Online Shopping... Your Rights

Shopping online? What are your rights?

Under The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations you have special rights as a consumer when you shop from home. But remember, you still have your normal statutory rights if something goes wrong. If you receive faulty goods:

• if there is something wrong with what you buy, tell the supplier as soon as possible
• keep a written note of a phone conversation
• keep a copy of any e-mail exchange.

When shopping from home you additionally have the right to:

• clear information before placing an order
• written information about a purchase
• a 'cooling off' period during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made
• a full refund if goods or services are not provided by an agreed date or within 30 days of placing an order if no date was agreed
• protection against credit card fraud, If you do find yourself a victim of online fraud, contact your credit card issuer as you would normally, and they will tell you how to proceed. It's important though that you have not done anything that your credit card company may think makes you liable. When shopping online take reasonable precaution to keep your details safe.

Your home shopping rights only apply to goods or services you buy from traders who are organised to sell to you without face-to-face contact.

They do not apply to:

• financial services like insurance or banking. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulates financial services businesses – see their website at www.fsa.gov.uk
• auctions – auctioneers, unlike other sellers, can refuse to accept responsibility for the quality of the goods they auction. Read the conditions of sale with care. But, unless the seller is a private individual, the standard terms of the contract set out in the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1994 still apply
• contracts involving the sale of land.

Quick Clicks: Office of Fair Trading