I ordered £1,500-worth of Singapore dollars from Travel FX on 5 July.
The money was taken out of my account and delivery was supposed to be the next day by Royal Mail. The money never arrived and Travel FX insisted that, as it was with Royal Mail, it was out of its hands.
I was forced to buy another £1,500 from a different provider. Travel FX insists that I must wait for Royal Mail to investigate and that I will only get a refund if Royal Mail concludes it was at fault and repays Travel FX.
When I complained about the delay, Travel FX told me patience would be the most economical solution for me.
CS, Farnborough
Travel FX’s insistence that redress lies in the hands of its subcontractor, Royal Mail, is backed up by its terms and conditions, which transfer liability for a failure to fulfil the contract to Royal Mail. It is Royal Mail that gets to investigate itself if money in its possession goes missing and for Royal Mail to decide whether an insurance payment is due to Travel FX.
If Royal Mail decides it is blameless, you will be left empty handed.
Moreover, Travel FX allows itself five working days before lodging a claim with Royal Mail and the latter requires up to 30 working days to investigate.
You can’t intervene yourself because Travel FX, as the sender, is Royal Mail’s customer, not you.
Other currency exchanges I have looked at have the same T&Cs for home deliveries. This is potentially in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, according to the consumer lawyer Gary Rycroft.
The act holds the trader, not the delivery company, legally responsible for ensuring goods and services reach their destination. There is an exemption for the “supply” of currency, however, there is, Rycroft says, a legal distinction between “supply” and “delivery”.
Travel FX admitted to me that there is “an argument” around the interpretation of the act, but said its “priority has always been to support the customer”.
“Unfortunately, Royal Mail’s investigation in this instance has taken longer than usual, which we agree is frustrating for the customer and for us,” a spokesperson said.
Remarkably Travel FX was able to refund you within three days of my intervention and 74 days after you had placed the order.
Royal Mail did not reply to my request for a comment. Given these risks of home delivery, I will ensure I buy currency in person.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
