As a consumer, you need to know that you have rights when you buy products or services. This means that law can protect you when you aren’t able to reach an agreement about returning a product or service. So, today, we decided to show you some of the dos and don’ts in what concerns consumer rights.
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Consumer Rights: Quick Dos And Don’ts
DO Spend Gift Vouchers Quickly:
One of the things that you should consider doing when you have a gift voucher or card is to ensure that you use them as soon as you can. While you are not required to do so in any way, it’s important to keep in mind that some stores simply collapse, even the biggest ones. In case you just can’t remember this, just think of HMV, Maplin, Toys R Us, House of Fraser or Debenhams just to mention a few.
When firms go into administration, it’s perfectly legal for them to stop accepting gift vouchers, rendering them as worthless as the plastic or paper they’re printed on.
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DO Take Things Back As Quickly As Possible:
When you are not happy with the product that you bought, if it doesn’t fit, or any other situation, and you want to return it, you should do it as soon as possible.
Notice that you should know that in most cases, you should be able to get a full refund within 30 days due to what’s called your “short-term right to reject”. In case you don’t do it within this period, some stores allow you to return the items up to 6 months. However, in some cases, you need to be aware of the return policy of the store itself to see its terms and conditions.
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DON’T Assume You Can Exchange If It’s The Wrong Size:
The truth is that one of the main reasons that lead to product returns is concerned with wrong sizes. However, more and more people are using this excuse to return the items and stores are paying attention to it. This is why some stores are already denying refunds for this reason. And while others keep doing it, they aren’t required by law.
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DON’T Think Buying Online Means Fewer Rights
One of the things that many people still believe is that they have more consumer rights when buying at a physical store than online. However, this isn’t true. The reality is that you may even have more rights when buying online since you are protected by Consumer Contracts Regulations. These give a legal right of 14 days to cancel the order after receiving it, and a further 14 days to send most goods back for a full refund (including outward delivery costs), even if there’s no-fault. You’ll usually need to pay for the return delivery.
Bottom Line
Hopefully, you are now more aware of your consumer rights and know what you can and can’t do. So, no matter if you are buying an item online or offline, you know what you can expect.