Card statement as proof of purchase

CIARAN_BOYLE

Heya. I bought an item three weeks ago. Unfortunatly it has proved to be of sub merchantable quality.

Also unforunatly I failed to retain my receipt. Will a debit card statement with the name of the shop and price of the item be acceptable as proof of purchase.

Esoteric_

In short, yes. :P

the groutch

In long, if that's the only item you bought in that transaction and therefore the amounts match, it should be sufficient.
If there was other stuff too, they could dig their heels in and say that it just proves you bought something there, it depends on the retailer.
afaik there is nothing writen into consumer law in relation to retailers having to accept it as proof of purchase, but in most cases common sense will prevail.

P. Breathnach

I agree with the_groutch: in effect it comes down to reasonable behaviour.

Strictly speaking, an entry on a card or bank statement is not proof of purchase: it is evidence of purchase. That is slightly weaker, but would be sufficient in most cases.

dudara

A statement is sufficient proof of purchase.

Taken from National Consumer Agency

The shop is entitled to request proof of purchase, but this doesn't necessarily have to be the shop receipt. You could show your credit or debit card statement if you used one or any other documentation that proves it was purchased in that particular shop or retail chain

P. Breathnach

dudara wrote: »

A statement is sufficient proof of purchase.

Taken from National Consumer Agency

I disagree. That's simply a careless representation of the position. Were an entry on, for example, a credit card statement taken as proof rather than as evidence, it would open the door for all sorts of preposterous claims.

sandin

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Heya. I bought an item three weeks ago. Unfortunatly it has proved to be of sub merchantable quality.
.

How has it proved to be of sub merchantable quality?

If its the case that the item is fine and your expectations of the item were far higher, then you may not have a case for return, especially if it has been used.

If it is faulty, then the store can exchange / repair it if they feel they want to.

dudara

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I disagree. That's simply a careless representation of the position. Were an entry on, for example, a credit card statement taken as proof rather than as evidence, it would open the door for all sorts of preposterous claims.

Any retailer should be able to find the card transaction on their systems, and then link it back to a till transaction, thus establishing the proof.

Putting the doubt in people's mind that a card statement is not sufficient is weakening their knowledge as consumers.

P. Breathnach

dudara wrote: »

Any retailer should be able to find the card transaction on their systems, and then link it back to a till transaction, thus establishing the proof.

So the proof is not the credit card statement, but the retailer's record of the transaction. That's generally a workable line, but some small retailers do not have records that enable individual transactions to be traced from CC records.

Putting the doubt in people's mind that a card statement is not sufficient is weakening their knowledge as consumers.

No, it is not. I said that a CC record is evidence rather than proof.

Suppose I brought a retailer to court seeking a remedy for a portable PC that had the functionality of a brick, and produced a CC statement showing €399 paid to that retailer as "proof of purchase". Suppose also that the retailer produced a record of having sold a cooker to me on the relevant date for €399. How stands my "proof"?

dudara

I think you're getting niggledy here, which is confusing for consumers who just want simple advice - and the simple fact is that a statement is sufficient in place of a receipt.

To answer your question in detail - the law is in favour of the consumer, but also acts to protect the retailer. In your cooker/PC scenario - it is one word versus the other, and should it go to court, a judge will adjudicate based on the facts presented..

P. Breathnach

dudara wrote: »

I think you're getting niggledy here

No, I am not. I am trying to be precise.

which is confusing for consumers who just want simple advice - and the simple fact is that a statement is sufficient in place of a receipt.

Re-read my first post. I affirmed the simple advice given by the_groutch. Then I added a further point as clarification or general information. You chose to argue with that further point.

To answer your question in detail - the law is in favour of the consumer, but also acts to protect the retailer. In your cooker/PC scenario - it is one word versus the other, and should it go to court, a judge will adjudicate based on the facts presented..

So the CC statement is not proof of purchase.

Ken.

If you brought a pc and a cooker for €399 each there would be 2 transactions on your card or am i missing something here.

P. Breathnach

ken wrote: »

If you brought a pc and a cooker for €399 each there would be 2 transactions on your card or am i missing something here.

You are missing something. I might have acquired the PC somewhere else, and seeking to make the retailer responsible might be a try-on.

[But it's a what-if scenario, so don't worry too much about my having failed to make things clear.]

MistyCheese

So in this what-if scenario you have bought a PC at a store for €399. Later that day you go back to the same store and buy a cooker for €399. Unfortunately the PC doesn't compute so back you go to the store with your bank statement as "proof of purchase" but the store employees argue that the €399 on your statement could refer to the cooker that, for all we know, is working fine.

Couldn't you just show them the other €399 charge from the same store on the same day and explain that you also bought a PC that day for the same price? Their records should reflect the same.

Your bank statement states where you spent the €399 so if you bought a PC in PC Planet and tried to return it to Hardley Normals because you'd bought a cooker in Hardley Normals that happened to be the same price then surely the staff at Hardley Normals would point out "but this €399 went to PC Planet. I'd say you probably bought it there."

Ken.

^^^^Thats what i wanted to say.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Got a replacement no problem CC statment was accepted as proof of purchase

Procrastastudy

Did this to death in the Legal Discussions forum. Basic principles. You can use all sorts of things for proof / evidence of purchase. If it gets to court the Judge would have to be 51% sure you purchased it from X place on Y date.

A credit card statement even if it wasn't for the right amount, multiple items purchased, would most likely be acceptable. As would an own brand item in certain circumstances.