Many sofas, beds, armchairs, lamps, accessories… hundreds of furniture sets from Made.com’s inventory are currently auctioned online by British house John Pye. Current offers for weekly lots range from £23 to over £1,000 for a three seater leather sofa. The end of the sale will take place this Thursday at 20:00.
Remember that the British clothing group Next paid 3.4 million pounds (3.9 million euros) to get the Made.com brand, domain names and intellectual property, but did not want to take over the seller’s furniture stock. Its sale must make it possible to pay, at least in part, the creditors of the bankrupt company.
Hope for the hundreds of aggrieved customers of the brand, especially French, whose orders have not been honored? You should know that at the time of its bankruptcy, some 12,000 customers had orders in progress, including more than 1,000 in France.
More than 1000 French customers injured
But for them, the chance of being repaid is slim, as customers are the last creditors to be repaid. Especially since the company, British, escapes European standards.
“Payment of Made.com’s debts will be based on the status of the company’s creditors and their rank: customers have no priority and can only be repaid if cash remains after other creditors have paid,” This is how he explained it to BFM Business Paul Vialard, lawyer specializing in consumer issues.
On social media, dedicated groups light. Some try to get their bank to reimburse them through their payment card, others decide to seize consumer associations, repress fraud or alert administrators.
Some are refunded but it’s the lottery. “Those who paid via PayPal were refunded ruby on the nail, some banks like Crédit Agricole or even CIC play the game without too much trouble. Insurance linked to payment cards can also work. Others categorically refuse due to the Made.com’s non-EU establishment and credit institutions only reimburse after receiving a letter from a lawyer”, sums up for BFM Business one of the members of the Facebook group “Made.com/In France/customers waiting delivery or refund” which currently has 1700 members
As for the auctions currently being organized in England, “they are very badly experienced by French customers,” says the Facebook group member.
Auctions “very badly experienced” by French clients
Indeed, it should be remembered that Made.com did not have stock and began to mass-produce furniture once it reached a sufficient volume of orders.
French customers also plan to find their order even if it means paying for it a second time at a low price. Especially since the auction house promises that home delivery will be available and purchases will be shipped before Christmas.
“While this is an incredibly difficult situation, it also offers buyers the rare opportunity to circumvent the industry’s increasing wait times for furniture delivery. Enthusiasts and Made.com customers have the opportunity to add new pieces home and buy the highest price. quality furniture, at a great price, just in time for Christmas,” he is also enthusiastic Trevor Palethorpe, co-director of John Pye.
A waste of time, John Pye advises that he will only ship to England. The country’s departure from the European Union adds to the complexity of the file.
To receive the product, a French customer would have to pay prohibitive customs duties, which risks discouraging any offers.
Source: BFM TV
