£1.2bn has been lost by Britain’s shoppers in the last year by not exercising their rights to return goods. That’s a difficult figure to digest. Here’s why brushing up on your rights could save you bundles.
What do dresses that don’t fit, broken trampolines, and faulty washing machines all have in common? Apart from being a stroke of pretty bad luck if you succumb to all three, they’re also three things you have a right to return for a refund. They also belonged to three members of the Which? team, but not all of them exercised their rights. And they’re not alone.
In our survey, we found out that around 12 million people have lost out on at least one occasion in the past year by not returning goods when they had a right to. That represents a pretty shocking £1.2bn, or the equivalent of sending 8,924 parcels into space and back on a Virgin Galactic flight! You don’t need to be an astronaut to see that that stat is out of this world.
Returning your goods – the facts
But did you know how simple it is to return your goods? In our survey we discovered four in ten people didn’t know they have seven working days from the day they receive an item bought online to let the seller know they want to return it – even if they simply change their mind.
Plus, if you buy something and it breaks within the first six months, under the Sale of Goods Act, it is up to the retailer to prove the item isn’t faulty. After six months the onus switches to you to prove there was a defect when you got it. And if you want to find the answers to all your consumer rights questions, check out our new website.
So, are you consumer rights savvy when it comes to returning goods? Have you ever tried to get a refund on a faulty product? If you haven’t, what’s stopped you?
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