By Rachel Fletcher
Debit cards should carry the same level of protection as credit cards, a consumer body has stated.
Consumer Focus produced a report, titled Pay Now, Pay Later, in which it addressed the issue.
Its figures show that as many as a tenth of shoppers do not receive the goods for which they make advance payments.
The group said that payments made by debit cards should carry the same protection for reclaiming money as credit cards do in the event that a business should go bust.
In addition, it wants shoppers to move higher up the list of creditors to be repaid when an insolvent firms' assets are sold.
Consumer Focus spokesperson Steve Brooker said that giving better protection to shoppers would be advantageous both to them and to the companies.
He explained: "Consumers will be reassured that their money is safe, which will encourage spending and help keep a valuable source of credit open to struggling businesses."
Consumer Focus campaigns for consumer rights but is not an advice agency or a regulator.
