THE COMPETITION AND Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has called on Innovate, a store based in Ennis, to immediately refund customers who ordered Sony PlayStation 5s from the shop last year but never received them.
In March of this year The Journal reported that a number of Innovate’s customers had yet to receive refunds after paying for the consoles before Christmas 2020 which were never delivered.
The CCPC has been carrying out an investigation in recent months and today released an update.
The consumer watchdog said it is taking “enforcement action against Mr Umar Anwar (Innovate’s manager) for engaging in misleading commercial practices and providing misleading information to consumers”.
“This follows a number of complaints by consumers who placed orders for Sony PlayStation 5s, but failed to receive them or a refund.
“Mr Anwar has been directed by the CCPC to immediately issue refunds to consumers who have not yet been refunded and to cease engaging in misleading commercial practices, including providing misleading information to consumers. The CCPC is calling on consumers who placed an order with Mr Umar Anwar to contact the trader immediately.”
As previously reported by The Journal, a number of customers said that Innovate kept pushing back the date the consoles were due to arrive, but assured them they would be delivered before Christmas. However, this did not happen.
The CCPC’s report states: “Following several delays, some consumers who pre-ordered Sony PlayStation 5s from Mr Anwar were instructed to collect their orders at a specific date and time, however, the store was closed when they arrived. Other consumers reported making repeated unsuccessful attempts to get an update on their delivery or to exercise their right to cancel their order and obtain a refund.
“None of the consumers who contacted the CCPC reported receiving a Sony PlayStation 5 at any stage.”
Following the investigation, the CCPC said is “determined that the trader, Umar Anwar, had engaged in a misleading commercial practice, by advertising and selling products without disclosing that the trader may not be able to source, directly or indirectly, the product at the price given”.
“The CCPC found that the trader had also provided misleading information to consumers about the availability of the product; the date and method of delivery; where the products were being sourced from; the handling of their complaints; and the supply process.
“The CCPC concluded that Mr Anwar had breached consumer protection law and on 11th October 2021 he was served with a Compliance Notice which addressed these breaches. A copy of the Notice is available here. If Mr Anwar does not meet the requirements of the Compliance Notice, the CCPC has the power to take further enforcement action.”
‘Additional costs and stresses’
In a statement to The Journal in March, Anwar said that the store had cancelled all orders with its suppliers. He claimed that most customers had since received a refund.
“All retailers in Ireland are struggling with the supply of this product. This is due to a massive worldwide shortage,” he said at the time.
“The remaining refunds will be issued over the coming days,” he added.
Commenting on the today, Patrick Kenny, CCPC member, said: “Consumers placed orders with Mr Anwar in good faith, however, these products were never delivered. Consequently, consumers also faced additional costs and stresses last year when they realised that their orders were not going to arrive in time for Christmas.
“Consumer protection law is there to help consumers when things go wrong. The CCPC intervened by taking the necessary enforcement action. We are aware that some consumers have received refunds from Mr Anwar.
“However, if you are a consumer who is waiting on a refund, you should contact the trader immediately to get your money back. If a consumer has difficulty getting a refund from the trader, then they should contact the CCPC by calling 01 402 5555 or by emailing ask@ccpc.ie.”
Click.ie
Anwar is a former director of Cantec Office Solutions, which traded as Click.ie. Innovate’s Facebook page describes the shop as “Click Ennis”.
The website came into focus in late 2017 when panicked customers who’d bought phones, tablets and other gadgets as Christmas presents said they had not arrived on time.
The company behind Click.ie went into liquidation in April 2018 but the domain name was bought at auction for €10,500 a few months later.
The Journal subsequently reported in August 2018 that Ray Norton, one of the former senior management team at Click.ie, was involved in the reboot of the website.
The CCPC issued a number of warnings about Click.ie, including one in December 2019, after it received complaints about delivery and refund issues as well as faulty products.
The most recent version of Click.ie is no longer active and has been offline since 20 December 2019.
Anwar previously told The Journal he was not involved in the reboot of Click.ie and that Norton is not involved in running Innovate, stating: “I am the only person involved in the running of this business.”
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