Iconic 195-year-old British department store closes website and WON’T grant refunds and gift cards after takeover deal

AN ICONIC 195-year-old department store has shut down its website and is not directly granting refunds for orders or gift cards. The news comes after it was revealed that the luxury department store had been bought by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group last week. The Harvey Nichols website is currently unavailable as the department store reveals it will currently not directly grant refunds for certain orders Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The Harvey Nichols website is currently unavailable while the company undergoes a change of hands following a recent takeover deal. When clicking onto the department store’s online site, the following message appears on screen: Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! “We are pleased to confirm that Harvey Nichols has entered an exciting new chapter with new ownership, supporting its future, under the Frasers Group. “Harvey Nichols is currently unavailable online whilst we complete a period of transition. “In the meantime, our stores remain open, and our teams are on hand to assist with anything you may need.” Due to the current restructuring, there could be certain issues with orders and gift cards purchased before mid-August. Harvey Nichols has announced it will not be able to directly process any refunds and are pointing customers to other avenues. The website notice continued: “Orders placed and Gift Cards purchased prior to August 13, 2026, fall under the ownership structure preceding this transition. Most read in Money “Refunds relating to these orders cannot be processed by Harvey Nichols directly; customers with an outstanding refund from this period are asked to contact, HNCustomers@fticonsulting.com. Customers who placed orders or purchased gift cards prior to August 13, 2026, emailing about a refund will receive the following automated response from Harvey Nichols: “If you purchased goods from Harvey Nichols prior to 13 August 2026 and are seeking a refund, we would encourage you, in the first instance, to contact your credit card provider to understand whether you may be entitled to make a claim through them under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act or through a chargeback process. “Given the likely timing of any dividend in the Administrations, this may be a more immediate route to recovery for you.” Section 75 exists to help shoppers when something goes wrong with an order placed on a credit card, for example, if goods aren’t delivered or the shop goes bust. It applies to goods or services that cost over £100 and up to £30,000 and means your card provider is just as responsible as the retailer for refunding you. For shoppers looking to make a claim under Section 75, contact your credit card provider – via its customer services phone number – and tell them you want to make a claim under Section 75. It should send you a claim form, which you can fill in, and your provider will use to process your application. If you paid by debit card, you cannot make a Section 75 claim, however there is another way to try and secure a refund. Chargeback is a consumer protection mechanism that allows shoppers to ask for a refund from either their bank or card issuer if issues arise with purchases made using a credit or debit card. It is not a legal right in the UK, however many card networks like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express run the voluntary schemes. In these instances, your bank will try to get money back from Harvey Nichols’ bank. Typically, you will have 120 days from when the transaction was made to submit a claim, usually via a phone call with your card company to explain what happened and request a chargeback. You’ll need to provide the full details of your transaction and some banks will ask you to fill out a claim form. However, Harvey Nichols has also said that shoppers “may also be entitled to submit an unsecured claim in the Administration estate”. For customers looking to do this, you should reply to the automated email sent by Harvey Nichols with your full name, postal address, and email address. Harvey Nichols has said it will then “add you to the creditor list and provide you with login details to submit a formal proof of debt in due course”. Orders placed from August 13, 2026, onwards will be processed under Harvey Nichols standard refunds and returns policy. The struggling luxury department store chain was recently bought by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, saving the company from collapse. The acquisition included all six of Harvey Nichols’ UK stores, located in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh and its newly refurbished Knightsbridge flagship. The Sun has contacted Harvey Nichols for comment. Comment now