Ordered an iPhone 6 at Phones 4u? How to get your money back

Phones 4u administrator PwC has confirmed that it will not honour or refund any iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders, even if you paid money upfront. But don’t panic. You shouldn’t be out of pocket if you follow our guide to getting your money back.

There are set legal procedures to ensure that every penny you paid to Phones 4u can be recovered and this advice also applies to any other outstanding and unfulfilled orders with the failed mobile retailer.

If you ordered you iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus (or any other product from Phones 4u) by credit card then you are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This is a legal protection that your bank has no choice but to honour, so there’s no way they can wriggle out of it.

The law here is very clear – if what you ordered cost £100 or more and you paid the entire sum or even one penny of it on a credit card then you’ll get all your money back. This handy piece of consumer law works because of how credit cards operate. When you make a purchase you are actually borrowing the money, so your credit card company is as liable as the retailer if the order isn’t fulfilled.

You’ll need to call or write to your bank explaining the situation and with all the relevant details. An example letter that you can edit and fill in is available from MoneySavingExpert (will download .rtf file that can be opened in Word).

If you ordered by debit card you can use Chargeback. The system, which applies to Visa or Maestro debit cards, MasterCard, Visa Electron and prepaid Visa and MasterCard, isn’t a guaranteed by law but should mean you get your money back in this instance.

If you’ve paid for something (in this case an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus) and the order isn’t fulfilled the bank can retrieve the payment. You have to make the claim within 120 days of the problem with your order occurring. It is worth calling your bank to ask about how they handle Chargeback claims and if you need to put a request in writing you can use this template from MoneySavingExpert (will download a .rtf file that can be opened in Word).

If your bank refuses to honour Section 75 or your Chargeback request fails you should contact the Financial Ombudsman. You can also take up your case for a refund directly with administrator PwC, be warned that this is extremely unlikely to be successful. Forms to apply for a refund through PwC can be found here.

For more information on the administration process from PwC you should read their advice page. This also covers what to do about cancelling a phone ordered online or over the phone, cashback and free gifts, repairs and faulty goods.