The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has urged the 7,000 customers who have been affected by the examinership of homes and garden retailer Rathwood to take action immediately in efforts to receive refunds or goods that have been paid for but not received.
The CCPC says that it is aware that the Examiner appointed to Rath-wood Home and Garden World Limited, commonly known as Rathwood, has written to approximately 7,000 affected customers who are awaiting refunds or the delivery of goods. The Examiner told those customers that they should expect to only get a “nominal sum” back.
The CCPC said today that it is “advising affected consumers to take action immediately”.
The Commission said that consumers who have outstanding orders with Rathwood should request a chargeback from their bank or card provider if they have not already done so. Chargeback is a process where your card provider (usually your bank) can reverse the transaction and return your money – with the CCPC providing further information on their website.
They also advised that customers register their claim against Rathwood using the online form provided by the Examiner – Pádraic Bermingham of Strata Financial – which is available here: Customer Enquiry Form.
The Examiner’s letter explained that he was appointed by the High Court as examiner on May 8th – and noted that he has no managerial role in respect of Rathwood. “Any queries regarding your dealings with Rathwood should be directed to the company directly and not to me,” he said. He was contacting customers because “Rathwood’s records indicate that a significant number of customers have outstanding claims in respect of unfulfilled orders and/or unpaid refund requests arising prior to the
examinership and that you may be one of these customers”.
Last month, a High Court hearing as part of the examinership heard that Rathwood had liabilities totalling €18 million, including €10 million owed to trade creditors, €1.4 million to the Revenue Commissioners and €2.5 million in customer deposits and vouchers.
Grainne Griffin, Director of Communications, Consumer Information and Financial Education, said: “We advise any affected consumers to review the correspondence from the Examiner carefully and to complete the form provided as soon as possible. Those who wish to request a chargeback should contact their bank or card provider immediately.”
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for enforcing and promoting compliance with competition, consumer protection and product safety law, with new and expanding roles in digital and data regulation.