Section 75 and Furniture Orders: Claiming a Refund When a Company Fails or Goods Don't Arrive
You ordered a bespoke sofa in October for delivery in January. In December, the furniture company went into administration. Your order is cancelled and your deposit is gone — along with any chance of recovering it through the insolvency process.
Or the delivery finally arrived, but two of the dining chairs are missing, the table has a deep scratch across the surface, or the fabric colour is a different shade entirely from the showroom sample.
If any part of the purchase went on a personal credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may entitle you to a refund from your card provider.
Quick check: does this apply to you?
- ✓ You paid at least £1 of the total order on a personal credit card
- ✓ The total order value was more than £100 and no more than £30,000
- ✓ The company has failed to deliver, gone bust, or the goods arrived damaged or not as described
- ✓ The problem arose within the last six years (England/Wales) or five years (Scotland)
Not sure? Use the free eligibility checker.
Why furniture orders carry particular risk
Most furniture purchases involve a deposit paid weeks or months before delivery. Bespoke or made-to-order pieces — sofas, dining sets, mattresses, wardrobes — often have lead times of 8 to 20 weeks. The longer the gap between payment and delivery, the more exposed you are if the retailer collapses.
Bespoke furniture is especially vulnerable in insolvency. Unlike off-the-shelf stock that an administrator can sell, custom-made pieces have little resale value to anyone other than you. If a company enters administration after making your piece but before delivering it, you are unlikely to recover anything through the insolvency process. Section 75 is frequently the only realistic route.
Your situation — and what you can claim
Company collapsed before delivery. Claim the full order value — not just the deposit. The contract was for delivery of the furniture, not just the acceptance of a deposit.
Order never arrived and company is unresponsive. If the retailer has not entered formal administration but has simply stopped communicating and failed to deliver, this is a breach of contract. You do not need to wait for administration to proceed — non-delivery is grounds for your claim.
Goods arrived damaged. Damage present at delivery is the retailer’s responsibility. The seller’s obligation is to deliver goods of satisfactory quality. If furniture arrives with damage that renders it unsatisfactory, you can claim for the cost of repair or replacement.
Incomplete order. If part of a multi-item order was not delivered, you can claim for the missing items. Keep the delivered items — returning them is not required to make a partial claim.
Goods not as described. If the item delivered differs materially from what was shown in the showroom, catalogue, or online listing — wrong colour, wrong dimensions, different materials — that is a misrepresentation. You can claim for the difference in value or, in more serious cases, a full refund.
What to gather before you write to your bank
Collect these before writing to your bank
- ▪Order confirmation showing the full item description, total price, and expected delivery date
- ▪Credit card statement showing the deposit and any further payments
- ▪For damage or wrong goods: clear photographs taken at the point of delivery, before you moved or used the item
- ▪The original listing, catalogue page, or showroom sample details showing what you were sold
- ▪Any correspondence with the company — emails chasing delivery, complaints about damage, and their responses or silence
- ▪If the company is in administration: the administrator’s name and announcement
Tip: photograph damaged goods immediately on delivery, before signing any delivery note. Signing “received in good condition” can complicate later claims.
What to say if your bank pushes back
Your bank may say
”Some items were delivered, so the contract was partially fulfilled.”
Partial delivery of an order does not satisfy the full contract. You are entitled to claim for the items not delivered or for items that were not of satisfactory quality. The bank cannot close the claim simply because part of the order arrived.
Your bank may say
”The damage may have happened after delivery.”
This is why photographs taken at delivery are so important. If you have dated photographs showing the damage before the item was moved or used, the burden of proof shifts to the bank to explain why your evidence should be rejected. Delivery damage is the retailer’s responsibility up to the point of safe receipt.
Your bank may say
”You should accept a repair or replacement from the retailer.”
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a retailer has one attempt at repair or replacement. If they have refused, been unable to arrange it, or are no longer trading, that right is exhausted and you can proceed to a refund claim. If the retailer is in administration, demanding a repair from them is not a realistic option.
Your bank may say
”You should be claiming from the administrator.”
Section 75 imposes joint and several liability. You can claim against the card provider without waiting for the insolvency process. For bespoke goods that have no resale value, the administration is unlikely to produce any recovery for unsecured creditors. Section 75 bypasses that queue.
If your bank still refuses
Send a written rebuttal addressing their reasons. If they maintain the refusal, refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of their final response letter.
See our Financial Ombudsman escalation guide for what to include.
What to do now
Photograph everything now — if goods arrived damaged or wrong, photograph them before using or moving them. If nothing arrived, screenshot any closed website or unanswered delivery tracking.
Gather your evidence — order confirmation, credit card statement, photographs, original listing, and any correspondence with the retailer.
Write to your card provider’s disputes team — by email or recorded post, citing Section 75(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Describe exactly what was ordered, what was received or not received, and what the breach is. Do not phone.
Ready to write the claim?
The Section 75 Claim Pack is a plain-English PDF workbook with a template letter citing the correct legislation, an evidence checklist, rebuttal templates for the most common rejection reasons including partial delivery and the repair/replacement argument, and a Financial Ombudsman complaint letter. £6.99, no subscription.
Get the claim pack — £6.99Last updated: 2 May 2026. See also our complete Section 75 guide and our Section 75 vs chargeback guide.