Q I recently ordered furniture online, but within a week of my order the retailer went bust – and it now looks like I’ve little, if any, chance of getting what I ordered. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with the company about getting a refund. Can I use chargeback to get my money back?
A If you paid for your furniture by credit or debit card, you may be able to get your money back through a chargeback, where your credit or debit card provider agrees to reverse the transaction, says Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute.
This is on the basis that the goods were not delivered, though this will depend on exactly when the payment was made, as well as the terms and conditions of your credit card.
In situations like this, the advice is normally to contact the shop first (which you have tried to do), or the liquidator if one has been appointed, to see if you can get the furniture delivered or your money back.
When contacting the liquidator, include details of the product, how much you paid for it and whether you want it to be delivered or get a refund.
If you can’t get your money back, or if the company can’t arrange a quick delivery of the item, get in touch with your card provider immediately and request a chargeback, Mr Kavanagh says.
Chargeback allows you to dispute a credit card payment in certain circumstances, including fraud or where the supplier did not deliver the goods or services that you paid for. If the chargeback is successful, your credit card provider reverses the transaction, which in turn means you get your money back. However, you usually only have a certain amount of time to request a chargeback.