Joint or collective purchases are a way of purchasing goods at wholesale prices by a group of persons. The intermediary between the seller and the buyers in this is the organizer of the purchase - a remotely located company or legal entity. In this regard, there are frequent cases of violation of consumer rights, when the organizer refuses to return the prepayment or money for a low-quality product.
If joint purchases were made through a special site or through social networks, for questions about refunding an advance payment or money for a low-quality product, you can contact the support service or the resource administration. Also, there may be a special section dedicated to resolving financial issues. Large and reputable companies enter into an agreement with the organizer, so they can contact him and oblige him to pay the due compensation.
The situation is complicated by the use of unverified and unofficial co-procurement sites. Here there is a risk that the fraudulent organizer will simply stop communicating after the transaction is completed. In this case, you need to try to collect as much information as possible about him. Try to find out his name and address, check whether he is an individual entrepreneur or represents the interests of a company. You can check the registration as an individual entrepreneur through the official online resources of the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation. Also, collect data on the completed transfer of funds - details of the bank accounts of the procurement participants, card or wallet numbers in the payment system, etc.
Make a claim to the co-organizer. State in it the requirements for the return of money in the required amount. If the organizer is an individual entrepreneur or LLC, you need to refer to the consumer protection law. In the same case, if he acts as an intermediary in the conduct of collective purchases unofficially, refer to Articles 171 and 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and demand a refund under the threat of going to court. Submit your claim by registered mail, and expect a response within 14 days.
If you do not have the necessary information about the intermediary, contact the police. Law enforcement agencies will be required to conduct a fraud and illegal business background check and attempt to identify the procurement organizer. In this case, the advantage will be the presence of several deceived persons at once, therefore, a collective statement or several documents from each of the participants should be drawn up.
As soon as the information about the organizer is found out, it is necessary to draw up a statement of claim to the court. After verification of the data received, a trial will be scheduled. If the person accused of fraud refuses, the process can be resolved unilaterally in favor of the victims. The culprit will be obliged to compensate for the damage caused, as well as pay an administrative fine. In case of fraud on an especially large scale, a citizen or an organization is already brought to criminal responsibility.
If the amount of debt is small and there is no time for litigation, you can try another option, namely, filing a complaint with the tax office at your place of residence. The complaint can be delivered to tax officials in person or by filling out a special form on the official website. The organization will check the organizer for the legality of his activities, which must be carried out in accordance with the tax legislation of the Russian Federation, and if there are violations, he can be immediately prosecuted.
When contacting the police, court or tax office, be sure to provide all available information about the organizer of joint purchases, as well as the transaction made. As proof, you can use the printed screenshots of the correspondence with other participants in the transaction and its organizer. You will also need to prove the fact of the transfer of money, for example, by printing a payment document from an online bank or by attaching a receipt for the receipt of funds. Only on the basis of this data will the attacker be punished.
