Christmas shoppers reminded of consumer rights
Tablets and laptops, women's clothing and toys draw the most complaints from Christmas shoppers who are unhappy with their purchases, according to analysis by Citizens Advice.
The charity, together with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is urging people to get to know their rights ahead of National Consumer Week.
The organisations are highlighting how the new Consumer Rights Act which came in on October 1 can help people shop with confidence this Christmas and get their money back if something goes wrong.
Citizens Advice found people are more likely to call its consumer service helpline with complaints about items such as toys, computer games and jewellery in January than at any other time of year.
Complaints about toys more than doubled in January 2015 compared with the average level of complaints across the rest of the year, while problems with DVDs, video games, games consoles and sound systems rose by two-thirds.
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Problems were most likely to relate to defective goods, while one in seven people contacted the service because of misleading claims and descriptions about their purchase and one in 20 complained that a businesses did not honour their cancellation rights.
Citizens Advice said the top five most complained about personal goods in January 2015 were tablets, notebooks and laptops, women's clothing, televisions, toys and jewellery.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: "Citizens Advice urges people to do their homework before they hit the shops this Christmas and make sure they know their rights if they have problems with their purchases."
Consumer minister Nick Boles said UK consumers spend £90 billion a month.
He said: "Whether downloading music or buying a fridge freezer, the new Consumer Rights Act makes it easier for shoppers to understand their rights and simplifies the law for businesses."
Here are some tips for shoppers from the awareness drive:
- When did you buy? Check the date on your purchase - the new Consumer Rights Act only applies to goods bought after October 1 this year when it came into force.
- Want your money back? You may have tried to take a faulty item back and been offered an exchange or a credit note. But if your product is faulty, of poor quality or not fit for purpose, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund.
- Poor quality purchase? It can be hard to prove that something is not as good as you were expecting. The new Act states that products must match the description given. If they do not, your rights to a refund can come into play.
- Delivery not explained? If you are shopping online or with a salesperson who is visiting your home, certain information including any cancellation rights, delivery charges, delivery restrictions and returns policies must all be clearly given. If cancellation information is not provided, this could extend a right to cancel from 14 days to possibly up to one year.
- Bamboozled by the small print? In the past, terms and conditions were often tucked away. Important terms and conditions must now be made more prominent. This makes it easier to know what you are signing up to and to compare contracts so you know you are getting the best deal.
- Can't resolve a dispute? Previously consumers would often have to pay to take businesses to a small claims court to get their problem sorted. It is now simpler with "alternative dispute resolution", which uses other routes to solving disputes such as going to an ombudsman for free.
