We recently decided to upgrade our outdoor dining setting and I researched what was available online. On deciding the type we wanted, I then researched where it was available and at what price. I began with e-bay, but then did a general Google search. I found exactly what we were looking for at Barbecues Galore, it was advertised as an Online Only Sale Price. The delivery charge for my postcode was stated to be $90.00 which I felt was reasonable for a 13 piece outdoor Dining Set.
On 20 July 2023 I placed the order using my Visa debit card (for some reason PayPal which I would normally use was not available). I opened up an Account with Barbecues Galore and received confirmation of my order, an invoice and a statement to say my order was being processed and should be shipped within 2 business days.
The next contact I received, on 26 July, was an email from Barbecues Galore informing me that a refund for my order had been finalised and should appear in my bank account within 7 business days. As I had not requested a refund, I sent an email to Barbcues Galore Customer Service to ask why this had occurred.
The reply came very quickly to let me know that he had no idea why that had happened and his records were showing that the order was currently in the process of being dispatched. He said he would look into it and asked me to take a screen shot of the email I had received re the refund. I did this and asked him to keep me informed.
The refund appeared in my bank account on 27 July for the total amount of the setting plus postage. I then rang up Customer Service to try and get an indication of what was going on. The person I spoke to had no idea why the refund had been issued. I suggested to her that it would be a good idea to find out and to let me know before I contacted Fair Trading and Choice. I finally received an email late yesterday to say the reason the order was cancelled was because their Courier did not deliver in my area. I do not live in Central Australia, far north WA, SA or Queensland, I live in Tasmania just outside Devonport (where most of the freight enters the island) and not far from the Barbecues Galore store in Launceston. I do most of my shopping online and have never been refused delivery no matter how big the item I bought was.
What I think is the REAL story is that someone, somewhere, realised that the price that wa stated on the web page and the amount I paid was incorrect and this was not discovered until they came to begin dispatching my order. If Barbecues Galore had written back to me saying this is what had happened and been honest about the whole thing I most likely would have been annoyed, but I would have accepted it. I know that under ACL the price stated is simply an offer to buy. The fact that they didn’t do this and have come up with the lamest excuse possible as to why my order was cancelled is the reason I am writing this.
I have since placed an order with OzPlaza on eBay whom I have bought many items of furniture from and have never had a problem. Their price was greater than the original Barbecues Galore price, but far less than the current BBQs Galore price for exactly the same item. We may be considered a bit isolated here in Tasmania but in the 21st century it should not be a reason for questionable business tactics.
So do we and quite often find that we can’t deliveries from some online sellers. We live near or just south of you.
However, usually when putting in the shipping address we get a message something like ‘we don’t deliver to your area’.
A significant portion of freight goes through Burnie using shipping such as Toll and Straitlink.
I think that since the product was discounted, it is possible it was an end of model or a product they no longer wish to retail. Declining an order in such case would make sense if your local store (Launceston) didn’t have stock and they they needed to supply from somewhere else, such as the mainland.
$90 doesn’t go far when shipping heavy/large items, such as a 13 piece outdoor setting, interstate to satisfy a local purchase. And example being using De Bruyn’s three years ago to ship a commercial washer/dryer (one unit) from Melbourne cost close to $200.
This could be what they mean when they state their courier doesn’t deliver to your area. If it was, they should have been upfront snd said the product was sold out in Tassie and couldn’t be shipped from the mainland.
I am pleased you made a purchase elsewhere. That is Barbecue Galore’s loss.
While it is too late now, an option could have been to contact the Launceston store to see of they had stock or could get it in for you. They would have being able to confirm it’s availability in Tassie.
I doubt that the delivery story is real. I think the company discovered after accepting your order that the product was not in stock anymore. That is why sales occur, to clear stock.
They did the right thing by automatically refunding all money you had paid promptly.
They did the wrong thing by communicating poorly. But that is a problem many companies seem to have.
Thank you for your responses. I did think of contacting the Launceston store however the BBQ Galore website clearly states that this setting is only available online. They are still advertising the setting online (with the same delivery charge). The disparity between the price is was advertised for last week and its current price is quite large. I still believe someone made an oopsy and rather than be honest with me and try and negotiate a mutually acceptable outcome, they went with the courier doesn’t deliver there response. Incidentally, the freight charge from OzPlaza was almost the same ($10.00 difference).
One of the things you make sure you are aware of before you make the move to Tasmania is the fact that you are going to be paying higher freight costs than you would on the mainland. I ajm more than happy to pay a reasonable amount in order to obtain something I cannot purchase here. My gripe with BBQs Galore is NOT what they are charging for the freight but the fact that they advertised the outdoor dining setting for $620.00 as an ‘Online Only Special’. They accepted my order, I put my Postcode in to get the cost of the freight and this was added to the total amount payable, gave me an invoice etc and an approximate delivery date.
Several days later they emailed me to tell me that in accordance with MY instructions they had cancelled my order and refunded the amount I had paid. It was only after several back and forth emails to their Customer Service dept. that they told me the reason for the refund was that their Courier did not deliver to my area. Hogwash!
When I went back to their website the cost of the dining setting had gone up to $1,414.00. To my way of thinking what it showed was that someone had made an error with the original price and it hadn’t been picked up until they were preparing the order for shipment. If someone had taken the time to get in touch with me and explain what had (perhaps) occurred, I would have then seen if we could have come to a mutually agreeable solution. But no, they told porkies to put the onus on me.
I ended up paying $1,100 plus $110 freight with OzPlaza Living who, since I wrote the original post, have been in touch to let me know that it will come with Toll Holdings, will be in 5 parcels and the due date is approx 4 August. I have been given tracking numbers also. To me, this is what customer service is all about. I just wish I had some form of recourse with BBQs Galore, but the good news is that I think I have now gotten it out of my system!
Yes and no. I just bought a case of a McLaren Vale (SA) wine from a merchant in Hobart where the starting price was dollars less than anywhere on the mainland having stock, but plus shipping back to Melbourne for $14. Yet the delivered price is $4.13 a bottle less than anything I could find from mainland sources.
