Page 5 - Simply Electronics Case

Competing predominantly on price, the retailer was in 2008 looking to
implement a new marketing channel to support its wider e-commerce strategy
of increasing sales and driving awareness online.

As a result, Simply Electronics partnered with the Rakuten Affiliate Network
in 2009 to develop an affiliate programme that would help to meet its sales
objectives. This arrangement with Rakutaen lasted until 2013

It seems that a fair part of the business is being run on the cash from those
who have not been satisfied and who wait long periods before being refunded.
‘A very clever and cunning way to cheat with large amounts of customers

having their cash withheld for long periods.’

On one site it can be seen that an originally intended customer who cancelled
an order was left stranded without his refund for over six weeks - and the
amount was £1429.

Do that to a number of customers and you could easily run a business on the
retained cash !

SEQUENCE OF CASE EVENTS

The first interaction with Simply
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Electronics occurred on the 16 of
June 2016. Having Googled GoPro
cameras, one of the suppliers produced from the search was Simply
Electronics Limited.

The SE site was well presented and well stocked with a huge variety of
electrical goods with major brands well represented. To all intents and
purposes the web site appeared to be a normal British web site for a British
company selling well known branded products. With the order placed
notification was received from Skrill, SE’s vehicle for processing payments
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that payment had been taken successfully on the 18 of June.