Changing your mind

People change their mind about things they buy all the time. You might buy a shirt or dress in a shop and then decide when you get home that you don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit properly.

But if you simply change your mind about something you bought in a shop and decide you don’t want to keep it, you do not have any rights under consumer law.

Some shops offer to accept returns and give you an exchange or refund within a certain amount of time after the purchase. This is shop policy and a gesture of goodwill and not a legal requirement.

Some shops which offer exchanges or refunds if you change your mind may only give you a refund in the form of a credit note or gift voucher for the shop, rather than giving you your money back.

Remember, if the shop is happy to take back items if you change your mind, then there is an obligation on you to keep the item safe and clean, and return it with all the original labels, tags and packaging.

Unwanted gifts

Some shops may exchange an item if you received it as a gift and want to exchange it for something else. In this case, you will need the receipt or a gift receipt from the person who gave it to you. There is no legal requirement for shops to exchange unwanted gifts.

Buying online

The rules for returning something you buy online are different, so make sure you get all the details in our buying online section.

Last updated on 12 June 2017