My family has booked a week away in Berlin in June. 

Our outbound flight was supposed to take off early in the morning, but because of the jet fuel shortage we’ve been bumped on to a new flight which leaves England at 8pm. 

We have tickets for a concert booked in Berlin that evening costing £200 for four of us. Now we won’t be able to attend. 

Should the airline compensate us for the wasted tickets and inconvenience?

Name and address supplied.

Dean Dunham replies: This is likely to become common practice over the summer. The Government has temporarily relaxed certain regulations to make it easier for airlines to move passengers on to new flights at different times. 

This is to conserve fuel and make sure that planes that do take off are carrying as many people as possible.

Under the consumer protection law UK261, passengers may be entitled to compensation where a flight arrives at their destination more than three hours late or is rescheduled with less than 14 days’ notice. 

Compensation is payable unless the disruption was caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’, meaning events genuinely outside the airline’s control.

Courts have consistently held that operational problems and supply chain issues affecting an airline’s ability to operate its services do not qualify as extraordinary circumstances. 

However, airlines will almost certainly argue that the current jet fuel shortage, arising from the conflict involving Iran, falls outside their control. That argument is likely to carry weight.

The position regarding your concert tickets is more complex. UK261 does not cover consequential losses, such as missed events. However, you may be able to claim through your travel insurance policy.

If the tickets were purchased on a credit card and cost more than £100, you may also have protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. 

This can allow claims against the card provider where the airline’s breach has caused a foreseeable financial loss. 

Your other route of redress is to ask the airline if it is subscribed to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme such as Aviation ADR or CEDR. If it is, lodge a claim with the ADR provider.

Can't get a refund for broken tablet 

I bought a second-hand tablet on an online selling website but it arrived broken. 

I took photos, but the website won’t ask the seller to refund me because I don’t have photos of the packaging, which I threw away. Can they do this?

J.K., W. Yorks.

Dean Dunham replies: This is a frustrating but increasingly common problem, and the answer depends on whether you bought from a private seller or a business. 

If the seller is a business, which means someone trading professionally on the platform, even if they operate from their home, you have full Consumer Rights Act 2015 protection. 

This will mean the tablet must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.

A broken tablet fails that test, and you’re entitled to a full refund within the first 30 days. 

You don’t need photos of the packaging to prove that, as the law puts the burden on the trader to show the goods were satisfactory when they left them.

If the seller is a private individual selling an unwanted item, the full suite of protections under the Consumer Rights Act do not apply. 

Instead, you rely on the older rule that goods must match their description and the seller must have the right to sell them. 

If the listing said the tablet was working and it arrived broken, that’s a misrepresentation, and you have a claim.

But disputes between private buyers and sellers usually have to be resolved through the small claims court.

Most major online selling sites operate their own buyer protection schemes, which are contractual, separate from your legal rights. They can set whatever evidence requirements they like.

However, two routes remain. If you paid with a debit or credit card, raise a chargeback (within 120 days). 

Or you can make a Section 75 claim if you paid via credit card and the item cost more than £100. 

State in your claim that there was a breach of contract as the goods were damaged. If you used Paypal, it applies its own rules, and packaging photos aren’t usually required.