Ask Susan: Refund requested

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Q: I visited New Zealand last November. We had a laptop and were told to buy a local data dongle to save money on internet use. I visited 2degrees and told the salesperson I was going to the Bay of Islands, and asked her to make sure the dongle ($69) would work there. It stopped working as soon as the coach left Auckland. I was then told by my friends that 2degrees doesn't work in the Bay of Islands. Six days later, I was finally able to get hold of the store manager, who was willing to refund me.

I requested that the credit charge on my card be reversed. That couldn't be done - they needed a New Zealand bank account. I had to give them my friend's account details. After five days, the money had not been paid in.

I phoned to complain and was told that someone would call back. No one has.
David, Australia

A: 2degrees says it has now deposited the refund in your friend's account. A spokeswoman says: "It's really unfortunate this customer has had such a bad experience with us as we take great pride in our service. We will be reviewing what happened and will look to make changes to our processes if necessary."

Have you been ripped off? Got a gripe with customer service or a query?
Write to Consumer Watch, PO Box 32, Auckland or send an email to Susan at susan.edmunds@hos.co.nz.