Your rights during the Black Friday sales
According to IMRG, consumers are forecasted to spend up to £1.54bn in Online Retail sales alone during Black Friday, a 13.2% increase from 2017. As one of the biggest retail events before the run-up to Christmas, this mini guide will help you understand your rights when shopping online during the sales event.
This year Black Friday is on Friday, November 23rd.
What if the item I bought during Black Friday is faulty?
Lawyer Dean Dunham advises “If you find the goods are faulty within the first 30 days after purchase you can take them back and demand a full refund. If it’s after this period, you can ask for a replacement or repair – although the retailer can choose which of these to provide.”
What if I change my mind about an item I’ve bought during the sales?
If you purchased in-store during Black Friday sales you will need to see what the retailer’s terms and conditions say. It is there therefore advisable to ask this question before you purchase. However, if you purchased a Black Friday deal online the Consumer Contract Regulations provide that you can change your mind and send the goods back at any time up to 14 days of delivery.
I purchased goods online, when will they arrive?
Your item must arrive within 30 days of the order being placed. If you have a specific date in mind you must stipulate this at the point of purchase. It also worth noting that the retailer is responsible for the goods until they are placed in your hands unless you authorised them to leave your order outside or with a neighbour. So, if the delivery company lose the goods or damage them, it’s the retailer’s responsibility to sort it.
(To find out more about delayed deliveries and your rights click here)
How can I stay safe when buying online during the Black Friday sales?
You can check to see if a website is safe by checking the URL. Look at the address bar of the website you are on and check to see if the URL starts https://www. – you will notice that a secure website will have an ‘S’ after the HTTP’ part and will look like this ‘HTTPS’. This is very important especially if you are on a payment page of a website. Another thing to look out for is the padlock symbol in the address bar which also indicates that a web page is secure and you can be confident in using its payment system.
