Kleenmaid costs CBA and Westpac
Commonwealth Bank is facing in the order of $20 million in losses from the collapse of kitchen appliance distributor Kleenmaid.Customers of Kleenmaid who used a credit card to make a deposit for goods that cannot be delivered can now claim the money back from the company's merchant acquirer, which is CBA.In the lead up to its collapse on April 9, Kleenmaid accepted $27 million in deposits for goods purchased by 4000 customers. But the administrator, John Greig of Deloitte, says there are no goods to back those orders.Under the rules of the credit card system in Australia, the merchant acquirer is liable to cover any credit card transaction that fails to proceed. CBA will be liable for the charge back even if the customer used a credit card issued by any other bank.A spokesman for CBA said that the bank was still evaluating its potential liability from the Kleenmaid collapse. The extent of the liability will depend upon how many customers used a credit card to pay their deposit.Customers who paid by cash will remain an unsecured creditor of Kleenmaid.CBA is the second of the big four banks to get caught up in the $70 million collapse of the Gold Coast-based company. Westpac is owed $27.6 million but is unlikely to recover anything.The second creditors' meeting for Kleenmaid will be held in Brisbane on May 25.