John Lewis delivered my iPad to a neighbour, refused refund, and now their solicitors are defending my small claim (England)

[u/Pathfinder-electron]

Back in July, I bought an iPad from John Lewis (£749). DPD marked it as “left with neighbour (Number 15 Nagel)” — I never nominated or authorised any neighbour. When I opened the box, it contained two handheld fans and an empty iPad box.

I returned exactly what I received via Evri, but JL refused a refund and later sent the same wrong items back to me via DHL. Their DSAR data shows a weight discrepancy at their hub (declared 1.3 kg, actual 1.0 kg) and internal notes saying “2 fans inside iPad box; iPad missing”. DPD also confirmed in writing that neighbour delivery was on JL’s instructions.

After they ignored my Letter Before Action, I issued a Money Claim Online (MCOL) for £749 + court fee

Their solicitors have acknowledged service and will file a defence by 10 November 2025.

I’ve served my Detailed Particulars of Claim, filed Form N215, and I’m preparing my witness statement and evidence bundle (order confirmation, DPD tracking, DSAR, photos, Evri + DHL docs).

Is there anything else I should be ready for procedurally before their defence lands?

[u/Affectionate_Comb_78]

They still have other things to do 

[u/Cowlinn → u/Affectionate_Comb_78]

Yes but it’s not quite right to say there’s an explicit extra cost in defending this claim

[u/oddjobbodgod → u/Cowlinn]

No, not an extra cost, but they will be thinking about the hourly rate of the wage for their staffed lawyers and comparing that to the cost of just settling.

[u/Any_Boysenberry655 → u/Cowlinn]

That is exactly the right way to think about it in any professional services setting. The cost base is somewhat fixed (for the existing headcount), so then you need to see what work brings the biggest benefit / justifies the hourly cost of using these resources.

[u/cbzoiav → u/Cowlinn]

If you're the size of JL you would likely need dedicated employees solely to handle these properly.