thousands of customers paid almost 8 million euros for furniture they did not receive

According to a first estimate, the deposits paid by these customers to the Habitat brand, in great financial difficulty, are of the order of 8 million euros and these individuals are not certain of being reimbursed.

The judicial administrators of the Habitat group will request on Wednesday December 20 the judicial liquidation of the brand, which is facing major financial difficulties. The furniture chain is already in recovery, and is facing major financial difficulties. It struggles to pay its suppliers, and many customers are waiting for furniture for which they have already paid, in part or in full.

They are “several thousands” customers who have paid all or part of their orders, without being delivered at this stage will undoubtedly not be reimbursed, according to the revelations of one of the participants in the procedure to franceinfo. The amount of these deposits paid, again according to this close source, is “of the order of 8 million euros, according to a first estimate”. This case is “of a rare magnitude”given this amount and the number of customers affected, said the same source.

The “reimbursement prospects are low”

Among these customers, there is Thomas. This 36-year-old from Ile-de-France ordered a Habitat armchair on sale at the end of November. It was just a few days before the brand was placed in receivership: “It’s an armchair that I paid 436 euros for, so I might never have it. If I understand correctly, since the company no longer pays suppliers, nothing is being delivered. I hope I can get the chair. I’ve been waiting to buy it for a long time and I’m a little bummed.”.

“I don’t have a chair, my money is gone and I don’t know if, in the end, I will ever be able to get anything back.”

Thomas, 36 years old

at franceinfo

The customers concerned must declare themselves as creditors of the Habitat group as quickly as possible, to the legal representatives responsible for representing them in the procedure. This must be done via an online form, on the dedicated website habitat.procedurecollective.com. These customers must complete a form and upload their RIB as well as proof of payment (order form, screenshot of payment, email exchanges with Habitat, etc.).

THE “prospects of reimbursement are poor”however, warns an expert in the case, because the clients are so-called creditors “unsecured”, which means they don’t have a money back guarantee. In particular, they come after the company’s employees, almost 400 of whom, and after organizations such as the tax authorities and Urssaf.