[** Please Read **] Bargain Advice for the recession!

dougdub

Found a great piece of advice on making sure you can get your money back from shops if they go under. Good advice as many shops are discounting big just to get cash!

http://bargainspy.blogspot.com/2009/01/bargain-advice-pay-by-cc-for-big-items.html

In these testing times for retailers there are plenty of bargains to be had in shopping centres up and down the country so be very careful when buying items with a lead time.

Even if you have the cash to make your purchase, pay for any large furniture/electrical items by credit card. Especially those with long delivery lead times - sixteen weeks for sofas, etc.

Beware of places that seem to be offering unrealistic deals, just to get cash/orders in. Some of these places would appear to be placed on stop with their suppliers and need cash in to try and trade out any difficulties facing them in the new year.

You should be covered by your CC company if they go down!

Just some advice in these testing times!

Bill-e

Top notch bit of advice there buddy

Basq

I'm gonna leave this thread here as it's extremely good advice!

Murt10 actually recommended to me 2 days back about putting up something similar to this - so I recommend everyone take heed of this!

Hope original author doesn't mind if I quote his blog-post but I'll leave the source intact.

Gran Hermano

To add to the advice, be careful for the same reasons with credit notes, gift vouchers and leaving items in for repair.

PIMPHO

Sorry if this is a stupid question but how would you be covered by your cc company if the company goes bust?

snubbleste

basquille wrote: »

I'm gonna leave this thread here as it's extremely good advice!
Murt10 actually recommended to me 2 days back about putting up something similar to this - so I recommend everyone take heed of this!
Hope original author doesn't mind if I quote his blog-post but I'll leave the source intact.

Would this not be more suited to the Consumer Issues forum?

Basq

snubbleste wrote: »

Would this not be more suited to the Consumer Issues forum?

Yeah... but it's every bit as apt here as it is Consumer Issues.

Might copy the original post there too.

EDIT: There's a copy of this thread in both Consumer Issues and Bargain Alerts now.

Oryx

PIMPHO wrote: »

Sorry if this is a stupid question but how would you be covered by your cc company if the company goes bust?

Cos the cc company would be required to refund you if the business doesnt complete your contract (as in supply your goods) or cannot/ will not refund you.

rubadub

PIMPHO wrote: »

Sorry if this is a stupid question but how would you be covered by your cc company if the company goes bust?

Possibly, I think you would have got money back on zavvi vouchers if paid with CC.

My sister works in CC in the bank and tells me to buy everything I can on CC, I know a guy whos glasses broke and he got insurance on CC he never even knew he had (till she told him to try).

I have a dual visa & mastercard, i.e. only pay the one government charge. Some items are better to buy on particular cards, for various reasons. e.g. it might be better to book a holiday on visa rather than mastercard.

sunnyside

rubadub wrote: »

Some items are better to buy on particular cards, for various reasons. e.g. it might be better to book a holiday on visa rather than mastercard.

I've never heard that before--Why

babaloushka

rubadub wrote: »

Some items are better to buy on particular cards, for various reasons. e.g. it might be better to book a holiday on visa rather than mastercard.

+1 - would like to know the reason for this too. I used to have both Visa and Mastercard, but changed banks a couple of times and ended up with only the Mastercard. Would I be better trying to get both again now?

samhail

can someone confirm that if you dont buy "the protection" with the credit card you still have the right to claim back through the cc company if there were problems.

Oryx

samhail wrote: »

can someone confirm that if you dont buy "the protection" with the credit card you still have the right to claim back through the cc company if there were problems.

All I can tell you is that I bought online once, and never got the goods. Company seemed to dissappear. CC company got me to send the transaction details in a letter, and I got a refund of my money from them about two weeks later. I dont pay card protection as Im self employed and its worthless to me.

daheff

as far as i know for buying voucher for Zavvi on credit card, you are not entitled to a refund as you got what you paid for. There were similar issues with HABITAT last year. Zavvi had fulfilled the contract to provide you with a gift voucher. You can have yourself listed as a creditor of the company though (but prob not worthwhile unless the voucher is reasonably large)


As for the Credit card "protection" ...i think that is insurance against you not being able to repay you bill if you lose your job