THE Sun’s Squeeze Team wins back money for readers who have had a refund or billing issue with a company and are struggling to get it resolved.
This week, we helped a woman who couldn’t get her teeth impressions to work for a new set of veneers get money back after the company refused to refund her.
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She will now use the money to find a more permanent solution to dental problems that are affecting her life.
Q) I’m self conscious about my teeth, so I paid £637 to have veneers fitted to hide them.
The company Fab Smile Veneers asked me to take impressions of my teeth at home and send them in, but twice the kits haven’t worked properly.
I just want my money back so I can try something else but I’m getting nowhere – can you help?
Tamara Smith, London [name changed]
You’ve had a capped front tooth for 25 years – almost half of your life.
So you were devastated when it was knocked out during an accident on your 46th birthday in 2018.
This left you with a gap in your front row of teeth.
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At the time, you couldn’t afford to have it fixed through regular dental treatment, so in May 2019 you turned to Fab Smile Veneers, which makes fake clip-on teeth.
You were happy with this solution for a while, but unfortunately those veneers unexpectedly broke last year and you couldn’t afford to replace them.
Since then, you’ve become increasingly embarrassed and depressed about how you look.
Your parents don’t have much money, but they can’t bear to see you so unhappy, so in March they lent you £637 to get your teeth fixed by Fab Smile Veneers.
The company sent you a dental impressions kit.
But the first set of impressions you sent back didn’t work, and neither did the second.
This back and forth has been going on for months, during which time your life has ground to a halt.
You can’t remember the last time you went into work, let alone went out to socialise with friends or even family.
You decided you didn’t want to try another set of impressions and would prefer to try a more permanent solution to solve your dental issues.
But when you asked for a refund, there was radio silence.
Despite sending the company countless emails, you have never had a response and the phone line rings out.
I was very sorry to hear about your situation and can really sympathise with how self-conscious you must feel.
Your mum told me their once happy daughter is now deflated and demoralised, and they’re worried about how isolated you’ve become.
This stalling by Fab Smile Veneers has only made things worse as you can’t move on.
When I explained your situation to the company, it apologised for the delay and eventually offered to refund £517.
I’ve seen its refund policy which shows it won’t refund customers after impressions have been issued.
In exceptional circumstances it may refund customers before this stage, but it takes a £120 admin fee.
The company has agreed to refund all of your costs minus this £120 charge.
You’re thrilled to be getting most of the money back and will use it to try to have more permanent work done on your teeth.
I really hope you can now get your life back on track.
Squeeze team total: £118,814.50
What are your rights if the same happens to you?
It’s always a good idea to ask a company about its refund policy before handing over a large sum of money.
It’s often the case that you can get a refund within a certain time period.
For example, many shops allow you to return items within 14 days of purchase, as long as they’re not used and you have the receipt.
But this isn’t always the case, particularly with items like underwear or jewellery, or items on sale.
However, you have certain rights as a customer when you purchase items that companies have to adhere to.
For example, if the item you bought is broken or damaged, unusable, not what was advertised or doesn’t match the seller’s description, you’re legally entitled to a replacement or refund.
This is the case even if the item was bought second-hand.
It’s up to companies to decide what solution they offer you, and it’s then up to you whether you decide to accept their offer.
If you have a complaint about a company, you can take it to a third party such as the Retail Alternative Dispute Resolution service.
These services can help liaise with the company on your behalf.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
