UK LOCKSMITH REFUND ROUTE

Section 75 for a UK locksmith overcharge — the exact claim, and the letter that starts it

Name: LockSafe UK
Address: Egham, Surrey, GB
Telephone: +44 20 4577 1989
Price range: ££

If a UK locksmith overcharged you and you paid on a credit card, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card provider jointly liable with the trader — so long as the service price was more than £100 and no more than £30,000. You claim the disputed amount from the card provider directly. Below: exactly when Section 75 applies, when chargeback applies instead for debit cards, and a personalised claim letter you can copy and send today.

Which route applies to you?

Paid on a credit card

Section 75 applies if the item cost was over £100 and up to £30,000. Your card provider is jointly liable with the trader.

Paid on a debit card

Chargeback under the Visa / Mastercard scheme rules. Not statutory, but widely honoured. Usually a 120-day window.

Paid in cash / by transfer

No card-provider route. Recovery is via the trader direct, Trading Standards (via Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133), and the small-claims court for larger amounts.

The four conditions that unlock Section 75

1
The card must be a credit card
Section 75 applies to credit cards, store cards and certain credit agreements. Debit cards fall under chargeback (see above), not Section 75.
2
The item price must be more than £100 and no more than £30,000
The threshold applies to the cash price of the service — not to the amount you actually put on the card. A £50 credit-card deposit on a £450 job still qualifies the whole £450.
3
There must be a breach of contract or misrepresentation
Being charged materially more than the agreed or reasonable price is the classic breach. Section 51 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says only a reasonable price is payable where none was fixed — that is the underlying rule the card provider will apply.
4
You must have paid the trader directly on that card (not via a third-party wallet)
Payments routed through PayPal, Klarna or another intermediary usually break the direct-payment link Section 75 needs. If in doubt, the card statement's merchant name is the test — it should show the trader, not the intermediary.

Build your Section 75 / chargeback claim letter

Fill in the six fields; the letter updates as you type. Copy it, paste it into an email to your card provider's disputes team, or print it and send it recorded delivery. Nothing you type is saved or sent to LockSafe — it stays in your browser.

Card type

Credit card (Section 75)Debit card (chargeback)

There is no strict statutory deadline, but the underlying breach-of-contract claim runs for six years (five in Scotland) — file as early as possible.

Card providerTrader (locksmith) nameTransaction dateAmount paid on card (£)Amount you are disputing (£)In a sentence or two: what went wrong?

Your letter

To: [Card provider name] — Disputes / Customer Services
From: [Your name and address]
Date: [Today's date]
Account: [Your card account number — last four digits are enough]

Subject: Section 75, Consumer Credit Act 1974 claim in respect of [Trader name]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to make a claim under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 in respect of a transaction I made using my credit card issued by you.

Transaction details
- Trader: [Trader name]
- Transaction date: [Transaction date]
- Amount charged to my card: £[Amount paid]
- Amount I am disputing: £[Amount disputed]

What went wrong
[Describe the misrepresentation or breach]

The legal basis
Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the credit-card provider is jointly and severally liable with the trader for any breach of contract or misrepresentation, where the cash price of the item is more than £100 and no more than £30,000, and the transaction was funded on the credit card.

Under section 75 you, as the credit-card provider, are jointly and severally liable with the trader for the breach and/or misrepresentation set out above.

What I am asking you to do
Please refund £[Amount disputed] to my card account and pursue the trader for recovery.

I attach (or will supply on request): the invoice, my card statement showing the transaction, any written price agreed before work started, and photographs of the work performed and any damage caused.

If this claim is refused, please provide the reason in writing and confirm that I am free to escalate the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service without further reference to you.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
[Your daytime phone number]

What happens after you send the letter

1
The card provider acknowledges the claim, usually within 5 working days, and opens an investigation.
2
They may ask you for further evidence: the invoice, the card statement, any written price agreed before work started, and photographs of the work performed and any damage caused. Send whatever they ask for promptly.
3
The investigation window is typically up to 8 weeks under the FCA's complaint-handling rules. Most Section 75 claims are decided sooner.
4
If the claim is upheld: the disputed amount is credited back to your card. The card provider then pursues the trader for recovery — that is their problem, not yours.
5
If the claim is refused: they must provide a written reason and confirm you may escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The FOS is free to consumers and its decisions are binding on the card provider.

Frequently asked questions

Does Section 75 apply to a locksmith invoice?+

Yes, provided the transaction was on a credit card, the cash price of the service was more than £100 and no more than £30,000, and there has been a breach of contract or misrepresentation. Being charged materially more than the agreed or reasonable price is exactly the kind of breach the section is designed to cover.

What is the difference between Section 75 and chargeback?+

Section 75 is a statutory right under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 — it makes your credit-card provider jointly and severally liable with the trader. Chargeback is a voluntary scheme run by Visa and Mastercard that your card provider participates in — it works for both credit and debit cards but is not law. Where Section 75 applies, use it; chargeback is the fallback for debit-card payments and for credit-card transactions under £100.

Does the £100 minimum have to be one single locksmith invoice?+

No — the £100 threshold applies to the cash price of the item purchased, not to the amount actually charged to the card. If you paid a £50 deposit on the credit card and £400 in cash for the same job, the whole £450 falls within Section 75 because the item purchased was priced at £450. Keep the invoice and any deposit receipt.

How long do I have to make a Section 75 claim in the UK?+

There is no strict statutory deadline for the Section 75 claim itself, but the underlying breach-of-contract claim runs for six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (five years in Scotland). File as early as possible — the evidence trail is fresher and card providers process recent claims faster.

What happens after I send the letter?+

The card provider will acknowledge the claim and open an investigation, usually within 8 weeks. They may ask for further evidence — the invoice, the card statement, any written price agreed before work started, photographs of the work or damage. If they uphold the claim they refund the disputed amount to your card account and pursue the trader for recovery. If they refuse, they must give a written reason and confirm your right to escalate.

What if the credit-card provider refuses the claim?+

You can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at financial-ombudsman.org.uk. The FOS is free for consumers to use, its decisions are binding on the card provider, and it re-examines both the facts and the provider's handling of the claim. Card providers are far more likely to settle at the internal-review stage rather than let a case reach the FOS.

Can I use chargeback if I paid by debit card?+

Yes. Chargeback is the Visa / Mastercard scheme rule that lets your debit-card provider claw the payment back from the trader for a misrepresented or undelivered service. It is not a statutory right, but banks widely honour it for clearly misrepresented services. The usual window is 120 days from the transaction date, or from the date the service was expected — so file quickly.

Sources and useful contacts

Consumer Credit Act 1974 — section 75
The statute that makes the credit-card provider jointly liable for a breach or misrepresentation.
Financial Ombudsman Service — how to complain
The free, binding escalation route if the card provider refuses your Section 75 claim.
Which? — Section 75 explained
Plain-English explainer of Section 75 with worked examples.
Citizens Advice — consumer helpline
Helpline: 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Mon–Fri 9am–5pm.
Consumer Rights Act 2015 — section 51 (reasonable price)
The underlying breach-of-contract framework Section 75 lets the card provider act on.

Related: run the dispute-strength check before you write to the card provider — a Section 75 claim is stronger when the case against the trader is documented.

Before the next job, the timing rule that keeps Section 75 intact: pay a UK locksmith before or after the work — paying the balance on completion by credit card puts the full amount inside the Section 75 umbrella.

If the labour line on the invoice is the specific problem, see fair labour time for a UK lockout. Before next time, run the 60-second verification checklist or read the 8 red flags that mean a locksmith is a scam.

This page gives general information on UK consumer-rights and card-scheme routes. It is not legal advice. For a case-by-case ruling, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Mon–Fri 9am–5pm.

Prevention beats a Section 75 claim

LockSafe verifies every locksmith on the platform, shows the assessment fee upfront, delivers an itemised quote to your phone before any work starts, and records a timestamped PDF of the whole job. The price on the invoice matches the price you agreed — no dispute needed.

Book a verified locksmith Call +44 20 4577 1989