With Christmas shopping around the corner, many of us will be turning to the web in search of a better deal. Shopping online can be a very safe experience, but there are unscrupulous retailers out there too. Consumer expert Tina Leonard shares some shopping tips with Today with Pat Kenny.
Golden Rule 1: Know the retailer
You wouldn’t buy from a man down a dark ally so why would you buy from someone online without knowing who they are?
Buy from a known site or one that has been recommended to you.
If you have done a search for a product and find a site, the very first thing you should do, is look for full contact details (name, address, telephone number, email etc) and full information on returns and delivery. If this information isn’t there I would advise going elsewhere.
Under European law, a web trader must include this information on their site. If the site can’t even be bothered to comply with the law on that, then in my opinion they don’t deserve your custom, and you can’t be sure you can trust them 100% with your business.
Golden Rule 2: Add the delivery cost to get total price
When you find a site that is selling your desired purchase at the right price, this is the next thing to figure out.
Check out whether this is the case in the delivery section, and if they do, then check for fees relating to that delivery to find out what the ‘true’ cost to you will be.
Buying within the EU
If you are buying within the EU there will be no customs charges but remember that you will be charged the Irish VAT rate on 21% and not the rate of the country where the web trader is based.
On big sites this will have been factored in, in the price displayed for Irish customers. However on smaller sites it may only change when you get to the ‘checkout’, so bear it in mind. Unless traders have sales of less than €35,000 they must all register for VAT in the country they are selling to, hence we pay our national VAT rate.
Buying outside of the EU
When buying outside of the EU, say the US, it gets more complicated to work out what the final cost to you will be. But you will usually have to pay VAT at the Irish rate and customs charges so you must add all of this in addition to the delivery cost and the price for the product, before you can decide whether it’s the best deal.
For goods bought online you are allowed €150 worth without duty. Over this, customs duty is added (on the purchase price plus postage costs) at different rates i.e. 2.7% or 3.7% for toys, 12% for clothes, 17% for shoes. Then VAT at 21% is added to the new total.
Sometimes these charges are added at the till, other times not, but the goods will not be delivered to you until you pay up here, so bear that in mind.
Golden Rule 3: Check the returns policy
The good news about shopping online is that you actually have more rights then when you shop on the high street. The major difference is that you have a legal right to cancel the deal and get a full refund.
To exercise this right you have to inform the trader within the ‘cooling-off’ period of seven days that you don’t want the items. They don’t have to be faulty and you don’t have to give a reason.
The ‘cooling-off’ period extends to three months if the trader hasn’t given you all the information legally required, such as contact details, information on price, returns, delivery, cooling-off period etc.
You are entitled to a full refund but you may have to pay for return postage.
This is handy though if you buy a Christmas present for someone (or for yourself) and when it arrives and you see it, decide that it’s not at all what you wanted. At least if you shop online early (now), you’ll have a chance to send it back, get a refund and buy something else.
Golden Rule 4: You can return faulty goods
To start with you have the same rights as when you shop on the high street. That is to say that if a product is faulty on not ‘as described’ you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund.
If you have to return a faulty product you should not have to pay the cost of return postage. In practice what usually happens is that you pay to post the faulty item back and that postage cost is refunded to you.
A good idea is to check the item immediately on delivery to make sure it is what you ordered and not in several hundred broken pieces. When it comes to consumer problems, always act as promptly as you can.
Golden Rule 5: Check for latest Christmas delivery times
What if the product isn’t delivered or doesn’t arrive in time for Christmas?
It’s pretty obvious that if you never receive the item you bought, the trader should either get busy delivering or give you a refund.
And you have the law on your side here too. The legislation states that the contract must be performed within thirty days of the order being placed, that is unless you have agreed otherwise with the trader. After that time period, if the product doesn’t arrive you are entitled to cancel the contract and get a refund.
This is why, when buying for Christmas online, it’s a good idea to start early. Check for latest order dates for Christmas and while they should be some weeks from now, it’s no harm playing it safe.
If delivery is promised for a certain date and that doesn’t happen, the trader has broken their contract with you, so you can cancel the contract or when it does finally arrive (maybe after Christmas), at least you can send it back and get a refund, and in the meanwhile, buy something else.
In cases of non-delivery it can happen that the trader blames the courier or delivery company for and asks you to complain to them. Don’t do that. The trader is trying to fob you off but ultimately the trader is responsible for getting the product to you.
When do my online shopping rights not apply?
There are always exclusions and in relation to the distance selling laws they do not apply to internet auctions, personalised goods or goods made to your specification, newspapers, periodicals and magazines, food and drink deliveries, time or date specific services i.e. plane, train, hotel, concert ticket, purchases from an individual not acting in the course of their business.
Top Tip for saving when buying online
If you are shopping online you may as well shop via a ‘cash back’ site. These sites are simply doorways that allow you to enter hundreds of sites as normal. But just because you come from the cash-back site you will receive cash back on any purchase made: it’s money for nothing.
The money is paid into your bank or PayPal account and could be 5% cash back from Molton Brown for example or 8% back from Elvery Sports.
The Irish cash-back sites are:
Who to complain to if something goes wrong:
Firstly, try to resolve your complaint with the trader
If it’s a cross-border trader you can get assistance from the European Consumer Centre
For Irish and other European traders you can take a small claims action.
