Shoppers Squander £2 billion Online, Buying Goods They Should Have Sent Back

According to Consumer Watchdog Which? British Shoppers Squander £2billion A Year Online

According to consumer group Which?, who surveyed 2, 066 people about their shopping rights online, British online shoppers are wasting £2.1?billion a year because they don’t know their rights.

• Which? exists to make people as powerful as the organisations that affect their lives. They don’t accept any advertising, freebies or sponsorship. All their research and campaigning is completely independent and funded by Which? subscriptions.

Which? said many buyers simply do not realise they can return goods bought over the internet that turn out to be faulty or just unwanted. Which? are trying to highlight the new laws that protect British shoppers, including the right to return a product bought online simply because you change your mind.

• The watchdog also warned that some unscrupulous websites fob off customers who want their money back, even when they are entitled to it.
• The Sale of Goods Act states that products should be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. If a product you’ve bought develops a fault, your consumer rights mean you can reject it and get your money back or you can have it repaired or replaced.

Their survey showed that although 80 percent of shoppers were confident in buying goods on the high street only 50 percent trusted online auction sites.

Believe it or not, high-street shops don’t have to accept returns unless an item is faulty but the Distance Selling Regulations mean that when you shop online you have greater rights to return something, even if you just change your mind. This is because your decision may be based on a brief description or a photograph so what you receive isn’t always quite what you’d expected.

The “change of mind right” only extends to online stores and items brought over the phone, not auction sites and items must be sent back unopened within seven days of receipt.

• There are some items you can’t return if you simply change your mind, such as Digital Downloads, CDs, DVDs or software if you’ve broken the seal on the wrapping, perishable items such as food and flowers, and tailor-made or personalised goods.

Auctions such as those conducted on eBay are not the same as an online store auction houses act as a marketplace where you can buy goods from a wide range of individuals and online traders and for this reason they are excluded from the new rules, but all goods must still match the descriptions given.

Which? are campaigning for a new Consumer Rights Bill which would include doubling the window for returning unwanted goods to 14 days. They hope the changes will be in force in time for Christmas. Trading Standards Institute spokesman David Sanders said, “These are going to be very useful safeguards for consumers.” Under the new rules, the item must be returned within 14 days, and refunds paid within 14 days of receipt.

• Remember, when returning goods always obtain proof of posting.