Refund - Guest Events - Paris

snowberry

In April I paid to go to a Convention for June 2017. Pretty similar to San Diego Comic Con, but smaller.

Guest Events is a French company. Last night they posted on their Facebook page that they were not doing conventions anymore as they have no money. No notice on their website, no email, no mention of refunds, no apology! Basically they've done a runner with 100's of people's money.

I paid in 3 instalments. The 1st was by credit card in mid April. The 2nd & 3rd at the end of April was on my debit card.

I understand that I am out of the 120 day Chargeback period for my debit card. However, can I claim for the full amount on my credit card under my Section 75 rights or just the first instalment?

Thanks!

shaun_from_Africa

snowberry wrote: »

However, can I claim for the full amount on my credit card under my Section 75 rights or just the first instalment?

How much was the total paid?
Provided that it was more than £100 then you should be covered under S75 for the full amount and not just the sum paid on the credit card.

snowberry

The total was €799

lincroft1710

Make sure you get the refund in euros, you'll probably make a 50% profit!

snowberry

I was wondering that! Presume they'd use the exchange rate from way back then too?

wealdroam

snowberry wrote: »

I understand that I am out of the 120 day Chargeback period for my debit card.

I believe you are mistaken there.

MSE's Chargeback article does mention the 120 day time limit, but it also explains when that 120 days starts from:

Act quickly as there's a claim deadline

The rules set by Visa, chargeback and American Express only usually give you 120 days to get a claim in – and the clock usually starts ticking when you first notice a problem though it will depend on the type of situation. Here are some examples:

Broken goods
You buy a bicycle and take it for a first spin two weeks later only to discover its brakes are faulty – and the retailer won't help sort it. The deadline starts when you spotted the deficiency.

Failed delivery
A delivery date for your ordered goods isn't met, the item never arrives and complaint calls to the firm go unanswered. The deadline starts with the original missed delivery.

Collapsed company
You book a flight or trip with a firm that then goes bust before you take it. The deadline starts from the date the flight was due to take off or the holiday to start.

I would suggest you are within the 120 day time limit, as the problem was first seen a matter of days ago.

However, having said that, a Section 75 claim may well be more appropriate.

About that €799 you mention.
Is that the price you paid for several attendees?
I mention that because for S75 to apply the price per item has to be over £100, not the total order value.

unholyangel

snowberry wrote: »

I was wondering that! Presume they'd use the exchange rate from way back then too?

Did they charge you in £ or in €?

If €, they should refund in €. If £ then they should refund in £.

unholyangel

wealdroam wrote: »

About that €799 you mention.
Is that the price you paid for several attendees?
I mention that because for S75 to apply the price per item has to be over £100, not the total order value.

Although it could still be one item even if paying for several attendees if it was a package of 10 tickets for 10 people as opposed to you buying 10 separate tickets for 10 people.

Sorry, I know you'll probably know that but was just in case OP misunderstood your post.

snowberry

To get in was €469, then photos & autographs were extras, but all made up to a 'package' (paid for in 3 instalments). but each individual item was more than £100. Barclays told me that the original transaction was the '120' period, not the date the problem occurred?

wealdroam

snowberry wrote: »

To get in was €469, then photos & autographs were extras, but all made up to a 'package' (paid for in 3 instalments). but each individual item was more than £100.

Then a Section 75 claim is more appropriate than a chargeback.
Have you read MSE's Section 75 article?

snowberry wrote: »

Barclays told me that the original transaction was the '120' period, not the date the problem occurred?

This can probably be explained by these short extracts from MSE's Chargeback guide:

Some claims CAN be made after 120 days – for example if you paid for something that was to be provided at a point in the future – a point often unspecified – but that didn't end up being supplied.

It goes on to say:

However, even with these claims, there's a time limit of a maximum 540 days from the date of the transaction. It's worth noting most bank staff don't really know about this procedure, so you may need to explain it to them.

But as a Section 75 claim has the backing of The Consumer Credit Act, I would go down that route.