A few weeks ago (19.02.09) I wrote about receiving lots of parcels and then went on to talk about the telescopic hedge-trimmer (25.02.09). In doing so I didn’t quite tell the whole story. Now I can, and here it is.

As I took delivery of the large box containing the trimmer I was alarmed by the size and weight of the thing. How would Peter everwield this device to cut the high places it was designed for.

On opening the package it soon became clear as to why it was so heavy, we had been sent 4 brand new hedge-trimmers, not just the one we had ordered.

Having selected one to become ‘ours’, and having tried it out on the hedge (it was rubbish), a period of soul searching began. As you can imagine E-Bay figured quite boldly in these discussions, but in the end we decided to ask for a refund as the item was not fit for purpose (at least not our purpose) and point out that we also had 3 ‘extras’.

We rang the company explained the situation, asked for a refund on our credit card and asked for their proposal to retrieve the goods from us. We weren’t about to offer to take it to the Post Office or to pay the postage ourselves, it would have been astronomical.

This ‘phone call was made on a Friday, and the young lady said she would need to contact her boss, who was in America, as to how to proceed and would call us back on Monday.

Monday came and went. No ‘phone call. Tuesday, no ‘phone call but an e mail arranging to collect the goods ‘tomorrow’ between 8am and 4pm.

Sure enough at about 12.30am on the Wednesday the delivery man, who we had nicknamed ‘Einstein’ from his previous visit, arrived to collect the package. Peter, not unreasonably, asked him for a receipt, you’d have thought he’d asked him for a tenner or a copy of the Gettysburg address. He said he didn’t have a receipt to give us.

The next few minutes were spent with Peter and Einstein ‘sparring’ with each other over the receipt. Needless to say Peter won, he usually does, and we got our receipt.

Was it so un-reasonable to ask for one? I’m sure we couldn’t be the first people ever to request such a thing. Einstein wouldn’t leave goods with us without a receipt (sharp intake of breath “more than me jobs worth”) so why would he think it OK with the boot on the other foot?

Now all we need is the refund to our credit card, and the whole issue can be put behind us.