###Q: I ordered a new bedroom from a local company, which was due to be delivered within eight weeks. As date of delivery approached, I went to the showroom and found it closed. When I asked around, I was told the company had closed down. Is there anything I can do to get a refund of my deposit, at least?

###A: When a seller goes out of business, we may face considerable difficulty getting either the goods ordered or our money back. Usually, such a seller owes money to a number of people, so our claim would be one of many. There are rules for priority to be given to the various debts in the case of a business going into liquidation and, generally, the individual consumer is low on the list. You should therefore get legal advice on how to proceed in this particular case.

Such situations unfortunately occur and, very often, cannot be predicted or entirely avoided. The only precaution we can take is to pay the least possible deposit when placing an order.

We must keep in mind we are paying money for something that is still not ours. Therefore, various problems can crop up, among them the possibility that the seller might go out of business.

My advice is to cling to your money until what you have ordered is delivered and carefully checked out.