Customers ‘misled’ over online goods’ return policy

MAJOR retailers, including Apple, Marks & Spencer and Iceland, have been misleading shoppers over their rights to return items bought online, it has been claimed.

Most customers are unaware they have more legal rights to return items bought from a website than from a high street store. The confusion is fuelled by information on some retailers’ websites being hard to understand and, in some cases, potentially illegal.

The claims come from consumer group Which?. It found 5 out of 6 popular retailers and supermarkets failed to offer completely accurate and clear information. Customers pur- chasing online, by mail order or over the phone have the right to return it under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

They must inform the shop they want to return the item within 1 days of receiving it, and they then have another 1 days to send it back. High street stores have no legal obligation to accept a returned item, although many stores operate a voluntary returns policy.

Many retailers targeted by Which? have now agreed to review the returns information on their websites. Examples of bad practice found by Which? included a statement by Iceland that it would not accept returns on items bought in error online. Iceland said: ‘We concede [our returns policy] was insufficiently detailed and were happy to expand it.’

‘Hard to understand’