THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER CONDITIONS THAT MUST APPLY BEFORE YOU MAKE A CLAIM:

Paying for goods or services with a credit card (or certain other types of credit agreement), gives you statutory protection under the Consumer Credit Act if something goes wrong.

This means you can ask the card provider for a refund if the goods or services don’t turn up or are ‘misrepresented’ (what you’ve been sold isn’t what you were told it would be).

These claims are made under what’s known as ‘section 75’ of the Consumer Credit Act (section 75 is the section of the act that applies to purchases like this). In theory, you can make a claim if the seller goes bust, or if you’ve only partially paid for the goods on a credit card.

It’s not all straightforward though. Claims made under section 75 have to meet certain criteria and are looked at on a case-by-case basis by the card provider.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: HOW DO I KNOW IF I’VE GOT RIGHTS UNDER SECTION 75?

If you pay for goods or services on a credit card that cost between £100 and £30,000, the provider is jointly responsible, along with the supplier of the goods or services, for any breach of contract or misrepresentation.

This can involve goods not turning up, items damaged or not doing what they are supposed to, or situations where you’ve been misled by the supplier.

You don’t need to complain directly to the supplier either – but we strongly recommend you do. In fact, make the same complaint using Resolver and cut and paste the same information.

You’re even covered if you’ve only paid a deposit, as long as it was between £100 and £30,000. In cases like this you’re still covered for the whole value of the item.

So, if you pay a £200 deposit for a £2,000 sofa on your card and the rest in cash, if the firm goes into liquidation the card provider would in theory have to pay you the full £2,000.

■ THE card provider must be UK-based, though you can complain about purchases made from firms overseas.

■ YOU are only covered if you buy direct from the supplier, not a third party. Even using PayPal or any third party payment company breaks the chain. This debtor-creditorsupplier relationship is complicated. If in doubt, put a claim in anyway.

■ DEBIT card payments, cheques and transfers are not covered by the Consumer Credit Act, though you may be able to make a ‘chargeback’ if there’s a dispute with a debit card payment.

■ THOUGH section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act is a great piece of legislation when it comes to consumer rights, it is still open to interpretation. So, though it makes sense to pay for items on a credit card, just in case something goes wrong, it does not guarantee that you’ll get your money back.

■ For help, contact Resolver at resolver.co.uk/