Examiners appointed to Rathwood

[Persia]

Rathwood goes into examinership, says it is ‘not in a position’ to issue customer refunds

Rathwood goes into examinership, says it is ‘not in a position’ to issue customer refunds

In a statement published on its website, the Carlow-based home and garden centre said it would continue to trade as normal during examinership process

www.irishtimes.com

The statement went on to say that “at this time, we regret that we are not in a position to address any outstanding payments or refund requests relating to amounts owed up to today. These matters will be reviewed as part of the examinership process,

 

[peemac]

If you are waiting for a refund, time is ticking for a chargeback.
You have 120 days after expected delivery or notification of non delivery to commence a chargeback.

So if you were expecting firewood delivery on 10th Jan, cancelled, and were waiting a refund, you have until 9th May to initiate the chargeback.

 

[Persia]

May be useful for anyone caught up in this mess.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[Persia]

Rathwood halts customer refunds and chooses quicker, cheaper insolvency process

Rathwood Home and Garden World customers express fears they may never see promised refunds

Carlow-based home and garden centre opts for Small Company Administrative Rescue Process over examinership

www.irishtimes.com

“We want to reassure all our customers, suppliers, and partners that we continue to trade as normal and operate fully in accordance with all applicable laws,” noted the Rathwood statement.

 

[ClubMan]

Rathwood creditor to help business keep trading but customers must wait to find out about redress

Examiner seeking investors and considering restructuring plan for home and garden retailer trading from Carlow-Wicklow border for 30 years

www.irishtimes.com

One of https://archive.is/o/HGxuZ/https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/rathwood-home-and-garden-world/ (Rathwood’s) largest creditors has agreed to keep supplying stock to the business to allow it to continue trading, but customers hoping for refunds on products bought and never delivered https://archive.is/o/HGxuZ/https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/04/27/rathwood-halts-customer-refunds-and-chooses-quicker-cheaper-insolvency-process/ (may have to wait at least two months) to see if they will get redress.

Padraic Bermingham, of Strata Financial in Dublin, has been confirmed as https://archive.is/o/HGxuZ/https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2026/04/25/rathwood-goes-into-examinership-says-it-is-not-in-a-position-to-issue-customer-refunds/ (interim examiner of the home and garden retailer) based on the Carlow-Wicklow border.

His appointment comes after an alternate insolvency process, aimed at supporting small businesses and initiated by Rathwood’s directors, was halted over the weekend.

Cork-based accountants Gerard Murphy & Co formally entered the Small Company Administrative Rescue Process late last week but subsequently received details of an examinership application and fresh proposals made by Rathwood creditors Paleo and Anhui Living.

 

[DeeKie]

It is a shocking indictment of the CCPC that they did not act appropriately to protect consumers. Months of flagrant breaches, and despite incredibly extensive powers all that they did was secure an undertaking. No one seems to be looking angrily in their direction at the moment and that’s because we are conditioned for them to be poor.

 

[Leo]

It is a shocking indictment of the CCPC that they did not act appropriately to protect consumers.

Their role isn't intended to deal with issues like this with a single business though. They are mandated to prioritise competition, market manipulation and the regulation of platforms and digital services.

 

[ClubMan]

Their role isn't intended to deal with issues like this with a single business though.

But they did intervene directly with Rathwood last year and this year.

Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World plead guilty to sales pricing breaches - CCPC Business

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland

www.ccpc.ie

CCPC publishes details of 15 compliance notices, undertakings and fixed payment notices issued to traders in Ireland - CCPC Business

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is an independent statutory body that enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland

www.ccpc.ie

 

[DeeKie]

That’s not true. They are supposed to police non compliance actively. Look at their powers in the Consumer Rights Act. 2022

 

[Leo]

They are supposed to police non compliance actively. Look at their powers in the Consumer Rights Act. 2022

Yeah fair enough, but I suspect the 'acting appropriately to protect customers' would involve more than issuing a compliance notice for past transgressions. I suspect there are many who stand to lose their money regardless of that notice.

 

[DeeKie]

Yeah fair enough, but I suspect the 'acting appropriately to protect customers' would involve more than issuing a compliance notice for past transgressions. I suspect there are many who stand to lose their money regardless of that notice.

They could have fined and sanctioned them. That would have generated a lot of publicity too.

 

[ClubMan]

What's the point in fining a business that is already skirting with insolvency and how does that help the customers who are owed goods/refunds?

 

[DeeKie]

Tell that to the people they fleeced since last summer. If the investment they claimed to get was real it would have been a red flag to them also. It’s a strange question. Almost what is the point of a consumer law regulator who doesn’t enforce.

 

[ClubMan]

Tell that to the people they fleeced since last summer.

Tell what? I asked a question.

 

[peemac]

Tell that to the people they fleeced since last summer

Assuming these are all online orders, they would be paid by visa or MasterCard.

Therefore they automatically have payment protection from both visa and MasterCard.

This protection was increased substantially by the EU a few years ago giving 120 from expected date of delivery and a maximum of 540 days.

In addition, a cursory look at any reviews of the company would have put the vast majority of people off purchasing.

 

[newirishman]

Assuming these are all online orders, they would be paid by visa or MasterCard.

Nope. This company charged significantly lower prices if you paid via upfront ETF. So I’d assume many customers would have chosen to do so.
I was about to order some stuff there a few weeks ago when I remembered to do a search before paying - and did not go ahead after reading about their troubles. This was before they officially went bust.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

I am not a fan of the CCPC. They did nothing at all when we had the highest mortgage rates in the eurozone. They are doing nothing at all about vulture funds. They waste their time doing stupid things like reprimanding online influencers for not saying that they are being paid for recommending products. This pursuit of influencers is no substitute for real consumer protection but they get publicity for it.

But they are in an impossible position with an issue like Rathwood. What do their powers allow them to do? Can they ask the High Court to shut the company down? Even if they could, would that be appropriate? As @ClubMan points out, fining them has the opposite effect and makes it less likely that Rathwood could refund people. Should they run a big campaign naming and shaming the company?

I am guessing that they had discussions with Rathwood and got reassurances that Rathwood could trade out of their problems. So they made a judgement call to "go easy" on them.

 

[Sue Ellen]

maximum of 540 days

As 120 days is the figure quoted a lot do you know under what circumstances it can be extended to 540 days?

 

[Leo]

They could have fined and sanctioned them. That would have generated a lot of publicity too.

Almost certainly forcing them to close at a loss to many more consumers, all in employment there along with all the usual knock on effects in the area. Rathwood have been in the headlines for 2 years now, another headline was unlikely to make much difference.

 

[lff12]

Rathwood halts customer refunds and chooses quicker, cheaper insolvency process

That's quite some gamble, given the hugely bad publicity they have given themselves over the past year, and the choice to keep selling to customers despite having no way to honour those orders.