secure the safe return of our stand .
This cake was collected on Thursday by the lady in the shop .This €100.00deposit was given by card in the shop as the lady did not want to give cash. The stand was fully assembled and wrapped for this lady ,The stand was not returned on Monday
We called the lady on the phone number we where provided 4 times on Tuesday but no calls where returned
We explained on voicemail that the stand was required for a 21st cake being collected on Thursday ,We received this email on Thursday afternoon

<SNIP - Please do not post the contents of emails without the permission of both involved parties>

We had call many times but the lady would not answer our calls ,
we did say that the late free would be charged ,This was then used to cover the cost of the stand for the 21st cake .
On Friday afternoon at 4.30 the stand was returned a black bag this was broken .
The person that retuned this asked "could we not just glue this back together ."
We do explain to all customers at the time of ordering a stand that we do ask for the €100.00 deposit .
We hire out stands every week for wedding and birthday cakes ands we only had to charged this lady as this was damaged and has to be replaced.
We only deduct the deposit if the stand is very late and needed or damaged .
This was the case in this instance.
If the stand was returned by Wednesday we would not have had to make any charges .
This lady has make this week in the shop very hard as she has not given the full account of what really happen
Regards
Jennifer

Kimbot

Jennifer,

Perhaps delete the girls phone number from your post. That is shocking if your a company and easily providing that detail for all the world to see??

cakebox

sorry a oversight on my part.

Riesen_Meal

Jesus H Christ, posting the contents of the email, including the OPs phone number on here isn't going to do The Cake Shop any good for its seemingly battered reputation.....

Fieldog

Fieldog wrote: »

Jesus H Christ, posting the contents of the email, including the OPs phone number on here isn't going to do The Cake Shop any good for its seemingly battered reputation.....

Although if that side of the story is true, it's completely different to what the OP has told us, and if it's accurate the cake shop didn't do anything wrong at all...

irishguy

Deleted User wrote: »

Although if that side of the story is true, it's completely different to what the OP has told us, and if it's accurate the cake shop didn't do anything wrong at all...

I agree, they may want to spell out the charges a bit clearer when ordering so this doesn't happen again.

aisling1974

cakebox wrote: »

In relation to this matter .
This cake was ordered by phone by this lady ,She did pay the required booking deposit for the cake ,a stand was required by this lady .
we give these stands free of charge, but we do ask for a security deposit of €100.00 to secure the safe return of our stand .
This cake was collected on Thursday by the lady in the shop .This €100.00deposit was given by card in the shop as the lady did not want to give cash.
We had call many times but the lady would not answer our calls ,
we did say that the late free would be charged ,This was then used to cover the cost of the stand for the 21st cake .
On Friday afternoon at 4.30 the stand was returned a black bag this was broken .
The person that retuned this asked "could we not just glue this back together ."
We do explain to all customers at the time of ordering a stand that we do ask for the €100.00 deposit .



Regarding the above it contains outright lies. I was never informed either in the shop or when ordering that there was a €100 deposit for the stand. Never. The cost of the stand and deposit for the stand was a determining factor for me in choosing a provider. I chose the <SNIP> as the deposit on the website was €20. The is the only amount ever mentioned to me by the cake shop for a deposit. There is no mention at all of a €100 deposit for cake stands. If so, please show me where this is communicated to the customer as the first communication I had regarding this was when I rang you on Monday to ask why you had charged €100 to my card.
Plesae remember I have taken snap shots of your website so if you decide to include them now its too late.

Also no amount was communicated to me for late fees. If anyone had contacted me and said you will be charged €40 if the item is not back today I would have hopped in the car and brought it back immediately. If you could not contact me by phone, why was the only email I recieved from you dated Monday 9Th July after both the charges had been charged to my card and after I had contacted you to to query what these charges were.

Its awful when consumers try to support small local businesses but these businesses think the retail laws don't apply to them.
Your shop had a legal obligation to notify me of any potential charges that may be charged to me prior to me entering into a contract to purchase with you. This was neither on your website or when I rang to order the item. Even at the point of collection would have been common sense but hese charges were Never Ever communicated to me until after they were charged. Even if you had have emailed me prior to charging me, it still would have been to late to notify me of their existance after I had incurred them.

aisling1974

benwavner wrote: »

Yeah it was ridiculous, I would never recommend them to anyone. The rudeness of the staff and the way they dealt with my situation was deplorable.

I wouldnt go out of my way to bad mouth them but if someone mentioned they were going there I would tell them what happened.

Most people cant believe it happened but there are so many bad stories about them, I dont see how they get any repeat business.

@benwavner
I wish I had have researched this place too before using them, too late now I see the stories regarding people whos weddings have been ruined etc by wrong cakes.
I am following this up through the small claims courts and I would suggest you do the same as they are totally unapolagetic as to the mistakes they make.

aisling1974

cakebox wrote: »

sorry a oversight on my part.

One of many, including not being up front about your charges

CatFromHue

Don't know what's going on with the above to be honest. My brother went there recently and found the staff helpful.

The FAQ section of the website regarding the stands is a bit ambiguous as when I read it I assumed the deposit it mentioned was what ever deposit was placed on the cake, i.e. 20e not the 100e deposit.

Ron DMC

Moved from Dublin County South