“I had an extremely disappointing experience with this company after purchasing a Glider 6 in 1 Robot vacuum and mop at the Love Your Home Show in Lisburn.
At the point of sale, I was told that payment could only be processed in euros. Two payment transactions were taken because I was informed that the first payment had to be cancelled due to an incorrect amount being charged.
When the robot hoover arrived, I initially thought I had made a good purchase. However, I quickly discovered that one of the product's key advertised features—the hot mop wash function—did not work at all. After contacting the company, a number of remote checks were carried out, but they were unable to resolve the issue and asked me to return the machine.
At the same time, I discovered that the supposedly cancelled payment had in fact been taken from my account, meaning I had been charged twice. Although the company acknowledged the error and apologised, this should never have happened in the first place.
After testing the returned machine, the company confirmed that it was faulty. As I was still within the 30-day return period, I requested a full refund rather than a replacement.
The refund process was slow and took almost two weeks. When the money finally arrived, I discovered that I was £130.39 short. Also I was told that there would be a 12 euro charge for the return of the faulty robot but I was charged 15 euros. I contacted the company immediately and was informed that the missing amount was due to exchange-rate losses and bank charges because the transaction had been processed in euros.
I do not believe it is reasonable that I should bear exchange-rate losses when returning a product that the company confirmed was faulty. I purchased a faulty product, returned it as instructed, and expected to receive back the full amount I had paid. Instead, I was left significantly out of pocket through no fault of my own. The fact that an additional payment had also been taken in error only added to the frustration and inconvenience.
Despite multiple attempts to resolve the issue and recover the money lost on both the faulty product refund and the duplicate payment, the company has failed to provide a satisfactory solution.
What should have been a straightforward consumer transaction became a lengthy and stressful ordeal.
Anyone considering buying from this company, particularly customers in the UK, should be aware that transactions are processed in euros. If a refund becomes necessary, you may be exposed to significant exchange-rate losses even when returning a faulty product. Based on my experience, I would strongly advise potential customers to fully understand the financial risks before making a purchase.”
Hi Joanne,
We are truly sorry that this was your experience with HomeBot and can empathise completely with the situation, as you'll see from our other reviews we always strive for excellent customer service.
We are aware of the issue you suffered with the banks and tried as best we could to get your bank to refund their charges given the circumstances but they refused. The payment error at the show appears to be an error with your bank. As you know when you and your mum were at the checkout the euro exchange rate was not good so we cancelled the first payment attempt, gave you the cancelled receipt from the terminal and proceeded to take the payment in sterling instead to ensure you had the best price. We unfortunately can't be held liable for your bank authorising both payments, when you flagged this to us you provided a bank account number which we immediately transferred the full balance that we received from you, while I absolutely feel your frustration with the situation, we can't be held liable for changes in the exchange rate from the euro transaction and any charges your bank implemented.
We did try to resolve it by offering a new machine but we understood you did not want a resolution at that point. Should that ever change in the future please do feel free to reach out to us and allow us the opportunity to change your experience with HomeBot.
