Great UK based info:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/consumer-rights-refunds-exchangeDO: Pay by credit card if it's over £100
Pay for £100+ goods on a credit card and the card company's jointly liable with the retailer if something goes wrong. This applies to gift cards and vouchers too, provided each denomination is at least £100. Though only do this if you can clear the card in full next month to avoid interest.
This gives you extra legal rights, but for full details see the Section 75 Refunds guide.Section 75 refunds - Free protection for ALL spending;
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchasesSection 75 (UK)
The law behind this
This all comes from Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, hence why this is sexily named Section 75. It rather impenetrably says…
75. — (1) If the debtor under a debtor-creditor-supplier agreement falling within section 12(b) or (c) has, in relation to a transaction financed by the agreement, any claim against the supplier in respect of a misrepresentation or breach of contract, he shall have a like claim against the creditor, who, with the supplier, shall accordingly be jointly and severally liable to the debtor. Read it in full
(2) Subject to any agreement between them, the creditor shall be entitled to be indemnified by the supplier for loss suffered by the creditor in satisfying his liability under sub-section (1), including costs reasonably incurred by him in defending proceedings instituted by the debtor.
(3) Sub-section (1) does not apply to a claim:
(a) under a non-commercial agreement,
(b) so far as the claim relates to a single item to which the supplier has attached a cash price not exceeding £100 or more than £30,000, or
(c) under a debtor-creditor-supplier agreement for running-account credit:
(i) which provides for the making of payments by the debtor in relation to specified periods which, in the case of an agreement which is not secured on land, do not exceed three months, and
(ii) which requires that the number of payments to be made by the debtor in repayments of the whole amount of the credit provided in each such period shall not exceed one.
(4) This section applies notwithstanding that the debtor, in entering into the transaction, exceeded the credit limit or otherwise contravened any term of the agreement.
(5) In an action brought against the creditor under sub-section (1) he shall be entitled, in accordance with rules of court, to have the supplier made a party in the proceedings.
75A (1)If the debtor under a linked credit agreement has a claim against the supplier in respect of a breach of contract the debtor may pursue that claim against the creditor where any of the conditions in subsection (2) are met.
(2)The conditions in subsection (1) are—
(a)that the supplier cannot be traced,
(b)that the debtor has contacted the supplier but the supplier has not responded,
(c)that the supplier is insolvent, or
(d)that the debtor has taken reasonable steps to pursue his claim against the supplier but has not obtained satisfaction for his claim.
(3)The steps referred to in subsection (2)(d) need not include litigation.
(4)For the purposes of subsection (2)(d) a debtor is to be deemed to have obtained satisfaction where he has accepted a replacement product or service or other compensation from the supplier in settlement of his claim.
(5)In this section “linked credit agreement” means a regulated consumer credit agreement which serves exclusively to finance an agreement for the supply of specific goods or the provision of a specific service and where—
(a)the creditor uses the services of the supplier in connection with the preparation or making of the credit agreement, or
(b)the specific goods or provision of a specific service are explicitly specified in the credit agreement.
(6)This section does not apply where—
(a)the cash value of the goods or service is £30, 000 or less,
(b)the linked credit agreement is for credit which exceeds £60, 260, or
(c)the linked credit agreement is entered into by the debtor wholly or predominantly for the purposes of a business carried on, or intended to be carried on, by him.
(7)Subsections (2) to (5) of section 16B (declaration by the debtor as to the purposes of the agreement) apply for the purposes of subsection (6)(c).
(8)This section does not apply to an agreement secured on land.
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Business to business sales, are consumer rights applicable?!
In short, yes, unless the company you are dealing with has specifically underwritten terms in their Terms and Conditions negating aspects of your consumer rights. This is known as an exclusion clause, and is yet another reason why Terms and Conditions should always be read and thoroughly discussed in your respective thread.
How do you know if the contract (business to business) takes away your statutory rights?
If the person who sold you the goods or services has taken away your statutory rights, there should be something in your contract about this. For example, it might say the seller isn't responsible for goods that are unsatisfactory, don't match their description or aren't fit for purpose. Or it might say that the seller isn't responsible for any loss you've suffered because of their lack of care or skill. This type of content in a contract is called an exclusion clause.http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_problems_with_business_to_business_services_e/consumer_protection_for_businesses.htm"Advance fee fraud is when fraudsters target victims to make advance or upfront payments for goods, services and/or financial gains that do not materialise."
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud-az-advance-fee-fraud--
US Based InfoWhat to do if you are a victimWrite to the Federal Trade Commission:
[email protected] - copy them on the email and explain what has occurred since.
If you have lost moneyIf you believe you are a victim of advance fee fraud, the coalition members strongly encourage you to file a complaint with your local police. If you are in the United States consider filing a complaint with the Federal Beaureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
http://www.affcoalition.org/victim.htmlComplaints with any US or Canadian business: Better Business Bureau - Contact the Better Business Bureau in the US State the company is located.
State and Local Consumer Protection Agencies Master List for the United Stateshttp://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/stateconsumeragencieslist.phpThe Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspxAll types of frauds: There are some NON-government organizations that can help: You can also report the problem to law enforcement agencies through the complaint form at the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch or 800-876-7060, TDD 202-835-0778. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.
National Fraud Information Center and Internet Fraud Watch, USA
http://www.fraud.org/--
International (including China)INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries including the US and China. Their role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Their high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.
http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Financial-crime/Fraudhttp://www.interpol.int/Contact-INTERPOLhttp://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/Asia-South-Pacific/Chinahttp://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/Americas/United-StateHow to report Internet crime that has occurred in each country including China;
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting.phpBelgium[email protected].
Brazil[email protected] to report Brazilian spam, also see Brazilian CERT-BR
CanadaBetter Business Bureau;
http://www.bbb.org/#Industry Canada Consumer Connection (Scams);
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/homeChina[email protected] and
[email protected] . Also see Anti-spam CN
Denmark[email protected] - Include a brief description of your complaint, your name, address and email address.
New ZealandCommerce Commission;
http://www.comcom.govt.nz/Consumers' Institute of New Zealand, Inc.;
http://www.consumer.org.nzMinistry of Consumer Affairs, New Zealand;
http://www.consumer-ministry.govt.nzNZ Serious Fraud Office;
http://www.sfo.govt.nz/Germany[email protected] . Also see Daten Schutz.
Hong Kong[email protected].
Korea[email protected]. Also see the Korea Spam Response Center
MalaysiaMalaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for Malaysian spam
Netherlands[email protected].
NorwayPolice Economic Crime Unit, Norway (press "Bedragerier");
http://www.okokrim.no/