Baby & Toddler Town - have they gone under?

jace88 on 30/11/2019 - 19:02
Last edited 01/12/2019 - 10:51 by 1 other user

Just wondering if Baby & Toddler Town have gone under.

I, like many others, have ordered from them and been waiting for goods to arrive. Each week they say it'll come next week, but then radio silence, nothing arrives, so I call to chase and then they tell me the shipment was delayed or missing my item, and it'll come within a week or two again.

7 weeks later, I've had enough (and I really need a new bedsheet for the cot) so I finally ask them to refund me. They ignored my emails for a week so I called and they said okay, but then no refund has eventuated and now I find their website is under 'maintenance' (for a few days?), their 1300 number is disconnected, their other phone diverts to a full mailbox, social media pages all removed…

… signs are all pointing in one direction. Has anyone heard anything else?

Whilst I paid with Afterpay (and haven't done the final payment) for goods which haven't arrived, should I raise a chargeback with my bank or try to get through to Afterpay?

Toys & Kids

Related Stores

Baby & Toddler Town
Baby & Toddler Town

Comments

  • LuffyTuffyFluffy on 30/11/2019 - 20:50
    +4

    Looks like they're under administration. A note was posted on the front door (courtesy of fb post) https://ibb.co/Qrj6qYC

    Edit: going by what you've said, sounds like they were aware and stringing ppl along esp leading up to Christmas, knowing ppl are usually more generous in spending.

  • dcep on 30/11/2019 - 19:17

    that's their standard practice

    taking orders with no ready stock and ETA keep getting pushed back everytime

    • jace88 on 30/11/2019 - 19:19
      +1

      I'm more concerned that in addition to not responding to emails anymore, the other aspects of no phone, social media sites removed, etc… these are all signs of no longer trading.

  • garetz on 30/11/2019 - 19:25
    +1

    Charge back, i would of done so after 1-2 weeks. Waiting 7 weeks is bonkers.

    • jace88 on 30/11/2019 - 19:32

      The staff sounded so genuine when they said it was just a slip up in the delivery from the manufacturer/distributor to their warehouse… sigh, but you're right. Foolish me wanted to save only a few dollars.

      Ironically I bought everything again from Amazon anyway because I needed some items sooner and they really delivered within one or two days and even gave me the timeframe upfront. I know everyone loves to hate on them but from an expectations perspective of: I want something, I pay for it, I expect to receive it… they have that cycle very well sorted.

      • thatonethere on 30/11/2019 - 20:58
        +1

        Unfortunately most staff would be kept unaware of the situation - as otherwise they wouldn't bother coming to work while they found a new job.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2019 - 21:15
    +1

    File a non received item with your bank. Hopefully you paid with a visa/Master card etc. They will ask for the emails you set and received etc. Will take a couple months at minimum. Lodge asap, best jet experience.

    • Daabido on 30/11/2019 - 22:29

      I too like to fly with Lodge asap.

    • LKJ899 on 04/12/2019 - 00:07

      I’m a victim of baby and toddle town : (
      I’ve requested a chargeback with my crest card. What is the success rate? Is it safe to say I will eventually receive my money back but I just have to wait?
      Baby is arriving soon…the last thing I want is no item and lost money : (

  • Muzeeb on 30/11/2019 - 21:32
    -2

    Ain't nobody got time for this.

    • Daabido on 30/11/2019 - 22:37

      Thanks for letting us know. No picture?

  • jace88 on 01/12/2019 - 00:25

    I've messaged Afterpay extensively and will give them a chance to respond before I go to my bank.

    It'll be interesting to see how this works out with Afterpay in the middle rather than the straightforward consumer/merchant scenario where a chargeback would be the only real option. Given I'm a fan of Afterpay, I don't really want to chargeback to them given I'll probably get banned for it - but if there's no option…

  • lette on 01/12/2019 - 00:26
    +2

    I had an issue with items not received using afterpay. They were less than helpful and when I did mention chargeback they said they'd send the balance to collections if I did get a chargeback through the bank. Luckily in the end the merchant resent the items after a lot of back and forth, because afterpay were not willing to help.

  • jace88 on 02/12/2019 - 11:56

    I got told on the phone by Cameron if I do a chargeback, they'll pursue me legally as it's a breach of my contract with Afterpay. They asked for time to work through the legal matters with the merchant and will come back to me once they're able to resolve it, but they don't want me to be left out of pocket however they can't guarantee a refund.

  • Thisizanfield on 03/12/2019 - 08:58

    I have a pending cashback with them, I'm assuming I won't be getting that either?

    • jace88 on 03/12/2019 - 10:35

      Lol, me too. And also a bunch of Baby & Toddler Town points from buying the aforementioned items not yet shipped.

  • be25mojo on 03/12/2019 - 13:23

    I also have a $50 gift card plus $300 owing from a pram that they didn't have. Is a charge back the best way to go here?

    • jace88 on 03/12/2019 - 13:34

      They're meant to get in touch with everyone to offer resolution/compensation, but your other avenue is to just do a chargeback with your card issuer if you paid with a credit card.

      If you paid with Afterpay like me, then it's a bit more grey as to what options you have.

  • DuckKnight on 03/12/2019 - 19:06

    Did you contact ACA for tonight's story?

    • jace88 on 03/12/2019 - 20:47

      Nope. My wife got asked (don't know how they had her number) but we declined to participate.

  • cloudy on 03/12/2019 - 23:07

    Credit card charge back ASAP, you’re definitely highly at risk of losing your cash.

    Afterpay are known to be unhelpful when merchants fail, and afterpay isn’t governed by any regulation so it’s users beware, credit card charge back is what I would do.

    • jace88 on 04/12/2019 - 00:00

      They basically said they'd sue me if I tried since it'd be a breach of my agreement with them. I've asked ACCC for advice.

      • cloudy on 04/12/2019 - 11:57

        What wonderful customer service, sue your own customers lol.

        You should contact the financial ombudsman, you shouldn't have threats like that put towards you given you are the one who has not received what you paid for.

        https://www.fos.org.au/

        • jace88 on 04/12/2019 - 12:45

          Led me to AFCA so I thought I'd try lodging it there to see what they say.

      • LuffyTuffyFluffy on 07/12/2019 - 20:12

        They probably wouldn't waste energy and money to sue you, but likely send it to a debt collecting agency.

  • jace88 on 04/12/2019 - 16:34

    Glimmer of hope for Afterpay customers?

    https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/orders-will-…

    “So for customers who have paid via credit card, they can contact their credit card provider for a charge back, we’re still looking into what the options are for third-party payment providers like AfterPay.”

    • cloudy on 04/12/2019 - 16:53
      +1

      Hope it works out for you, but I’ve seen this story play out before, and liquidations place customers very low on the ladder.
      So there’s little chance, credit card chargeback is the best option for you to get your money back.
      If AP threaten you, it’s highly unlikely for a few hundred bucks they’ll do much other than empty threat emails coz it cost more to recover such a small amount even if they legally have that option, but truth is, you didn’t receive your item, so I don’t see how they have a leg to stand on. Lesson learnt, CC is safer payment option.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2019 - 17:03

    Unfortunately so.

  • mingjuitsai on 05/12/2019 - 04:29

    Ordered a $267 pram with them too. Hopefully get the chargeback

  • allie181 on 05/12/2019 - 13:41

    Re Afterpay, I'd do a charge back. Afterpay is considered to be a financial services provider just like a bank, so they have the same obligations as a bank. (Afterpay's status as the equivalent of a bank gained media attention recently after it was revealed that they disregarded money laundering laws because they didn't think it applied to them - see eg https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-25/afterpay-audit-austra…)

  • jace88 on 11/12/2019 - 17:31
    +1

    Thought I'd post an update. Afterpay emailed me today to say they will refund me the amounts paid. I'm happy with the outcome (although I'm surprised how much effort it took).

  • jace88 on 12/12/2019 - 12:03
    +1

    For anyone who also used Afterpay, make sure you reach out to them if you haven't been offered a refund.

    I got an email today from Afterpay:

    As you'd be aware from your emails with (name redacted) in our Customer Resolution Team, we made the decision to refund all affected customers.

    A surprising but good outcome.

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