Don’t be duped about your rights in the sales

June 13, 2018

If you buy something on sale, does that mean you have less rights? Thankfully no. Your rights are exactly the same in a sale as any other time of the year. Read our popular myth buster below to find out exactly where you stand:

 

Myth or Fact?
I bought a coat in the sales and two weeks later the sleeve ripped. The shop said the item was on sale and their shop policy is not to offer a refund during a sale so I am not entitled to a refund.	Myth: Your consumer rights don’t change in a sale. If something you bought on sale turns out to be faulty, your consumer rights are the same as any other time of the year. In all cases, what you buy must be as described to you, fit for the intended purpose and be of satisfactory quality. If you bought something that turns out to be faulty you have a number of options including a repair, replacement, reduction in the price or a full refund. It is up to you to negotiate your preferred option with the retailer.
The shoes I bought online in a sale are too big. I have no choice but to keep them.	Myth: When you buy online from an EU website, you have strong protections. These don’t change in a sale.  So you can cancel an online order from the moment you place the order up to 14 days after you receive it. This means you have the right to cancel an order for any reason within this period and get a full refund including any standard delivery costs you may have paid. However, if you are cancelling the order because you don’t want the item, you may have to pay for the cost of returning it.
I recently bought a pair of shoes in a shop. When I brought them home and tried them on they didn’t fit. The store is insisting I cannot return them and won’t refund me my money. Are they right?	Fact: If you buy something in a shop and change your mind, or perhaps the item doesn’t fit, you don’t have rights under consumer law. If you return the item, the shop doesn’t have to offer you a refund or a replacement.  However many shops will accept returns if you have proof of purchase and give you an exchange or refund within a certain amount of time after you buy. But this is a gesture of goodwill and some shops may only offer an exchange or refund on non-sale items, or may only offer you a refund of the reduced amount they’re on sale for. Also shops may change their returns policy during a sale so always ask before you buy.
The sale item I bought in a shop is faulty, but the shop says that I will need to return it to the manufacturer as it is up to them to fix it.	Myth: Your contract is with the retailer who sold you the product so if there is a fault, it is up to them to fix it.
A hair dryer I bought on sale has stopped working but the shop says I cannot return it as they only offer returns up to 28 days after purchase.	Myth: The law does not give a specific time limit on when you need to return something you bought during a sale. However, once you notice a fault with anything, you should return it as soon as possible to the shop, explain what has happened and show them proof of purchase. This can be your receipt, or a copy of your debit or credit card statement. The outcome you get will depend on how the item was used and also the length of time it took you to return it.
If I buy something that is faulty, and it is on sale when I return it, I am only entitled to the reduced price not the original price I paid.	Myth: If an item you bought at full price turns out to be faulty and is now on sale, you are entitled to a refund of the full price you paid or a replacement of the same value. You don’t have to accept a refund of the lower sale price if the goods are faulty.
A shop always has to provide me with a receipt when I buy something.	Myth: Shops don’t have to give you a receipt for the goods you buy. However, you should always ask for one. Receipts are an important and easy way to prove you bought a product in a particular store. Remember too that bank or credit card statements can also be used as proof of purchase.

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