The need-to-knows when Christmas shopping online
Regular readers of this column will know we’re facing a few supply and demand issues this Christmas with everything from gifts to the dinner.
If you’re shopping for the festive season now, you might be tempted to cut a few corners to get your hands on the items you want.
But it makes sense to do a few checks before you click to commit or rush to the till. I’d also plan for things not turning up, broken or damaged goods, and what to do if the person you’re buying for wants to return the gift (without hurting your feelings).
The basics
You’ve got loads of rights when you’re buying online or in person, but there are time limits if you want to return items.
For all purchases (with a few exceptions) you can return goods that are broken or not as advertised and get a refund as long as you do so within the first 30 days of ordering. The business should also cover the postage on returns for items that are broken or damaged.
However, this rule applies to goods bought in the UK. It gets more complicated when items come from abroad.
There’s another big problem here. What if the goods you’ve bought today aren’t unwrapped till Christmas? The simple answer is open the parcels when you receive them – and the packaging where possible – and check the items.
Of course, it won’t be apparent that some things aren’t working until you turn them on, which realistically won’t happen until the big day.
If that occurs, don’t worry. You have six months from purchase during which time the retailer has to repair or replace a broken item – or failing that give you a full refund.
Projected delivery times
In the last week, I’ve seen examples of some retailers promising next day delivery on some items, only for a much later date to be offered at checkout.
This is really misleading and fundamentally unfair – you should be able to cancel and get a full refund if you spot that the retailer has done this. If you buy online, you can cancel most items within the first 14 days of ordering – so even if you spot a different delivery date later, you can still cut your losses and cancel in most instances.
The rules around delivery dates are clear cut. You are entitled to expect your goods to be delivered on the agreed date that you were given when your order was placed. If no date was given or agreed, the trader must get your purchases to you within 30 days of the order being placed.
If this does not happen, you are entitled to a full refund. If you paid a supplement for a specified time or date of delivery, you can ask for this back. However, this is a cold comfort if you’ve ordered items and they don’t turn up close to Christmas.
I’d urge caution about any delivery date that’s edging into December – and have a back up plan.
Ask a question
Why not contact the business and ask them if they actually have the items you want in stock? Get them to confirm in writing when the item is due and don’t order without a confirmed delivery day and confirmation of reservation.
Get a gift receipt
We’ve all got so used to shopping online that we’ve forgotten one of the great perks of buying in-person.
Most shops will give you a gift receipt for gifts you buy in-store.
I love gift receipts because they allow the person, you’re buying for to sneakily take the item back and exchange it in the shop – and you never have to know about it. So no hurt feelings.
If you’re feeling wicked, ask for a picture of your friends or family in that lovely Christmas jumper you’ve sent them first!