Legal Shopping Rights
Legal Rights when Buying Goods:
A trader selling goods to a customer enters into a contract controlled by the the Sale of Goods Act 1979, amended by the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 , and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. These acts provide the consumer with certain Legal rights when buying goods. All goods must:
- Be of a satisfactory quality
- Do what they are designed to do
- Be as described, matching any pictures or descriptions of them
- Be safe, under the Consumer Protection Act 1987
In particular, traders should be aware of these features of consumer law:
- Misrepresentation of goods - A customer is entitled to a refund on goods that have been misrepresented, for example, on goods sold on the basis of features they do not have.
Prosecution can also follow, if the misrepresentation is reported to Trading Standards.
- Faulty goods - It is a business's responsibility to arrange for the collection of faulty goods, particularly large items. If a customer returns faulty goods within a reasonable time,
a business is obliged to give a refund, and not a credit note. If a repair of a faulty good is unsatisfactory, a customer is still entitled to a refund.
- When buying using a Credit Card, then both the seller,and the Credit Card provider have equal liability for the goods you purchase, so you can chase either, or both, for any
compensation, refunds, or repairs for faulty goods.
- Time to check goods - Customers have the right to time to check they are satisfied with their goods, though this can be just a week. However, if goods are faulty, a business may be
liable for compensation up to six years after the purchase.
- Contracts - A customer signing a contract with a trader for goods is legally bound by it, but has legal protection against certain terms that might be in it.
Many of your rights when buying online from a UK-based company are the same as when you buy from a shop. In addition, when shopping on the internet or any other form of home shopping you are also entitled to:
- clear information about the goods or services offered before you buy
- written confirmation of this information after you have made your purchase
- a 'cooling off' period (usually seven days) during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made
- a full refund if the goods or services are not provided by the date you agreed. If you didn't agree a date, then you are entitled to a refund if the goods or services are not provided within 30 days.
