Your questions answered

If you have a flight voucher that was bought after December 2, 2019, you have five years to use it under the law

Q I paid €100 for a gift voucher from an Irish airline on December 7, 2019, but when I tried to use it a few weeks ago, the voucher wouldn’t work. I now see that the expiry date on the voucher was December 9, 2020. I thought legislation meant that gift vouchers purchased on or after December 2, 2019, have to be valid for at least five years. I’ve contacted the airline by email, phone and webchat, and it was promised that my query would be pushed up the line but they will still not honour or renew the gift voucher for me. Can I request a chargeback?

Pam, Co Dublin

A The good news is that you are correct: from December 2, 2019, an expiry date of at least five years should apply to gift vouchers purchased on or after this date. As you bought your gift card after this, the airline should honour it.

You should contact the airline again and inform them that under the Consumer Protection (Gift Vouchers) Act 2019, gift vouchers should be valid at least five years after purchase. If they still refuse to engage, send them a formal written complaint – by email, for example. In the complaint, include the date the voucher was purchased, the dates you contacted them, and say how you would like them to resolve the issue. If the airline still fails to respond to your satisfaction, you can lodge a claim through the Small Claims Procedure, through your local district court or online. There is a fee of €25 for this.

Most banks will offer chargebacks within a limited timeframe after a transaction – usually 120 to 180 days . In some circumstances, banks may authorise a chargeback beyond that at their discretion. As your purchase was over three years ago, you could contact your bank and request a chargeback.

‘I’m a single parent. How can I help my daughter finance her first year in college?’

Q I’m a single parent living in Co Clare and my daughter is going to college in Dublin. I earn €31,000 a year and have very little savings, so we’re both starting to worry about how she will finance her first year, especially with the lack of affordable accommodation. She worked in a supermarket this summer and has found a part-time job with the same chain in Dublin, but I don’t want her taking too many hours and losing out on the college experience. Any advice?

Christine, Co Clare​

A You can check your daughter’s eligibility for the Free Fees Initiative and for a SUSI grant at Studentfinance.ie, which also has details of other financial supports, such as the Student Assistant Fund.

Your daughter may be entitled to a tax refund for her work during the summer; she can check this with Revenue. Her student card will give her access to a whole range of discounts, and a Student Leap Card (or Child Leap Card, if she is under 19) will make public transport cheaper for her.

The CCPC has a section on its website dealing with going to college for the first time. It covers everything from searching for accommodation to dealing with debt. It also has useful comparison tools for student current accounts, student credit cards, and student loans, and these tools are regularly updated with changing rates and new offers. Our online spending calculator is a good way for your daughter to get an idea of her monthly and yearly costs, while TU Dublin has a great cost-of-living guide on its website, with cost estimates for students living at home and away from home for this academic year.

Lastly, tell your daughter not to be afraid to reach out for support in her new college. The college will most likely have a welfare office, a budgetary adviser or student support service, and the students’ union will have the most up-to-date information on the financial supports available to her.

‘My car was scratched during an NCT test. What are my rights?’

Q After I got my car home from an NCT test, I realised there was a large scratch over the back wheel on the passenger side. I’m certain it wasn’t there before: as I’m planning on selling the car, I took photos of it in the NCT car park just before the test. I drove straight home after the test and definitely didn’t scrape the car off anything on my way. I think only the paintwork is affected. What are my rights here?

Alan, Co Wexford

A The 2022 Consumer Rights Act stipulates a service must be supplied with reasonable care and skill. If it’s not, you have the right to have it brought into conformity. This should be done free, within a reasonable timeframe, and without significant inconvenience to you.

Contact the NCT centre as soon as possible, provide the evidence and outline how you would like the issue resolved. There is a complaints form on the NCTS website and it’s always good to communicate in writing so you have a record. If the problem isn’t resolved, you should send a final written complaint. If this is ignored, and it costs under €2,000 to rectify the scratch, you can take a claim to the small claims court. ​

Email your questions to: g.monaghan@independent.ie