House of Fraser’s reputation among Scots shoppers has plummeted after new bosses were accused of running a “fake sale”.
The company, rescued by controversial Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct chain last year, has fallen to a one star rating on consumer website Trust Pilot – officially designated as “bad”.
And the Record has received reports about House of Fraser taking many thousands of pounds in payment for goods that customers suspected they were never going to receive.
Bosses then sent emails stating that high demand meant the orders could not be fulfilled – but they were holding money for 14 days.
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The House of Fraser was, until recently, regarded by many as the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s retail sector, with its flagship store on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street a Mecca for fashion shoppers up and down the country.
But one customer who contacted us said: “My workmates and I ordered more than £4000 of stuff and we were amazed at the way things were priced – they looked too good to be true.
“Not one of us got what we ordered. We got cancellation notices and told our cash would be held for a fortnight.
“That strikes me as a data grab or a cash grab. There’s no way that a modern company shouldn’t have stock control wired on to its online sales – if something sells out it is listed as such on the webpage. This is a total disgrace.”
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On House of Fraser’s Facebook page, customer Gary McIntosh said: “I placed order on pre-sale, paid my money, surrendered data then I was advised my order was cancelled and I would need to wait 14 days for a refund.
“Ironic this has happened to thousands of customers with all that money earning interest and all that data harvested. Ironic all the goods I ordered are still available in store.”
Record Money Doctor and consumer champion Fergus Muirhead said: “There is no question that House of Fraser is not held in the same high regard by its customers now as it has been in the past.
“Likewise, it seems that online purchases that look really good value are not being fulfilled for many customers, with delays and cancelled orders being reported by many.”
We called House of Fraser’s official press office and customer services numbers as listed on its website.
Both were out of service and no one responded to our request for a call after we tweeted the official House of Fraser handle.
