Derila Pillows – faulty merchant interface? or a deliberate scam?

I haven’t been sleeping well for a while now – neck problems – so this morning I bit the bullet and went looking for a better pillow. I found glowing testimonials for a new kind of pillow – the Derila. When I checked the price it seemed reasonable, so I started the process of buying one…ONE.

By the time I reached the bit at the end where you have to confirm your order, I noticed that I’d been charged for 4 pillows, not one. I tried to fix the quantity but the website wouldn’t let me. So I regretfully decided I’d live without and did NOT press that last, all important button.

Imagine my horror when I checked my online banking and discovered that the website had taken my money anyway. I am now $152.00 poorer. On an age pension that is a lot.

This is the email I sent to Derila:

I did not CONFIRM payment on any ‘order’ so charging my bank for $152.00 is a fraudulent transaction.

Either the whole Derila website is a scam or there is something very wrong with your merchant interface.

Why?

1. Because I only ordered 1 pillow and was charged for 4.

2. There was no way to change the quantity so I decided not to go ahead. That should have stopped the transaction but…

3. When I checked my online banking a few minutes later, I was horrified to see that I had been charged $152.00, for Derila Pillows I had not ordered.

Next, I rang my bank and asked for a stop payment, but apparently the payment had already gone through at my end. I was told that I had to wait for the payment to go through at the merchant end before the bank could begin the process of claiming a refund on my behalf.

To add insult to injury, the bank also said I would need a new card to be sure I wasn’t scammed again. Now I have to wait 5 – 10 business days to get a new card. I am furious.

I intend to post the contents of this email onto my blog. It should be live by 2:00 pm. In that blog post I will tell my readers that I will update them on the result.

If I do not get a refund, I will do two things:

1. I will post a second article updating my readers about what happened to me and asking them to reblog the info. so that no one else ends up getting scammed.

2. Next, I will contact SCAM Watch and report the website for fraudulent activity. With any luck, Derila.com.au will be forced to shut down.

This is what I will do. What will Derila do?

As per that email, 2pm has come and gone so I’m posting this. Also as per the email, I will update you all on what happens next. I hope it’s a refund, but I’m not holding my breath.

Apologies for the angry post, but to be conned like this, when I’m so damn careful, is beyond infuriating.

Meeks