Do you know your right of return?

We are not talking about the travel kind (the right to return to your country) but we are discussing the right of return associated with parcels. When you order goods, in certain circumstances, you can return them to the business. Couriers often play a role in delivering goods initially aswell as facilitating returns, so it is a good idea to look at this a little more closely and try and explain further.

Buying goods online is easier and more convenient than ever, not mention the hike in popularity which has accelerated due to the pandemic. However, buying something online can often be more tricky than in person because an image is not quite the same as seeing it with your own eyes. A lot of rules exist to help the consumer with this and the wider issues surrounding return of e-commerce related goods.

General principles

*Any goods that are faulty or have become unsuitable for the purpose to which they were purchased can be returned within 6 months.

*Anything purchased online can be return within 14 days. This is known as a cooling off period, and exists precisely for the reason that it is impossible to really judge something without having seen it first.

*If the goods are ‘personal’ like underwear, swimwear etc you normally can’t return these unless they are faulty or damaged. This is due to health and hygiene reasons.

*Unless the seller has agreement with the delivery or courier company, return of any goods is at the expense of the purchaser, although if the goods were faulty, you should make a case for the fact that you shouldn’t be penalised in this instance. That would be levelled at the seller / business however, not the delivery or courier company.

There is a large body of legal framework and law which protects customers and consumers. Acts such as the Sale of Goods Act 1979 or the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are such examples. Unlike a lot of law, these consumer pieces of legislation are fairly straightforward to understand and you can easily be armed with a lot of useful information quite quickly by reading around on the subject.

Top Tips for returning items

*Make sure the item is returned in the original packaging (as far as possible) and reaches the sender in the best possible condition – preferably as it was sold to you. This avoids any disputes between you and the business and will allow the process to flow better.

*Make sure you pay by card rather than cash. If this is online, then this is likely to happen as standard anyway, but the point is that paying by card creates an evidence trail which can be referred to later.

*Once you send the item back ensure you get a receipt as proof of return as this can be difficult to prove if your item gets lost when it is in transit back to the business.

*If appropriate consider using a specialised courier service to return your item, especially if it precious, sensitive, or high in value. Courier services including fragile items or same day couriers can be useful in these circumstances.

The key thing to note in all these instances is you have purchased an item from a business and therefore it is the business you have a contract with. Although the courier or delivery company facilitates the delivery or return, ultimately any redress or complaints should be handled through the original seller.

This should all provide useful information should a need to return an item arise.

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