Unhappy Woolies shoppers wait and wonder

Online customers were being promised delivery a few days ago; now all they'll get is a refund, writes Lisa Bachelor

Woolworths customers waiting for the arrival of goods they bought online will be disappointed: their orders cannot now be met and, instead, they will receive a refund.

Alarmed customers of the family-favourite high street store are deluging internet forums with stories of goods that have been ordered and paid for but have not turned up.

The store went into administration 11 days ago but while the remaining high-street stores are trading as usual until after Christmas, the Woolies website is not working and hundreds of online shoppers have been left in the dark.

One forum user on Moneysavingexpert.com said payment for an online order had been taken out of their account on 22 November but as yet there was no sign of their goods, even though the automated tracking service showed the delivery had been due last week.

'When the website was up it said my order was fulfilled... I have no idea what to do,' the user added. Other online customers were wondering whether they should try to claim back from their card provider the money they had spent.

Since last weekend, customers logging on to the Woolworths website have been greeted with a grey screen and the message: 'Our site is currently undergoing essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please check back later.'

As late as the middle of last week, the administrators in charge of Woolworths, accountants Deloitte, said they were still hoping to fulfil many orders, but they now admit that will be impossible. Here we tackle some of the questions you have been asking about the troubled store.

I ordered something from Woolworths and it has not turned up. What happens now?

Anyone calling Woolworths' customer services last week would have been greeted with the automated message: 'With respect to any outstanding orders our administrators are currently reviewing whether these orders can be fulfilled.' A spokesman for Deloitte now says: 'The administrators and Woolworths' management carried out an urgent review into outstanding customer orders. Regrettably, following discussions with suppliers and distributors, it has been determined that it will not be possible to fulfil these orders. We will be providing customers with a full refund.'

Everyone who was awaiting a delivery should have now heard from Deloitte - in most cases by email - and, if they paid by card, should have also received a refund. There will be a few customers who may still receive their items if, says the spokesman, 'they have come through a different supply chain'.

The small number of people who ordered goods in a Woolworths store and paid by cash will have to visit a store for a refund. If you haven't heard from Deloitte, the number to call for outstanding orders is 020 7706 5000 or email woolworthsplc@deloitte.co.uk.

Can I still use my store vouchers?

Yes, but Deloitte has only committed to keep the stores open until after Christmas. After that the chain will either be sold on to one of the current bidders or wound up. If the chain is wound up, you obviously won't be able to use your vouchers in Woolies, but you will still be able use them in B&Q and Comet.

Should I spend the money on my Woolworths' Christmas bonus card now?

Yes. The Christmas bonus card, rather like the infamous Farepak Christmas hamper scheme, was designed to spread the cost of Christmas purchases by allowing you to save money on the card throughout the year, with Woolworths also adding to the total each time you put money on the card - for balances of £49 to £96.99, the store added £1, increasing in stages up to £10 for balances of more than £240. Money saved in Christmas schemes is not protected, so if you have money on your bonus card you should redeem that before Christmas.

I want to buy something from Woolworths, but what happens if the firm is wound up and then the item breaks down or turns out to be faulty? What are my rights?

'It really is tough luck,' says Professor Geoffrey Woodroffe, editor of the Encyclopedia of Consumer Law. 'If the goods are defective, rather than dangerous, the only claim is against the seller, so if the seller has gone under the administrators are unlikely to meet that claim.'

If you took out an extended warranty - a type of insurance product - at the time of buying a product from Woolworths you can still claim on this, he says: 'These warranties are usually a waste of money but there is some virtue in difficult times to taking out this sort of extra protection when you buy something.'

Alternatively, if you buy something worth more than £100 and pay with your credit card, you can claim from the credit card company if the goods are faulty.