Many happy returns guide
CONGRATULATIONS if you got exactly what you always wanted for Christmas. However if you did not then brace yourself for the seasonal ritual of trying to get a refund.
The average Briton receives £35 worth of unwanted gifts so you should make the effort to return unwanted items. Do not leave it too long, the quicker you act the better.
LEGAL MATTERS
You may be surprised to learn that when it comes to returns, the law is not necessarily on your side. There is no automatic legal right to return an item simply because you do not want or like it.
Fortunately, most retailers operate a more generous goodwill returns policy allowing you to return items for an exchange, refund or credit note, typically within 28 to 30 days, although some may extend this to cover Christmas gifts.
Returns policies can usually be found on the store’s till receipts, instore signs or website.
Items must be unused, in perfect condition and sealed in its original packaging, with labels and tags. Retailers are unlikely to accept perishable items such as food and flowers, or personalised items.
The law is tighter on faulty items, where you can get an automatic refund within 30 days, and a repair or replacement after that.
ONLINE GIFTS
Your rights are stronger when buying online, by phone or mail order as you have 14 days to change your mind and get a full refund, simply because you do not want it.
MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis said some retailers, said some retailers including big high street names have misleading returns information on their sites: “Buy something online and by law, provided it is not perishable or personalised, you have 14 days to tell them you are sending it back, and 14 days after that to send it, that’s a maximum 28 days.”
He added: “If their websites give worse terms or try to claim different, tell them they’re talking baloney.”
SPEAK UP
Many of us fail to get a refund even when the law is on their side because we shy away from confrontation.
Almost three-quarters of us cited being “too polite” to ask for a refund or replacement when faced with substandard goods or services, according to research from 118 118 Money.
Younger people are particularly reluctant to speak up and we return less than a third of items as a result. Managing director David Goodman said: “The majority are not exercising their consumer rights.”
We are most likely to return items where customer service is “faceless”, typically for items bought online. Do not let shyness be an excuse, returning unwanted items does not have to end in conflict if you know your rights, remain polite and keep your cool.
IN YOUR GIFT
If you do not have a receipt or gift receipt you may also have to ask the person who gave you the present to supply any proof of purchase.
Matthew Sanders, consumer expert GoCompare Money, said refunds for unwanted gifts bought using a credit or debit card will normally go back on the same card: “So you will probably have to get the person who bought it for you to arrange the refund.”
If you have received gift cards always check the expiry dates and use them as soon as you can, as 6.7 million Britons have lost money due to either short or forgotten expiry dates or companies going bust.
Sanders said most gift cards must be redeemed within a set time frame, typically two years from the date of purchase, rather than when it was given. “Expiry dates can be as short as six months on some cards.”
If you don’t have the time or the receipt you can always wrap up unwanted gifts again, and regift them to somebody else. Or in the true spirit of Christmas, gift them to your local charity shop.