Customers counting the cost of shop closure

9:00am Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in Local News

Customers counting the cost of shop closure Customers counting the cost of shop closure

WORRIED customers have been left counting the cost after a furniture business in Leigh closed suddenly.

People who have paid deposits of £1,000 for new sofas have got in touch with the Echo since Holmes Furnishers shut its doors last week with no notice.

Pamela and Roger Norris, of Rayleigh Road, Eastwood, visited the shop in Broadway West and ordered two new sofas on December 1.

They paid £1,000 deposit on debit card with £1,300 left to pay.

Mr Norris, 65, said: “We knew nothing about the shop closing until my sister in law who works in Leigh rang to say she went past and said it was empty.

“We went down there and there was no notice and the phone just rings. I had a leaflet for the company who make our settee and called them and they hadn’t even had our order.

“There was nothing to concern us when we placed the order and it wasn’t being delivered for ten weeks. Its a mystery as to what’s happened. We don’t know if they’ve gone into liquidation or administration at all.”

The couple hope to get a refund through the bank but Mr Norris added: “I feel sorry for anyone not covered by a refund scheme or credit card.”

A customer in this situation is Muriel Ray who has given up hope of seeing £600 cash paid in deposit for a sofa to be delivered in six weeks time.

Mrs Ray, from Rochford, said: “We ordered our sofa on January 3. There were signs up make a reasonable offer, my husband did but it was refused.

“We paid £600 cash and £300 on credit card. There was no hint of a problem and now we’ve lost that money, It’s terrible.”

The Echo tried to contact Holmes but had no reply.

Comments (12)

9:03am Tue 22 Jan 13

j-w says...

Mrs Ray, I understand that as you have paid over £100 via credit card you are actually entitled to claim the whole amount from the credit card company. Crazy I know. I will see if i can find the link I am sure Martin Lewis mentioned it in one of his newsletters!
Mrs Ray, I understand that as you have paid over £100 via credit card you are actually entitled to claim the whole amount from the credit card company. Crazy I know. I will see if i can find the link I am sure Martin Lewis mentioned it in one of his newsletters! j-w

9:07am Tue 22 Jan 13

j-w says...

Have a good read through this Mrs Ray, especially halfway down!

http://www.moneysavi
ngexpert.com/shoppin
g/section75-protect-
your-purchases

The law's very specific, you get the protection for the whole thing even if you only pay for a part of it on the card, provided what you pay for costs more than £100 and less than £30,000.
Have a good read through this Mrs Ray, especially halfway down! http://www.moneysavi ngexpert.com/shoppin g/section75-protect- your-purchases [quote]The law's very specific, you get the protection for the whole thing even if you only pay for a part of it on the card, provided what you pay for costs more than £100 and less than £30,000.[/quote] j-w

9:15am Tue 22 Jan 13

Russ13 says...

And it there was ever a lesson in why credit cards are good things this is it!

If you set up a credit card with a full direct debit and only purchase what you can afford it gives you so much more protection.

If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account, if you pay by credit card it's the bank's money until you make a payment, this tends to make them very keen to get any issues resolved ASAP ;-)

In 15 years of using a credit card, mine has been compromised 3 times. Each time the fraudulent transactions were removed from my account and a new card was issued within days.

If that'd been a debit card then the money would have been gone from my account and I'd have been without funds until the matter was resolved.
And it there was ever a lesson in why credit cards are good things this is it! If you set up a credit card with a full direct debit and only purchase what you can afford it gives you so much more protection. If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account, if you pay by credit card it's the bank's money until you make a payment, this tends to make them very keen to get any issues resolved ASAP ;-) In 15 years of using a credit card, mine has been compromised 3 times. Each time the fraudulent transactions were removed from my account and a new card was issued within days. If that'd been a debit card then the money would have been gone from my account and I'd have been without funds until the matter was resolved. Russ13

9:58am Tue 22 Jan 13

notinwestcliffanymore says...

Russ13 says...
If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account,.
.
In fact most if not all debit cards (visa) offer 'charge back' in this situation via your bank.
Russ13 says... If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account,. . In fact most if not all debit cards (visa) offer 'charge back' in this situation via your bank. notinwestcliffanymore

10:31am Tue 22 Jan 13

DogsMessInLeigh says...

you should see some protection if using a card...in cases of fraud the bank/card company can take it back from the account it went into and back onto your card.
you should see some protection if using a card...in cases of fraud the bank/card company can take it back from the account it went into and back onto your card. DogsMessInLeigh

10:40am Tue 22 Jan 13

Russ13 says...

notinwestcliffanymor
e wrote:
Russ13 says... If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account,. . In fact most if not all debit cards (visa) offer 'charge back' in this situation via your bank.
I know you can chargeback items on your debit card but from the moment you make the transaction that money is no longer in your account and it could be days/weeks before you see it again.

In another scenario.......... the more you use your debit card online or in shops, the more chance there is of someone cloning/compromising it and taking funds from your account with it.

If they manage to clean your account out you have no money. Yes you are more than likely to get it back within a few days perhaps but that's still a few days with no access to your money.
[quote][p][bold]notinwestcliffanymor e[/bold] wrote: Russ13 says... If you pay cash/debit card then the money's gone out of your account,. . In fact most if not all debit cards (visa) offer 'charge back' in this situation via your bank.[/p][/quote]I know you can chargeback items on your debit card but from the moment you make the transaction that money is no longer in your account and it could be days/weeks before you see it again. In another scenario.......... the more you use your debit card online or in shops, the more chance there is of someone cloning/compromising it and taking funds from your account with it. If they manage to clean your account out you have no money. Yes you are more than likely to get it back within a few days perhaps but that's still a few days with no access to your money. Russ13

10:48am Tue 22 Jan 13

black jack ketchum says...

Yes very well said, I no longer use my debit card, I use my credit card for everything & pay it off every month so no charges to pay, in this day & age where companies are going to the wall knowing full well about it when they take your money I won't risk it
you can't trust anyone anymore
Yes very well said, I no longer use my debit card, I use my credit card for everything & pay it off every month so no charges to pay, in this day & age where companies are going to the wall knowing full well about it when they take your money I won't risk it you can't trust anyone anymore black jack ketchum

11:44am Tue 22 Jan 13

notinwestcliffanymore says...

Well i hope you are using a cashback card, all my advice is free.
Well i hope you are using a cashback card, all my advice is free. notinwestcliffanymore

11:54am Tue 22 Jan 13

black jack ketchum says...

I do indeed!
I do indeed! black jack ketchum

2:37pm Tue 22 Jan 13

streetboy75 says...

the way shops and big stores go under these days , why are people still paying by cash, as above, if you paid on your credit card you will get a full refund and even if you paid on your visa debit card you will also get a full refund, when MFI went in to adminstration we had a bed on order and we paid on our visa debit card, i went in to the halifax and within 7 days we got a full refund back in to our currant account, BUT ALL PLEASE DONT PAY FOR ANYTHING IN CASH, and if any shop says we dont take cards, its there loss shop somewere else.
the way shops and big stores go under these days , why are people still paying by cash, as above, if you paid on your credit card you will get a full refund and even if you paid on your visa debit card you will also get a full refund, when MFI went in to adminstration we had a bed on order and we paid on our visa debit card, i went in to the halifax and within 7 days we got a full refund back in to our currant account, BUT ALL PLEASE DONT PAY FOR ANYTHING IN CASH, and if any shop says we dont take cards, its there loss shop somewere else. streetboy75

12:23am Fri 25 Jan 13

LibbyJ says...

There was a bit of a clue the shop was in trouble, Mrs Ray said the sign said "There were signs up make a reasonable offer, my husband did but it was refused." I really feel for the business owners, they must be gutted. And no small part of the moral responsibility for this must lie at the door of our esteemed council.
There was a bit of a clue the shop was in trouble, Mrs Ray said the sign said "There were signs up make a reasonable offer, my husband did but it was refused." I really feel for the business owners, they must be gutted. And no small part of the moral responsibility for this must lie at the door of our esteemed council. LibbyJ

12:25am Fri 25 Jan 13

LibbyJ says...

streetboy75 wrote:
the way shops and big stores go under these days , why are people still paying by cash, as above, if you paid on your credit card you will get a full refund and even if you paid on your visa debit card you will also get a full refund, when MFI went in to adminstration we had a bed on order and we paid on our visa debit card, i went in to the halifax and within 7 days we got a full refund back in to our currant account, BUT ALL PLEASE DONT PAY FOR ANYTHING IN CASH, and if any shop says we dont take cards, its there loss shop somewere else.
Unless of course you are taking the goods you purchase away with you. Transaction complete.
[quote][p][bold]streetboy75[/bold] wrote: the way shops and big stores go under these days , why are people still paying by cash, as above, if you paid on your credit card you will get a full refund and even if you paid on your visa debit card you will also get a full refund, when MFI went in to adminstration we had a bed on order and we paid on our visa debit card, i went in to the halifax and within 7 days we got a full refund back in to our currant account, BUT ALL PLEASE DONT PAY FOR ANYTHING IN CASH, and if any shop says we dont take cards, its there loss shop somewere else.[/p][/quote]Unless of course you are taking the goods you purchase away with you. Transaction complete. LibbyJ

Comments are closed on this article.

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