Lost a potential client

As a frequent traveler and car renter I am very dissatisfied with Woodfords. They cancelled my reservation because I did not have a credit card, but only a Business Visa debit card. It was very surprising as the majority of previous rental companies I used (locally and internationally) accepted my Business Cheque Account Visa debit card for the security deposit.

This is not my concern though as it is their problem if they only want to accept credit cards. My issue is that I paid l a rental fee when making the reservation and the money has not been refunded. I should have actually been refunded whilst still in their shop and thinking back I should have demanded it whilst I was there.

I have been trying to get a refund from them for a week and the only response I get from them is that it is with their finance department.

I contacted their customer service person, Junaid, repeatedly but he was not helpful at all. He keeps sending me the same message over and over again, without addressing any of my concerns or questions. He keeps saying that their refund policy is 14 days.

I have checked their Terms and conditions and Woodford’s refund policy states that they action refunds immediately after return, and you should receive the amount between five to seven working days later. A customer service representative should be aware of this and not be giving false information as it pleases them.

If they actually provided me a service or if I rented a car... by all means hold on to the money for 14 days. But the rental agreement was cancelled.

As a business owner - if a transaction is cancelled - we issue refunds within 24 hours as the money is not ours to hold on to for any reason.

I had unexpected expenses due to having to pay another company for rental fee which now has had a snowball effect as that money was intended for other purposes.

Junaid did not provide me with any contact details of their finance department or their management after I requested a few times. He acted like he had no power or responsibility to solve my problem.

I have consulted with my legal team and they have advised me that Woodfords have breached their terms and conditions and violated the consumer protection laws. They have no right to withhold my money for a service that they did not deliver.