The Association for Consumer Information (VKI) advises customers who still have vouchers from the insolvent furniture store Kika/Leiner to act quickly.
Kika/Leiner: 500 jobs have been cut
“We would advise consumers to try to redeem vouchers now,” says VKI lawyer Maximilian Eder. Because as soon as insolvency proceedings are opened, Kika/Leiner will no longer accept vouchers. The insolvency application is expected tomorrow.
VKI lawyer: Redeem Kika/Leiner vouchers for products that can be taken away immediately
Whether the company will still accept the vouchers before the proceedings are opened is not certain—”but it would be worth a try,” said Eder in an interview with APA. Otherwise, unredeemed vouchers can be filed as an insolvency claim. If you redeem a voucher, it is important that you only buy products from the voucher that you can take with you immediately, says the lawyer. Customers who have already made down payments for larger purchases, such as a kitchen, will have to wait and see. The insolvency administrator must decide whether or not to enter into the contract that has already been concluded. If he agrees, the customer is entitled to the full goods for which the down payment was made and pays the full price.
Kika/Leiner insolvency: fee for filing claims
If the insolvency administrator withdraws from the contract, the deposit becomes an insolvency claim that consumers can register in the proceedings. In this case, however, customers will probably only receive small sums, as they will only get back the quota determined in the proceedings, which can only amount to a few percent in bankruptcy proceedings, said Eder. However, the lawyer points out that there is a fee of 25 euros for filing a claim. Customers should, therefore, ask themselves, especially in the case of tiny claims, whether it is worth filing or whether the fee might not be higher than the amount that comes out.
VKI lawyer: “plea of uncertainty” for advance payments
In general, the lawyer warns against very high down payments. “High down payments are always a risk factor,” says Eder. You should pay attention to this when drafting the contract and negotiate it away as far as possible. If a customer has already agreed on a down payment but the economic situation is very poor, then consumers also have the option of an “uncertainty defense,” says Eder. This means that customers can demand that they do not make the down payment and instead pay “step by step”. In such a case, payment is made directly when the service is provided. According to the lawyer, the lower the down payment, the better.
- source: APA/picture:
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