Ever had a faulty product, missing parcel, dodgy second-hand car or delayed flight? Well, you have rights – but do you know what to do with them?
Last year, we asked 2,000 of our members about some common consumer rights misconceptions.
We found some scenarios seemed to be cut and dry – such as returning a faulty second-hand car to a dealership or staying in a room with a carpark view instead of the seaview you’d booked.
But others were a lot more confusing.
For example, we asked if it was true or false whether a landlord was responsible for all repairs and maintenance to a property.
44% said true | 29% said false | 27% didn’t know
The correct answer is true – but you’ll need to check your tenancy agreement as to what is the tenant’s responsibility. Usually this comes down to keeping the property in a good state of repair, changing the lightbulbs and keeping plugholes clear.
Read more about your responsibilities as tenant in our guide
Does where you shop change your rights?
We asked if you ordered a product online, you have more more rights to return it than if you ordered in-store.
40% said true, but 60% either didn’t know, or incorrectly thought you had the same rights in-store as you do online.
In fact, you have much more enhanced rights shopping online thanks to the 14-day cooling off cancellation period which doesn’t end until 14 days after you receive whatever you bought online.
Read our guide to cancelling an order for goods or services you placed online
“I’m renting and there’s mould”
We also asked if it was always the landlord’s responsibility to remove mould.
33% said true | 27% said false | 40% didn’t know
This answer is false as, sometimes, depending on the type of mould, it falls on the tenant’s shoulders to remove it. You can read more about which mould is whose responsibility in our free guide.
Helping resolve your queries
Here at Which? Conversation, we’re often asked to help with problems varying from delivery issues to misleading advertising and from faulty televisions to shady art dealings.
And fair enough, consumer law can be complicated with lots of grey areas and uncertainty about where to turn if you’re not being heard.
Have you had any problems where your consumer rights haven’t been upheld? Or any issues where your rights haven’t been clear? Tell us in the comments and we can help direct you to the right advice.
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