# Ripped Off by French Website/Vendor



## ClemTrout

In September I ordered a chain saw from a French based website and paid via virement €454. The website communicated promptly with regard to the sale and payment details...and then silence. The chain saw never arrived. Numerous emails and website chat posts with no response. The telephone number ("09" prefix) rang until hanging up; now it is not in service. There is a SIRET number on the site. The physical address on the site does not look like a large agrico-magasin. It has now been more than 30 days since payment was confirmed.

Is there anything I can do? Any sort of complaint mechanism or small claims? Or do I just chock it up to "c'est comme ca?" My "threatening emails" have received ZERO response.


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## LesFroggitts

Unfortunately there are many scams about nowadays, in France any vendors that request bank-transfer (virement) payment MUST be treated with exceptional care - as an example anything to do with firewood/pellet supply and needing this payment method is a big no-no.

Have you spoken with your bank? They 'may' be willing to help but likely they will say that the fault lies with you for paying by transfer rather than credit/debit cards.


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## BackinFrance

I agree that it is not appropriate to pay by virement. Websites should allow you to pay with your bank's card or often now via PayPal. Any site that requires a virement is suspect. If you pay with your hank/credit card you have easy recourse. However your bank may agree to try to claim the money back, however you seem to have waited a long time to ask them to do that.


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## Clic Clac

Have you looked for their Fb and Instagram pages?
Your posts will go 'live' on there.
Also Google 'Avis (company)' to see if anyone else is fighting with them.


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## EuroTrash

Have you checked out the siret nimber? Rechercher le SIRET d'une entreprise pour obtenir le Kbis


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## ccm47

Yes you can take it to your local tribunal de justice. The link is here: https://www.service-public.fr/parti...vous devez d,vous pouvez saisir les tribunaux.

We followed the advice given by the magazine "Le Particulier". They gave the exact wording which you need to start the process off by quoting the relevant law in a registered letter to the company. Then one has to go through a supposed mediation process after X months; then you can ask for a judgement. It took us about 18 months but we did get our money back at that stage. If we hadn't we could have instructed a huissier to seize goods.

We had lots of delays, partly due to flooding of roads to and from the mediator's offices, partly because the company never replied or sent anybody to represent them. 

I used the staff at the tribunal in person to check my completion of the documents prior to formal submission. 

The judge does not make his decision "on the day" but takes the papers away to review and sends his decision 2 months later. 
You do not need to notify the court that they have paid up but my local staff were pleased to be told so as it gave them some job satisfaction.


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## Clic Clac

ClemTrout said:


> In September I ordered a chain saw from a French based website and *paid via virement €454*. The website communicated promptly with regard to the sale and payment details...and then silence. *The chain saw never arrived. *
> It has now been *more than 30 days* since payment was confirmed.
> 
> Is there anything I can do? Any sort of complaint mechanism or small claims?


I would attack from the other flank now - send a LR to your bank. Send copies of your order and all correspondence you have
Explain the above.

The ordered goods must be delivered within 30 days :
*"Pour votre livraison, le commerçant est obligé de vous indiquer le délai. S’il ne l’indique pas, il dispose d’un délai de 30 jours pour vous livre."*

I would be citing 'breach of contract' (Rupture de contrat) to your bank, and stating that *le contrat est annulé* so you want the virement refunded.

They may say that the seller still has 14 days to refund your money, but at least you will have got the ball rolling with your bank.









Commande non livrée, en retard, comment obtenir réparation rapidement


Si la livraison n’a pas eu lieu à la date indiquée sur le bon de commande, l’acheteur est en droit d’exiger du vendeur qu'il lui livre immédiatement le bien. À défaut de livraison dans les sept jours, l’acheteur peut demander l’annulation de la vente.




www.litige.fr


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## ClemTrout

Thank you all. I have learned a lesson and I have begun to fight the scum who have stolen my money.


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## LFBEUSTON

ClemTrout said:


> In September I ordered a chain saw from a French based website and paid via virement €454. The website communicated promptly with regard to the sale and payment details...and then silence. The chain saw never arrived. Numerous emails and website chat posts with no response. The telephone number ("09" prefix) rang until hanging up; now it is not in service. There is a SIRET number on the site. The physical address on the site does not look like a large agrico-magasin. It has now been more than 30 days since payment was confirmed.
> 
> Is there anything I can do? Any sort of complaint mechanism or small claims? Or do I just chock it up to "c'est comme ca?" My "threatening emails" have received ZERO response.


You don't say who the company is that 'sold' you the chainsaw. I have read all the replies but the salient point is if it is a scam and the firm is non existent then you can almost certainly kiss your money goodbye. Maybe the bank might help but I doubt it, you could be scamming them!!! As for taking it to law, if you don't know who scammed you how would you expect a judge too? Perhaps you do have names and addresses that are valid so then yes, go to law but if not!!!! Goodbye money. You now know of course but stick to reputable outlets like Bricomarché and Co. and never transfer money; that's a give-away it's a possible scam.


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## Nomoss

I have posted this previously, but repeating it can do no harm.

Looking for wood pellets earlier this year I came across an advert offering these at a good price, so ordered a ton.

I was than asked to make the payment by bank transfer, which seemed unusual, so I started to check out all the information on the site.

The phone number was an answering machine, tried it a few times.
The SIRET was for a firewood company in the far west of France, too far to go for me.
Googling for company records (Just put in the name, and various results will come up) showed it inactive for some time.
The address was in the same town, but was a private house (checked on Google Earth).
The IBAN was for an Irish company providing pre-paid credit cards.

All these are easy to check before parting with any money. The only times I have done this were for people selling on Leboncoin I had spoken with, trusted after reasonable checks, and for relatively small amounts of money. LBC now offers their own secure payment, so I usually use this.

I didn't pay for any pellets, and heard no more from the "company".


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## LFBEUSTON

Nomoss said:


> I have posted this previously, but repeating it can do no harm.
> 
> Looking for wood pellets earlier this year I came across an advert offering these at a good price, so ordered a ton.
> 
> I was than asked to make the payment by bank transfer, which seemed unusual, so I started to check out all the information on the site.
> 
> The phone number was an answering machine, tried it a few times.
> The SIRET was for a firewood company in the far west of France, too far to go for me.
> Googling for company records (Just put in the name, and various results will come up) showed it inactive for some time.
> The address was in the same town, but was a private house (checked on Google Earth).
> The IBAN was for an Irish company providing pre-paid credit cards.
> 
> All these are easy to check before parting with any money. The only times I have done this were for people selling on Leboncoin I had spoken with, trusted after reasonable checks, and for relatively small amounts of money. LBC now offers their own secure payment, so I usually use this.
> 
> I didn't pay for any pellets, and heard no more from the "company".


You could have ended up with a ton of credit cards!!!!! All the same, very wise to have checked it out. Bank transfers, unless you know the receiver and trust them implicitly, are a definite No, No! What next I wonder? An offer of wood pellets from Nigeria perhaps!!!!


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## Nomoss

Nomoss said:


> The IBAN was for an Irish company providing pre-paid credit cards.


That's an IBAN to pay money into a credit card account so that the holder can use the money.

Intended for use as a convenience, not for commerce.


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## 1790260

Nomoss said:


> Looking for wood pellets earlier this year I came across an advert offering these at a good price, so ordered a ton.


I saw something on the news not so long ago about a wood pellet scam, perhaps the same company. The fraudsters had even built a website for it, citing a pukka pellet producer (just not one that did internet sales, had no internet presence at all in fact) so it all kind of prima facie checked out. Well thought out though obviously someone rumbled them.


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## Nomoss

Since my experience above, while I was still looking for pellets at a reasonable price, I came across several sites which were almost carbon copies of the first one, with different company names, but all using very similar jargon and descriptions. They all wanted payment by bank transfer, which they said is much easier and convenient 

I can't find any pellets at the moment at a price which makes using our stove economical.
We usually use our two air to air heat pumps until the weather gets too cold for them to give sufficient heat, and use the stove from then on.
This year I have decided that it will cost about the same to use electric radiators, of which we have plenty, as to burn pellets. It's also a lot less work than cleaning out the stove every week.
I am currently installing another heat pump, which I hope will give enough extra heat to use them for longer into the colder weather.

Some producers are now packing their pellets in 10kg instead of 15kg bags, so watch out for this when comparing prices. The best price I have found is at a Brico Marché 30 km away, €5.50 for 10kg, but I would have to make 3 round trips with my trailer to get a ton. We usually buy a ton at less than €4.50 per 15 kg bag, delivered.


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## 1790260

At the risk of overly derailing, I buy pellets_ en vrac_. I bought 5 tonne last March and that ought to see us through winter, hopefully prices will have called down by the time we come to refill the silo. I've also around 10 15kg bags also bought earlier in the year. Prices have pretty much doubled so €5.50 for 10kg is probably a good deal at the moment. It's no surprise scams have cropped up around pellets given the price hike.


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## Clic Clac

Nomoss said:


> Looking for wood pellets earlier this year I came across an advert offering these at a good price, so ordered a ton.
> 
> *I was than asked to make the payment by bank transfer, which seemed unusual ...*
> 
> I didn't pay for any pellets, and heard no more from the "company".


It must be a widespred scam, particularly this year with the rush for wood.

Crédit Agricole have now put a warning on their website :


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