Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Citizens Advice Wiltshire is reminding consumers of their online shopping rights and how to make sure they stick to their budget.
Over recent years the Citizens Advice Consumer Service has seen the number of people seeking help about online shopping nearly double.
With the increase in online shopping over recent years, many Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale purchases will been made online so Citizens Advice Wiltshire experts are on hand to make sure you know your consumer rights and help keep within your budget.
Our consumer experts share their top tips to help you shop online with confidence:
If you change your mind about a purchase
If you buy online, unless it’s bespoke, made to measure, or you’ve broken a digital or hygiene seal, by law you will get an automatic 14-day cooling-off period. This starts the day after you receive your order, and there doesn’t need to be anything wrong with the item for you to get a refund.
If you buy something in person, shops aren’t legally required to accept returns for unwanted goods. Despite this, the shop may choose to have its own returns policy. If it does, they must honour it, so it’s worth checking your receipt.
If you’re worried your purchase is faulty
If something’s gone wrong with an item you’ve bought, you may be entitled to a refund. You’ll have legal rights if you unwittingly bought an item that is broken or damaged, unusable, not what was advertised or doesn’t match the seller’s description.
You’ll have to move quickly, if you've bought a faulty item the seller must give you a refund if you return the item within 30 days. Your rights don’t end after 30 days, though after this period the retailer doesn’t necessarily have to refund you, instead they have the option of repairing or replacing the faulty product.
If you’re worried about scams
Be careful not to end up with a counterfeit item. Secure websites should start “https” and have a padlock symbol in the taskbar. Be wary of spelling or grammar mistakes, and companies that don’t provide an address.
Also seek out reviews of the seller from other buyers as these can help you decide whether or not you trust the seller. If there is a lot of negative feedback from other people, it’s often a sign that something’s not right.
If you’re worried that something you’ve seen online might be a scam, you can get help from the Citizens Advice Scams Action service.
If there’s a problem with your Black Friday or Cyber Monday delivery
With more people buying online, more people are experiencing delivery problems. More than 50% of adults in the South West have had a parcel delivery problem since the first lockdown in March 2020.
If you bought something to be delivered, it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you. If the seller used a delivery company, they should chase the company to find out what’s happened to your order - it’s not your responsibility.
Check the delivery address you gave the seller. Then contact them and ask where your order is. Be careful in selecting safe places; if you nominate a safe place and the parcel is stolen you might have lost the right to a replacement.
Suzanne Wigmore, Chief Executive, at Citizens Advice Wiltshire shares their advice to keeping within your budget:
“With so many bargains around at this time of year, many people across Wiltshire may feel the pressure to part with their money.
“With the uncertainty that coronavirus has brought, it’s important that anyone thinking about turning to credit or taking out a loan to help pay for purchases understands the full costs involved and if they can actually afford to pay it back.
“If you are struggling with your finances, it may feel overwhelming but it’s best to do something about it as soon as possible. You can talk to us at Citizens Advice Wiltshire to get free debt and money advice which can help you find a way forward and avoid spiralling debts.”
Citizens Advice Wiltshire share their top budgeting tips:
- Spend time shopping around, researching what deals are on offer and getting advice.
- Always look at the total amount you will have to repay when borrowing money. A shorter repayment period may be better than a slightly lower Annual Percentage Rate (APR) amount.
- Take care when looking at buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) deals. It might seem like a good option but you'll need to make sure you pay on time in future. If you don't these deals can be very expensive. Even if the deal is interest-free, you should still check that you’ll be able to pay it off in the time period, if not it could damage your credit rating.
- Never borrow money on the spur of the moment. Think about payment options beforehand. Work out your budget and stick to it so that you can afford the repayments.
You can find more consumer advice on the Citizens Advice website, or you can call us in Wiltshire for free on 0800 144 8848 or contact us for advice via email
First published: Tuesday 19 November 2019; fully updated Thursday 26 November 2020. Last updated Friday 19 November 2021.
Notes:
- Citizens Advice Consumer Service saw 124,167 cases regarding online shopping between 1 January 2020 and 18 November 2020. During the same period in 2019 the Service saw just over 74,000 cases.
- Figures relating to problems with delivery derive from Citizens Advice commissioned polling. Citizens Advice commissioned Yonder Data Solutions to carry out a survey of 2,029 18+ UK adults between 23 October to 25 October 2020. Fieldwork was carried out online.