Suppliers can go bust, goods can fail to arrive or turn up in bits. But the glitches in getting hitched needn’t end up expensive glitches. Wedding insurance is one way to make sure you get your moneys worth; knowing your consumer rights is a double protection.
You have a number of statutory rights, as well as some additional forms of protection from debit and credit card providers. Take a look at the examples below to see how the rules could work in practice.
“My wedding dress shop went bust”
Let’s say you bought a £700 wedding dress. You paid £350 of that with a credit card and the rest in cash. Now the shop has gone bust and says it can’t supply the dress or give your money back.
Now, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, your credit card provider is equally liable (with the retailer) for any purchase you make on the card between £100 and £30,000.
A business going bust is a classic case where Section 75 applies; you’d just call your provider to make a claim and get your money back.
Note also that you’d get the full £700 back even though you only paid £350 on the card. We like Section 75.
Note also that if you hadn’t paid with credit card and cash but with a debit card you could still be protected.
Chargeback schemes from card issuers – Visa, Mastercard and American Express – offer a full refund in situations like the one above. They’re not required to give money back by law and each scheme has its own rules so it’s less sturdy protection but, even so, many have benefited from giving their bank a call to claim.
“I bought plates online but they don’t look like I expected them to”
Under Distance Selling Regulations you have the right to cancel an order and return items for up to seven days after you received them by post.
Remember, too, that the Sale of Goods Act 1979 says goods must be:
- Of satisfactory quality
- As they were described
- Fit for purpose and
- Last a reasonable length of time.
These are often worth knowing when making a complaint to a retailer about a fault.
“I bought plates online… but I’ve smashed them”
Accidents happen and, unless they arrived smashed, this is certainly not the retailer’s fault.
However, this is something some credit card providers may be able to help with. Big providers such as Capital One and Barclaycard often offer cover against loss, theft and accidental damage for a few months after the purchase.
However, remember that every protection policy is different and many have exceptions so check the small print carefully.
A note on credit cards…
Finally, let’s end all this credit card talk with a warning.
You don’t have to pay any interest on your credit card to take advantage of the consumer protection offered to credit cardholders mentioned above. Nonetheless, credit cards are a way of borrowing and that means that, potentially, they’re a way to get into debt.
Anyone that thinks they may get into unmanageable debt should put the plastic down and back away - being mired in debt is no honeymoon.
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