"Click & Collect" ordering is whlly unreliable

My review and rating relates solely to Incredible Connection's online orders and "Clck & Collect" function.

I have ordered via this method twice, first in November 2015, and then in May 2020. In both cases, the product was listed on the website as in stock in the store, and available to order by this method. I placed the order and paid by credit card.

In November 2015, the product was ordered for collection from the Cresta store, and the store advised it was ready for collection. On visiting the store, we found that the item was in opened and damaged packaging, and itself had signs of damage. Store staff tried to convince us to take the obviously damaged item; which we naturally had no interest in doing.

In May 2020, the day after placing the order for collection at the Cradlestone store, the store called us and informed us that - contrary to the information on the website - neither they nor any other store had stock, and (as in the previous case) they only had "broken" items (the word used by the staff member). The staff member tried to claim that the problem was with suppliers, despite the fact that it was Incredible Connection's own website that advertised the item as in stock at the store, and available for "Click & Collect" ordering.

In sum, I now have no trust whatsoever in Incredible Connection's advertising of stock available and "Click & Collect", and very little in the chain as a whole. Prima facie, it seems that damaged, likely returned, items are listed as stock for sale, creating a misleading impression to customers, and in some cases with the hope that customers will accept them. I have no idea when (if?) I will receive the second ordered item, as the store itself assured me it would not be very long, but could not tell me what that meant. I am unlikely ever to trust this company with an online order again.