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Know Your Consumer Rights This ChristmasConsumer Direct offers its 12 tips of ChristmasWhether the prospect of the annual Christmas shop fills you with great excitement or sheer dread, Consumer Direct has put together a list of 12 top tips to help you shop with confidence in the festive season. The advice guide forms part of the national Know Your Consumer Rights campaign - a joint awareness raising initiative organised by the Department for Business, Consumer Direct, Consumer Focus and the Trading Standards Institute. Harry Rogers, Operations Support Manager for Consumer Direct North West said: “This year, Christmas shoppers will be looking for value but will also want to have the confidence that shops will respect their legal obligations and honour their promises. Consumer Direct's shopping guide should help you to avoid the main pitfalls and resolve some of the problems so that this year's Christmas shopping is trouble-free.” 1. Check the store's returns policies Many stores will offer generous returns policies but these may differ so make sure you check whether refunds, exchanges or credit notes are available and how long you have to return goods. Remember, you don't automatically have the right to return unwanted presents. 2. Keep your receipts If you wish to return your goods, or make a claim against the retailer, you will need proof of purchase so try to keep all your receipts, as well as bank and credit card statements. 3. Gift receipts It can be worth asking if shops offer gift receipts. These are designed to enable the gift recipient to return the goods or make a claim against the retailer if something is wrong. 4. Remember your rights Any goods that you buy, whether in the high street, online or in your own home must fit the description given, be of satisfactory quality and suitable for purpose. If they're not, you can claim against the retailer and may be entitled to refunds, repairs or replacements. 5. Act promptly if something is wrong It's worth checking your presents as soon as you get them home or as soon as they're delivered. If something is wrong, you will need to act promptly if you wish to reject the goods and claim a full refund. 6. Repairs or replacements If goods are inherently defective (as opposed to being misused or suffering from normal wear and tear), you may be entitled to a free repair, like for like replacement or partial refund. If there's a fault in the first six months after purchase, the onus will be on the trader to prove that the fault was not present at the time of sale. After that, it's down to the consumer. 7. Guarantees Many goods will come with a free one year warranty which should offer protection in addition to that provided by your statutory rights. Make sure you read the terms and conditions and follow the instructions to validate your warranty. 8. Extended warranties Extended warranties enable you to repair or replace faulty appliances after the end of the manufacturer's free guarantee. They may also offer additional benefits such as theft or damage insurance but you need to think carefully about whether an extended warranty is a good deal. They may provide peace of mind but can be expensive compared to repair costs and you may already be protected by your consumer rights, your home insurance policy or through your bank or credit card. 9. Do your online shopping in time Online retailers have up to 30 days to deliver goods unless otherwise agreed, so it's worth doing your online shopping early enough to make sure your goods arrive in time for Christmas. If you want your goods to arrive before Christmas, make sure this is guaranteed by the retailer. 10. Remember your extra online shopping protections In addition to your normal statutory rights, you also have extra protections when shopping online. In most cases, you will have seven working days after delivery to change your mind for any reason and get a full refund, including the original delivery charges. You may be asked to cover the reasonable costs of return carriage but these must be made clear in the terms and conditions. 11. Using a credit card Although you should be careful not to over extend yourself, buying items costing more than £100 and under £30,000 on a credit card can offer significant consumer protections, as the credit card provider becomes liable for any breach of contract, even if you buy from abroad. 12. Shopping in the January sales Remember you have exactly the same rights on sale items as you do on full price goods. However, if a reduction is offered as a result of a fault that is pointed out to you, you won't be able to make a claim for this later. For further information on consumer rights, and a chance to win £150 of shopping vouchers, visit the Consumer Direct website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk About Consumer Direct The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct.
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