On the one hand, there is the “relief” of being reimbursed. On the other, there is anger that remains, and questions. After long months of waiting, several parents who had ordered childcare equipment from Natal Market without having received it were finally entitled to a refund, they testify this Friday to Parisian.
Pierre had thus bought a stroller and a carrycot on the brand’s website for the sum of 657 euros in September. After a series of reminders, a letter from a lawyer and passages in the media, the father of the family was able to be reimbursed in mid-February.
Same thing for Jamila, who had paid nearly 400 euros in August, who was entitled to a refund in February. Patricia, she was waiting for her 627 euros disbursed in April: she had her transfer on February 9. “I sent them emails every day, I put a lot of pressure on them,” she says.
In January, around fifteen customers who felt aggrieved by the French childcare brand had told their setbacks to the Parisian. Some had even lost up to nearly 1,400 euros by ordering Yoyo or Cybex brand strollers, online or in stores, without ever having received them. Unhappy, they then joined dozens of other parents or future parents in Facebook and WhatsApp groups to consider collective action.
Missing offsets
The action bore fruit: after months of calls, reminder emails, and above all several press articles, reimbursements poured in this month of February, according to the messages from parents on the groups. in question.
They “have all been reimbursed or delivered”, assures Gwenaëlle Mountary, manager of the brand, who is however not able to quantify the total number of people concerned. “I wanted to go all the way, keep my commitments, and not go through a judicial liquidation. I could have taken the easy way out and done that,” she adds.
“It’s a relief to be reimbursed,” says Pierre, for his part. But he has his reservations: the Consumer Code, he recalls, indicates that in the event of late repayment, the sum returned must be increased by 10 to 50%. However, the people reimbursed were not entitled to this additional compensation. “We would like the law to apply,” slips Pierre. Asked about her commitment to provide these increases, Gwenaëlle Mountary did not wish to answer.
“What did they do with our money? »
Although reimbursed, some customers wronged by Natal Market still say they are angry. Because for them, there was, at the very least, an attempted fraud in this story – a charge firmly rejected by Gwenaelle Mountary. “In the group, many are afraid that it could start again, that there are other victims of this stress”, testifies Jamila. She had filed a complaint against the leaders of Natal Market, but intends to withdraw it. “It wore me out, I don’t have the strength to hire a lawyer. »
Pierre, he does not intend to let go of the case. “I would like justice to act, that our complaints are not closed without action, that there are no other cases where people can be defrauded”, he testifies. And wonders: “What did they do with our money during all these months? “Other customers had, like him, filed a complaint for fraud, and are still waiting for news on this subject. According to RMC, an investigation was also opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office for “misleading commercial practices” against the company, from October 2022.
On the side of Natal Market, which had, for a time, closed its shops, activity will soon resume. “Some shops that have not been sold will reopen, in particular that of the 15th arrondissement of Paris”, indicates Gwenaëlle Mountary, without specifying a date. “I’m re-adapting my concept,” she explains. She also promises that there will “always” be Cybex and Babyzen strollers on her shelves.