Gift Inspiration

My sister bought me a gift from a company called Gift Inspiration ("GI"), via their website, and arranged it to be delivered to me. She even paid an extra 5.99 Pounds Sterling for a guaranteed delivery.

Realising I hadn't received the gift, I called GI and was informed that GI sent the parcel via Royal Mail and that I should call them instead in order to get further information. So I called Royal Mail, but they couldn't find a proof of delivery and were unable to explain what had happened. They apologised and said that the person or company who arranged the delivery was, therefore, entitled to a refund.

Because it was GI the ones who had dealt with Royal Mail, not my sister, I called GI again and spoke to Ms Caroline Quigley (who, I later learned, is GI's company director). I explained the situation to her, but she responded that, as far as she was concerned, the item had been delivered by Royal Mail and that was all that mattered to her. She also gave me a long explanation on how the Royal Mail system works, adding that I should go to my local delivery office and investigate what had happened to the item myself.

I then emphasised that I did not think it was right that I should be the one dealing with Royal Mail. She interrupted me and, sounding a little impatient, said "will you stop talking and let me explain again something that it is actually very simple to understand" and repeated all that she had told me before.

In turn, I told her that I did not understand why she was going on and on about how the Royal Mail system works and that the least GI could do was offer my sister either a re-delivery or a refund. However, to my complete disbelief, she simply shouted "F**K OFF, YOU, STUPID B***H!" and hung up on me. Needless to say, I was left speechless!

It's worth pointing out that, even though I was getting increasingly annoyed and frustrated by Ms Quigley's unwillingness to help me, I remained calm and polite during the whole of my telephone conversation with her and, at no time, raised my voice, disrespected or offended her in any way.

After this episode, I called Consumer Direct on +44 (0) 8454 04 05 06 and their adviser told me that the situation was absurd and reassured me that the consumer should not be responsible for what means of transportation a company chooses to deliver a product and that the company should bear this responsibility and the risks that come with it. So my sister was not responsible for the fact that the product she purchased failed to be delivered. Furthermore, my sister did not have a legal contract with Royal Mail; GI did and, therefore, they should deal with Royal Mail themselves.

We've emailed GI twice, demanding a refund and an apology letter, but we've never heard from them since. Fortunately, my sister contacted her credit card company and they agreed to cancel the transaction on this occasion.