Q: When does Which? disapprove of retailers offering consumers quality guarantees? A: When the ‘guarantee’ is worse than the rights consumers have anyway!
We welcomed last week’s ruling by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) to ban an Asda promotion that offered to let you return clothes in their ‘George’ range for up to 100 days.
The thing is, consumer rights legislation already lets you return goods for up to six years after a purchase, and for the first six months the onus is on the retailer to prove the product wasn’t faulty.
The only limitation is that consumers must have a ‘reasonable expectation’ that a product would have lasted that long. But the ASA made clear that value clothes ranges should be expected to last well beyond 100 days, making Asda’s claims a bit ridiculous.
Stop misleading customers
‘It’s great to see that Asda has been knocked on the knuckles as this advert is a great example of how consumers could be misled into thinking they have fewer rights than they do,’ says Which? shopping expert Sarah Dennis.
‘Your rights as consumers on the shop floor and beyond are often confused and while it’s great when consumers are educated in how to protect themselves, shops should ultimately be responsible for making your real entitlement crystal clear.’
Clear the consumer rights confusion
Have you been stung by (or narrowly avoided) a retailer claiming to give you a great deal, when in fact they’re just doing what they have to? If so, check out the Which? advice about your rights.
If you’ve got an iPhone we’ve just launched our new Your Rights app, which puts the info in the palm of your hand. So next time you’re in a shop and they claim to be giving you a great deal, you can whip out your phone and check just how good it is.
