claiming a refund?

secretmachines

hi all, season's greetings

I bought a £65 voucher as a christmas present on my credit card (which has cleared) for a local independent health & beauty place... but they closed down last week.

there's a notice in the window from the owner saying they have closed with immediate effect due to unforeseen circumstances. there is also another notice saying the occupiers have 14 days to remove all possessions, etc... so presumable they have been evicted.

is there any chance I can get a refund, etc.? or what process I can go through?

lisyloo

You can try you credit card company but they are only liable if the amount is over £100.
Some comapnies are generous and may help, but you have no entitlement.

You are a creditor of the company but normally there is nothing left in a liquidation situation becauase the liquidators, tax man, banks and employers have preferential treatment over normal creditors.

So you may be unlucky and have lost your money.

Try your lender and hope you have a good one.

secretmachines

lisyloo wrote: »

You can try you credit card company but they are only liable if the amount is over £100.
Some comapnies are generous and may help, but you have no entitlement.

You are a creditor of the company but normally there is nothing left in a liquidation situation becauase the liquidators, tax man, banks and employers have preferential treatment over normal creditors.

So you may be unlucky and have lost your money.

Try your lender and hope you have a good one.

hmm, what a shame... there is a contact number in the window (of the lady who ran the business), so I might try and call her and be very nice and ask if she'll refund. I don't think she has other businesses in the area, or I may have been able to have the voucher made valid at another salon.

thanks for your help

lisyloo

so I might try and call her and be very nice and ask if she'll refund

Technically she should not refund you.
Sorry I don't mean to sound unsympathetic but she has legal obligations to others including employees who have lost their jobs.
There is a strict order of preference of payments and she would be in breach of her legal obligations if she removed as much as a tea bag or a penny from the business.

If she is starting another business then she might honour the voucher elsewhere.

But personally I would think about delaying until the new year.
Employees have lost their jobs and someone may have lost their home.
I am sympathetic, but I think I would leave them alone over Xmas.

secretmachines

lisyloo wrote: »

Technically she should not refund you.
Sorry I don't mean to sound unsympathetic but she has legal obligations to others including employees who have lost their jobs.
There is a strict order of preference of payments and she would be in breach of her legal obligations if she removed as much as a tea bag or a penny from the business.

If she is starting another business then she might honour the voucher elsewhere.

But personally I would think about delaying until the new year.
Employees have lost their jobs and someone may have lost their home.
I am sympathetic, but I think I would leave them alone over Xmas.

thanks
i've not had to deal with anything like this, so any advice is gratefully received

gnaril

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

No matter what the amount the bank has the possibility to lookinto a chargeback.

Your circumstances are clear.

You paid for a service and wont recieve that service from the merchant concerned.

Contact your bank they should have a form for this for you to complete. You will need to enclose any documentation you have - possibly copy of voucher / also details of how you have tried to contact the merchant concered.

They will chargeback the transaction to the merchants bank. Easy as that.

secretmachines

gnaril wrote: »

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

No matter what the amount the bank has the possibility to lookinto a chargeback.

Your circumstances are clear.

You paid for a service and wont recieve that service from the merchant concerned.

Contact your bank they should have a form for this for you to complete. You will need to enclose any documentation you have - possibly copy of voucher / also details of how you have tried to contact the merchant concered.

They will chargeback the transaction to the merchants bank. Easy as that.

hehe thanks Gnaril, more to throw into the pot

Looks like the best thing to do is phone my credit card company and ask for their advice