Your refund and return rights as M&Co goes into…

Your refund and return rights as M&Co goes into administration

The region's two remaining M&Co shops are among 170 at risk of closing after the fashion chain went into administration.

The sites in Alnwick and Chester-le-Street are currently open, but may close if the M&Co - formally known as Mackays - can't find a buyer. The Scottish-based chain announced it had called in administrators Teneo Financial Advisory on Friday, who are looking for another company to take over the business.

Established in 1834 as pawnbrokers, Mackays switched to selling clothes in 1953 by brothers Len and Iain McGeoch. In 2005 the company rebranded as M&Co. to reflect a more modern image, but there have been several store closures in the North East over the past few years, including those in Hexham and Ashington, Northumberland, and Durham, Consett and, Bishop Auckland in County Durham.

At the moment, the remaining stores are open and running as normal, but shoppers who want to return items should do so quickly to ensure they get their money back in case they do close down. There have also been some major changes to terms and conditions if you shop either instore or online.

We've rounded up your rights below:

You can still buy in-store and online at M&Co

All 170 branches will remain open for now, as well as its online store and you can continue to buy goods and place orders online. Currently all orders - both new and existing - will be delivered as normal, but proceed with caution because if M&Co stops trading, you may be left out of pocket.

Some returns won't be refunded depending on where you bought the item

M&Co has revised its rules on refunds, which will apply regardless of whether you purchased goods before it went into administration on December 9:

If you bought your item online: You have 14 calendar days to notify M&Co you want to return your item and and a further 14 days to return goods. You will receive a full cash refund if it's in its original condition.
If you bought your item in-store: You have only 14 calendar days to return it and you will only be able to exchange it for another item of the same value.

If you have gift cards, you'll need to spend twice the value to use them

If you have a gift card, you won't be able to use it online. You can still use it in-store but only if your purchase is double the value on the card - for example, if your gift card is worth £50, your purchase will need to come to at least £100.

If you're not happy, you can try getting your money back from your card provider or the administrator

If you were hoping for an instore cash refund, an order hasn't arrived, or you want a refund of your gift card's value, you may be able to get your money back if you paid using a debit or credit card:

If you paid on credit card: Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you pay for something costing between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card, the card firm's equally liable if something goes wrong. See our Section 75 guide for more details.
If you paid with a debit card: Under chargeback your bank will try to get your money back from the bank of the firm you purchased from. You typically have 120 days from purchase to submit a claim but chargeback isn't a legal requirement, just a customer service promise.

If you paid cash, your only other option is to try and claim from the administrator by becoming an "unsecured creditor", but there's no guarantee of getting your cash back.

If you have further questions

As M&Co is still trading, if you need any further help you can contact its customer services team, either via its online form or by calling 0333 202 0720.

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