We’re at our wits’ finish with John Lewis Finance after it turned down our bank card declare.
Final yr we paid a small unbiased firm to provide and set up a kitchen for us. The entire value underneath the contract was £29,950. We paid just below £9,000, totally on bank cards with John Lewis Finance. About six months later, when the set up date was approaching, we paid the identical firm for the acquisition of kitchen home equipment – however underneath a separate contract.
Sadly, the corporate then successfully disappeared, and all our makes an attempt to contact them have failed. So we took the matter up with John Lewis as our bank card supplier. First, workers refused to do a chargeback, with out explaining why. Then they mentioned they wouldn’t refund us underneath part 75, as a result of our contract (singular) was for greater than the £30,000 higher restrict. We now have despatched them the 2 separate contracts, with as a lot info as their on-line type allowed, however they don’t appear to grasp that the contracts are separate and may have been handled as such.
We now have phoned them thrice within the final month to complain however have been instructed our case is hopeless due to the £30,000 restrict, and we must always simply drop it.
This entire expertise has been very distressing for us, and John Lewis’s refusal to interact in any respect leaves us at a loss now as to what to do subsequent. Are you able to assist?
JH, West Sussex
This isn’t the primary letter we’ve had from a reader who had had what gave the impression to be a superbly legitimate part 75 declare turned down. The clause holds bank card suppliers collectively answerable for offering the merchandise or service purchased through the cardboard, supplied it value no less than £100 and under £30,000. Shoppers can declare from the cardboard supplier if the provider collapses earlier than the contract is fulfilled, supplied the cost was made on to the corporate in query. You don’t must have paid the complete sum to assert, simply no less than £100.
Nevertheless, as Guardian Cash has reported prior to now, the banks are sometimes very reluctant to pay out such claims.
On the time of your funds, John Lewis’s bank cards have been supplied by HSBC – since switched to NewDay.
On account of our intervention, the financial institution has now agreed to pay your close to £30,000 declare. An HSBC spokesperson mentioned your declare had been “incorrectly assessed by our agent”. It has additionally apologised and despatched you an extra £200 goodwill cost.
Audi vendor repairs
There was a really fascinating response to our latest request for readers’ experiences of utilizing Audi sellers for repairs to older vehicles. Among the studies have been stunning.
KM described taking his 10-year-old Audi Q3 for a service and MOT at a primary vendor.
“It failed the MOT because of two broken tyres and a damaged rear suspension spring. As well as, the vendor advisable the substitute of brake discs, restore of an oil seal and a transmission fluid leak, and substitute of a cam belt, although this was not a requirement within the automobile’s unique service handbook. The entire estimate to be paid for the ‘required’ work was about £6,000.
“I took the automobile to a different storage, the place many of the work was deemed pointless. They discovered no proof of leaks, discs have been wonderful, changed rear brake pads (though there was loads of put on nonetheless left on them) and changed the damaged spring. The entire value for this, together with two top-quality tyres and a repeat MOT, was £734.”
AW wrote: “My Audi A5 was in our native dealership for an annual service and its first MOT. Sadly, it failed the MOT because the ‘offside rear shock absorber has a critical fluid leak’. The useful inspection video on the dealership buyer portal confirmed the oil trickling out. The price of substitute was huge, particularly as the advice is to switch each side on the identical time.
“I rang a pal within the commerce to get a less expensive quote. He expressed big scepticism. The dealership reluctantly launched the automobile, saying it wasn’t authorized to drive. I took it straight spherical to a different MOT station (not mentioning its latest fail) and it handed with no points. And 6 years on, there’s nonetheless no signal of an issue with the shock absorbers.”
PC wrote: “About 10 years in the past, the driving force’s airbag warning mild on our nine-year-old A4 got here on. The dealership needed £250 to run a prognosis, and suggested that topic to that, it was probably an airbag failure, which might value £2,500 to repair.
“A fast Google prompt that in that mannequin, with electrical seats, it was not unusual for {the electrical} connection underneath the seat to work unfastened with time. For £25 I purchased a bona fide VAG code reader on-line, and browse the diagnostics for myself. I checked the connector, pushed it tight and reset the error code, and it was all wonderful for the remainder of the automobile’s life.” Caveat emptor.