Made.com customers who used debit or credit cards to pay for their unfulfilled orders can get their money back by submitting a claim
(Picture: PA Archive)Made.com announced last week that it had gone into administration and was selling its brand name and intellectual property to fashion and retailer brand Next.
Now the online furniture retailer’s customers have been told that unless an outstanding order arrives by November 25, they will have to submit a claim to get their money back.
Administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said around 4,500 orders in the UK and Europe were currently with carriers.
However, it said that a “large proportion of customer orders” were unlikely to be fulfilled due to being in production in Asia. They are therefore not ready to be sent out.
Made.com customers have previously complained of being left with little to no information about the state of their orders.
Around 12,000 outstanding orders will not be fulfilled, the majority of which are tables, lamps and sofas.
Many customers will not receive their orders simply because the company cannot afford to ship stock from factories in the Far East.
“We understand that this will be very disappointing and frustrating for customers who have paid for orders in good faith,” PwC said.
How to claim a refund from Made.com
If an order does not arrive, PwC advises making a Section 75 claim with your bank if you paid by credit card.
If you used a debit card, a chargeback claim can be submitted to get your money back. However, this is not guaranteed.
You can also make a claim in writing to the administrator, detailing what you are owed and what for.
A PWC spokesman said that all customers who have an unfulfilled order should have received an email detailing how they can make a claim. There are further details available online here.
Why Made.com went into administration
Made.com was founded in 2010 and quickly emerged as one of the UK’s most promising start-ups.
The London-based e-commerce company designed and sold furniture and home accessories online.
In April 2021, Made.com announced it had signed a deal to more than double the size of its warehouse space due to ongoing demand. Compact desks were particularly coveted, enjoying a 600 per cent rise in demand due to millions working from home during the pandemic.
But this success was short-lived as Covid restrictions were removed. Customers began to complain about long waits and delayed deliveries for many of their made-to-order furniture items.
Chief executive of Made.com, Nicola Thompson, said she wanted to “sincerely apologise” to customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders.
“Over the past months, we have fought tooth and nail to rapidly resize the cost base, re-engineer the sourcing and stock model, and try every possible avenue to raise fresh financing and avoid this outcome,” she said.
