Mosaic Brands, the company behind budget fashion brands Noni B, Rivers, Katies and Millers, says it will vigorously defend a Federal Court lawsuit brought by the consumer watchdog for allegedly failing to meet advertised delivery timeframes for several hundred thousand products that saw some customers pay for items that never arrived.
Between September 2021 and March 2022, Mosaic advertised on its brand websites that it would deliver clothes bought online between two and 17 business days from the purchase date. However, more than one-fifth of the orders were dispatched from Mosaic’s warehouses more than 20 days, and in some cases even 40 days, after customers bought them, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission claims.
Some customers paid for goods that weren’t delivered in a reasonable timeframe, or were not delivered at all, the ACCC said in a statement.
“The ACCC has received hundreds of complaints about Mosaic Brands in relation to delivery delays,” said ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver.
“Excessively late deliveries can be incredibly frustrating and inconvenient for consumers, especially if they decided to buy goods for a special occasion, such as Christmas, based on the advertised delivery times which were not met.”
Between September 2021 and October 2022, Mosaic Brands also stated that customers could only get a refund for faulty products within six months of buying the item, which the ACCC alleges misrepresents Australian law.
“If you buy a product or service and discover it is faulty, not of acceptable quality or does not match its description, you are entitled to a free repair and may also be entitled to a refund or replacement. These legal rights are called ‘consumer guarantees’ under the Australian Consumer Law, and they don’t have a specific expiry date,” said Carver.
The ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations, injunctions, costs and for Mosaic Brands to undertake a consumer law compliance program.
In a statement, the budget fashion retailer said the company would be vigorously defending the matter in court.