Online Sale Of Goods Act
People are increasingly turning to the internet as a convenient form of shopping - no fighting against the crowds, no pounding the streets to shop around, no battling for the last size 12 on the rail and no queues to pay. So as Christmas approaches, and the pressure mounts to get those last-minute gifts, the Office of Fair Trading has some online shopping tips for those who would rather shop around from the comfort of their own home.
When you shop online you get extra protection so you can have confidence in buying goods or services with no face-to-face contact with the seller.
Cooling-off period
One of the main rights you have when shopping online is a cooling-off period - at least seven days after receiving the goods. This means you have the unconditional right to cancel your order if you change your mind unless the goods you have ordered are made to a personal specification or you have removed the packaging from CDs, DVDs, videos and software. Refunds
If you do change you mind for whatever reason within the cooling-off period you are entitled to a full refund - including any delivery charges (although you may have to pay the cost of returning the goods). The seller must refund all money within 30 days.
Credit card protection
If your credit or debit card is used fraudulently to shop online, you can cancel the payment and the card issuer must refund any money to your account. In addition if you use your credit card to buy an item that costs more than ?100 both the supplier and the credit card provider have the same liability to you. This means that if the supplier goes bust before you receive the goods or the contract is broken, you can make a claim against the credit card provider that you would have made against the supplier.
What about delivery?
Unless otherwise stated delivery should be within 30 days. If the order is not delivered within this time, you can cancel the order.
Before you buy online you are entitled to certain information including:
- a description of the goods or services
- the price including any taxes
- arrangements for payment
- delivery costs
- delivery arrangements
- name of the company (and address if payment is in advance). After you buy