Kay J.

I placed my first order of a dress with ME+EM, which I received on 16.2.24, but it wasn't suitable so I returned it on 26.2.24. I received an email from ME+EM on 1.3.24 saying my refund had been processed and it would take up to 5 working days for it to reach my credit card. When I still hadn't received my refund 6 working days later, I tried to call ME+EM on their only published Customer Care (a misnomer, surely) number (******* 800 975) - bear in mind this is the number they advise you to call if your query is urgent. I phoned them 34 times between 09:05 and 09:35 on 11.3.24 and each time I heard a recorded messaging saying "Thank you for calling ME+EM. Please note all calls are recorded for training and quality purposes", then one ring tone before switching to the busy tone for 14 "rings" and then the call being cut off. Consequently, I gave up and emailed my refund enquiry at 09:51 only to receive an automated reply saying it would take up to 2 days to reply!
I continued to phone them periodically (a further 11 times) for a few hours that day to keep getting the same result so, out of frustration, I emailed them at 13:41 with the subject WHY IS NO-ONE ANSWERING YOUR PHONES?! Someone then phoned me at 14:32 (I didn't get her name) to tell me they'd been getting incoming calls so it must be my phone that was the problem - really? So, apparently, I can phone a company's number, it answer with a pre-recorded message and then I can magically force it to play a single ring tone before playing 14 engaged tones and cutting me off. Yes, this dullard at ME+EM wanted to make the fact that they clearly have a problem with their phone system MY fault! Right before she then told me, by way of an explanation for the non-appearance of my refund, that there'd been a "problem between ME+EM's system and my bank's" - yup, implying it was my bank's fault I'd not received my refund. This, of course, was a complete lie because she then went on to apologise for ME+EM "not picking up on this" and she was "pushing it through" (whatever that means!) as she was speaking to me. When I asked her did she mean that my refund had NOT been processed on 1.3.24 (as they'd emailed me) and that she was only doing it now, she conceded this was the case. AND from the follow-up email I subsequently received, I now have to wait a FURTHER 5 days to receive my refund!
Like a lot of people, I can instantly forgive mistakes when someone owns them and apologises for them, but when all I hear is excuses, it infuriates me. Service providers only have one opportunity to impress me and ME+EM haven't, so they won't be bothered by my custom again. There are plenty of great retailers out there who provide great products AND great service - ME+EM isn't one of them.