Bought goods online? Know your rights
December 31, 2015
If you bought goods online from a business within the EU over Christmas and are unhappy with your purchase it’s important to know that you have rights. Read our information on your rights when:
The item you bought is faulty
If you bought something online at Christmas and it is faulty you should contact the retailer by phone or email immediately and ask for a refund or replacement. Where a refund has been agreed, the seller must refund you your money within 14 days and they must pay for any return travel costs
You’ve changed your mind about something you bought
If you have changed your mind for any reason about something you bought online you have the right to cancel up to 14 days from when your purchase was delivered. If you are coming close to the end of the 14 days you need to act quickly and advise the business that you wish to cancel. You then have a further 14 days to return the item. You may have to pay for the cost of returning it. If you bought goods that are customised especially for you, such as a piece of jewellery that you had engraved, or goods that were sealed which are not suitable for return due to for health protection or hygiene reasons and you unsealed the goods after delivery, this could apply to items such as underwear or cosmetics, you may not have the right to change your mind, but you still have your rights if the goods are faulty.
You should receive your refund within 14 days of cancellation. A business can wait to refund you until they receive the item or have proof of return postage.
What you bought never arrived
If you bought goods online from a website within the EU, it should be delivered within 30 days unless you agreed otherwise with the seller. If you had agreed an earlier date with the seller and the goods were not delivered on time you can ask the seller to deliver the goods at a later date which is convenient for you. If the item wasn’t delivered within the agreed time period, you are entitled to cancel the contract and seek a refund (even if the period is within 30 days).
If you bought goods from outside of the EU you do not have these consumer rights so you should check what returns and refunds policy applies on that website. You can check if the website is based outside the EU by checking the postal address of the seller.
Find out more about your rights when buying online and also information if you bought something online from another consumer.
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