Buying Online: Some Tips

[vexillia]

May be of interest to forum members especially those with shops:



https://blog.vexillia.me.uk/2021/08/buying-online-some-tips.html

[robh]

Clearly stated, the bit about sellers own T&Cs is worth emphasising.
Legal requirements, like seller responsibility for in transit packages cannot be hand waved away by claiming "Once it is posted it is the buyers problem" or "If you want protection you must pay extra for insurance".
Nope.  That is not the way it works.

[vexillia]

I resisted the temptation to write a full list but one that might be of special interest is:

Customers are allowed 14 days to return items if they do not wish to keep them (paying return postage).  The 14 days starts on receipt of product or the vendor's terms & conditions (these must be delivered in a "durable" form") whichever is the latest.  A link to a web site is not deemed to be durable format.  An email, with or without a pdf attached, is

This will normally mean that the 14 day return period never expires because hardly anyone, except Amazon, sends their T&Cs in this manner. 

Plus:

Customers are allowed to open packaging to inspect items.

This means vendors cannot bar refunds to customers who open sealed packages although they can ask for the packaging to be returned.  Claims that returns must be of marketable quality (therefore implying that they be unopened) are dubious at best.  Unused certainly, just opened no. 

The whole point of the legislation is that online customers only make their final decision on the suitability of the goods once they have seen the product and this may require opening the blister, box etc.