Credit card purchases

Alongside the basic consumer rights provided by the directives and acts of the UK/EU, credit card companies may also provide extra coverage for it's customers. If you have purchased a defective product or an unsatisfactory service, and have paid for it with a credit card, then the credit card company may be as culpable for a refund as the supplier.

Your first course of action should be to contact the trader for a refund. However, if this course of action proves unfruitful, you should contact the credit card company. The success of your claim will depend on whether,

• The order is over one hundred pounds sterling.
• The order is below thirty thousand pounds sterling.
• The product/service you purchased was not hire purchase.

You should send your request for a refund by writing. The address of a credit card company will be on your monthly statement. There is no guarantee of what action the credit card company may take. They may offer a full refund, a partial refund or may not take any action.

If you are unsatisfied by the response of your credit card company, or have received no response from them, you will have to contact the OFT or Trading Standards for further advice.