Our camera seller lied

Q We recently bought a 'Fuji' camera in Tenerife for ?137, using our Nationwide credit card. The camera turned out to be a complete fake, so we disputed payment.

However, Nationwide says it cannot get involved in "over the counter transactions where the quality/description of the goods are disputed". We should have checked, apparently - even though the camera says Fuji.

Is this right?

MA

A Your rights when you buy goods are usually dictated by the country in which the item was bought, so the important issue in your case is that you bought your camera in the Canary Islands, which are part of the EU.

It doesn't follow, however, that your rights will be the same as if you had bought the camera in the UK. To determine the exact position, contact the UK European Consumer Centre, www.euroconsumer.org.uk, an online advice service for UK consumers with overseas consumer queries, run by Citizens Advice.

When you pay for goods costing at least ?100 using a credit card, the card issuer is usually jointly liable with the retailer for problems resulting from that sale, such as the item not being as described (as in the case with your camera). However, this applies only to purchases made in the UK.

Last year the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) tried to convince card issuers that this level of protection for credit card users should extend to overseas purchases, but the high court disagreed and ruled that such cover did not have to be automatic. In other words, it's up to the individual card issuer whether or not it provides this consumer protection - and it sounds as if Nationwide is reluctant to do so.