On 1 December, we ordered and paid for a large toy to be delivered for a child's Xmas. The item was described as "in stock" on Variete's site.
By 14th December the Variete tracking system still didn't show the item as dispatched so we phoned and were told "we don't have the item in stock any more". When we asked why they hadn't told us but had taken and held onto our cash, we were simply told - you will have to wait 5-7 days for a refund.
So - we are out of pocket for the next week, don't have the present, and it's now too late to order a replacement elsewhere! On behalf our grandson - thanks Variete!
We are writing to Trading Standards in Sunderland as we have now seen other complaints online from dissatisfied customers.